Patents by Inventor Michael Halcrow

Michael Halcrow has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8462955
    Abstract: An online key stored by a remote service is generated or otherwise obtained, and a storage media (as it applies to the storage of data on a physical or virtual storage media) master key for encrypting and decrypting a physical or virtual storage media or encrypting and decrypting one or more storage media encryption keys that are used to encrypt a physical or virtual storage media is encrypted based at least in part on the online key. A key protector for the storage media is stored, the key protector including the encrypted master key. The key protector can be subsequently accessed, and the online key obtained from the remote service. The master key is decrypted based on the online key, allowing the one or more storage media encryption keys that are used to decrypt the storage media to be decrypted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Octavian T. Ureche, Nils Dussart, Michael A. Halcrow, Charles G. Jeffries, Nathan T. Lewis, Cristian M. Ilac, Innokentiy Basmov, Magnus Bo Gustaf Nyström, Niels T. Ferguson
  • Patent number: 8239964
    Abstract: Safe deposit boxes, services, and methods for physically secure data storage are provided that include securing a network-enabled computer within a safe deposit box, receiving, in the network-enabled computer, data transmitted from a remote computer coupled for data communications with the network-enabled computer; and storing the data in the memory of the network-enabled computer. Securing a network-enabled computer within a safe deposit box may be carried out by providing a locked safe deposit box having the networked enabled computer stored within. Securing a network-enabled computer within a safe deposit box may be carried out by providing a lockable safe deposit box having the networked enabled computer integrated within.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Halcrow, Dustin Kirkland
  • Publication number: 20120130977
    Abstract: Dynamic language checking includes identifying questionable language usage; creating a query in dependence upon the questionable language usage; querying a search engine with the query; receiving from the search engine search result statistics describing the search results for the query; and determining, in dependence upon search results statistics returned by the search engine, whether the questionable language usage is proper language usage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Halcrow, Dustin Kirkland
  • Patent number: 8131746
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products are disclosed for dynamic language checking. Embodiments include identifying questionable language usage; creating a query in dependence upon the questionable language usage; querying a search engine with the query; receiving from the search engine search result statistics describing the search results for the query; and determining, in dependence upon search results statistics returned by the search engine, whether the questionable language usage is proper language usage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Halcrow, Dustin Kirkland
  • Publication number: 20110302398
    Abstract: An online key stored by a remote service is generated or otherwise obtained, and a storage media (as it applies to the storage of data on a physical or virtual storage media) master key for encrypting and decrypting a physical or virtual storage media or encrypting and decrypting one or more storage media encryption keys that are used to encrypt a physical or virtual storage media is encrypted based at least in part on the online key. A key protector for the storage media is stored, the key protector including the encrypted master key. The key protector can be subsequently accessed, and the online key obtained from the remote service. The master key is decrypted based on the online key, allowing the one or more storage media encryption keys that are used to decrypt the storage media to be decrypted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Octavian T. Ureche, Nils Dussart, Michael A. Halcrow, Charles G. Jeffries, Nathan T. Lewis, Cristian M. Ilac, Innokentiy Basmov, Bo Gustaf Magnus Nystr+e,uml o+ee m, Niels T. Ferguson
  • Patent number: 7996891
    Abstract: Systems, methods and computer program products for generating anonymous assertions. Exemplary embodiments include a method for generating anonymous assertions, the method comprising engaging anonymous role authentication via one or more authenticator services, generating an assertion token on a trusted assertion device that is booted into a trusted configuration, and processing the assertion and validating a right of the user to make the assertion for the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard J. Cardone, Michael A. Halcrow, Benjamin M. Landman, Kent E. Yoder
  • Publication number: 20090193509
    Abstract: Systems, methods and computer program products for generating anonymous assertions. Exemplary embodiments include a method for generating anonymous assertions, the method comprising engaging anonymous role authentication via one or more authenticator services, generating an assertion token on a trusted assertion device that is booted into a trusted configuration, and processing the assertion and validating a right of the user to make the assertion for the event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard J. Cardone, Michael A. Halcrow, Benjamin M. Landman, Kent E. Yoder
  • Patent number: 7552327
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for conducting a confidential search. The method comprises accessing one or more terms associated with one or more nodes of a network, encrypting the accessed one or more terms and receiving an encrypted search term from a user. The method further comprises comparing the received encrypted search term with at least a portion of the encrypted accessed terms and providing a result of the comparison to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Halcrow, Dustin C. Kirkland, David B. Kumhyr, Kylene J. Smith
  • Publication number: 20090094701
    Abstract: Safe deposit boxes, services, and methods for physically secure data storage are provided that include securing a network-enabled computer within a safe deposit box, receiving, in the network-enabled computer, data transmitted from a remote computer coupled for data communications with the network-enabled computer; and storing the data in the memory of the network-enabled computer. Securing a network-enabled computer within a safe deposit box may be carried out by providing a locked safe deposit box having the networked enabled computer stored within. Securing a network-enabled computer within a safe deposit box may be carried out by providing a lockable safe deposit box having the networked enabled computer integrated within.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Publication date: April 9, 2009
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael A. Halcrow, Dustin Kirkland
  • Publication number: 20090072031
    Abstract: A method for a paper-free, verifiable, electronic voting system, the method comprising the steps of submitting votes by a voter using a direct-recording electronic voting machine, requesting a ballot summary from the direct-recording electronic voting machine, creating a ballot summary in a verification subsystem, displaying the ballot summary by the voting machine, casting a ballot by the voter, tallying votes by the electronic voting system, requesting the ballot summary be saved by the voting machine, saving the ballot summary securely by the verification subsystem, and displaying a cast ballot message on the voting machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventors: Richard J. Cardone, Michael A. Halcrow, Benjamin M. Landman, Kent Yoder
  • Publication number: 20090072030
    Abstract: An apparatus for a paper-free, verifiable, electronic voting system, comprising an electronic voting machine including at least one direct recording electronic device, at least one ballot summary, where each of the ballot summaries representing selections of a voter, at least one ballot verification subsystem that creates, displays, and stores said ballot summaries, at least one ballot summary storage repository for storing said ballot summaries as saved ballot summaries, and an optional network for communication among components of the electronic voting system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventors: Richard J. Cardone, Michael A. Halcrow, Benjamin M. Landman, Kent Yoder
  • Publication number: 20090076891
    Abstract: An apparatus for executing a trusted electronic voting system under the control of an election authority comprising: at least one electronic voting machine; an election configuration for the voting machine in the electronic voting system; and a trusted computing platform for the voting machine in the electronic voting system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventors: Richard J. Cardone, Michael A. Halcrow, Benjamin M. Landman, Kent Yoder
  • Publication number: 20090072032
    Abstract: A method for voting in a trusted electronic voting system under the control of an election authority, the method comprising: casting a ballot having ballot information, the ballot information representing votes by a voter; receiving a request to cast the ballot by a voting machine, the voting machine running as a trusted computing platform; tallying the votes in a tally module; displaying the status of the vote tallying on the voting machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventors: Richard J. Cardone, Michael A. Halcrow, Benjamin M. Landman, Kent Yoder
  • Patent number: 7484657
    Abstract: Safe deposit boxes, services, and methods for physically secure data storage are provided that include securing a network-enabled computer within a safe deposit box, receiving, in the network-enabled computer, data transmitted from a remote computer coupled for data communications with the network-enabled computer; and storing the data in the memory of the network-enabled computer. Securing a network-enabled computer within a safe deposit box may be carried out by providing a locked safe deposit box having the networked enabled computer stored within. Securing a network-enabled computer within a safe deposit box may be carried out by providing a lockable safe deposit box having the networked enabled computer integrated within.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Halcrow, Dustin Kirkland
  • Patent number: 7453362
    Abstract: A method for identifying product placement props in a scene, the method includes: equipping one or more cameras with individual radio frequency identification (RFID) readers for filming or recording a scene for audio/video (A/V) content; placing one or more product placement props each having an RFID tag affixed thereon representing product placements within the scene; wherein the RFID readers interrogate the RFID tags to determine product placement prop related information including: which of the one or more product placement props are in the scene, and the one or more product placement props relative location with respect to the one or more cameras; and one or more recording devices for retaining the A/V content and the product placement prop related information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Halcrow, Dustin Kirkland, Ameet M. Paranjape
  • Publication number: 20080228770
    Abstract: A method, system and program are provided for selectively managing data migration in a stacked filesystem that receives a request to migrate a data file to a destination context, where the data file is divided into a plurality of sub-regions such that data stored in different sub-regions may have different contexts. In response to the migration request, file data is sequentially migrated, one sub-region at a time, to the destination context by maintaining context status information for each sub-region in a metadata portion of the data file, where the context status information prevents another application from accessing any sub-region in the data file that is being migrated, but allows access to other sub-regions in the data file.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2007
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Inventors: Michael A. Halcrow, Steven M. French
  • Patent number: 7388496
    Abstract: A system for identifying product placement props in a scene, the system includes: one or more cameras individually equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) readers for filming or recording a scene for audio/video (A/V) content; one or more product placement props each having an RFID tag affixed thereon representing product placements within the scene; wherein the RFID readers interrogate the RFID tags to determine product placement prop related information including: which of the one or more product placement props are in the scene, and the one or more product placement props relative location with respect to the one or more cameras; and one or more recording devices for retaining the A/V content and the product placement prop related information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Halcrow, Dustin Kirkland, Ameet M. Paranjape
  • Publication number: 20080027866
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer readable medium for authenticating file system content. In one embodiment of the method of invention, file system content is received or retrieved for content authentication. Security relevant portions of the file content are identified in accordance with specified parse production rules that tokenize the original file content. Next, the identified security relevant portions of the file content are isolated and extracted from the original file content. The extracted security relevant portions of the file content are authenticated by generating a hash value for the extracted portions and comparing the hash value against a prior output of that hash function applied to a trusted snapshot of the same security relevant file content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2006
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Inventors: MICHAEL A. HALCROW, EMILY J. RATLIFF
  • Patent number: 7257373
    Abstract: One or more stationary wireless readers are used to determine the relative strength of calibration signals sent from fixed locations adjacent to POS terminals. Then, the signal strength of signals being transmitted by wireless devices within range of the one or more wireless readers is evaluated to determine the relative position of each wireless device to the POS terminals. This allows an operator of the POS system to determine the proximity of each wireless device relative to the POS terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Halcrow, Serge E. Hallyn
  • Publication number: 20070167174
    Abstract: A WIFI-enabled and GPS-enabled user device executes a hotspot location utility, which enables the device to detect WIFI hotspots and update a locally-stored hotspot location database (LHLD) containing geographically-mapped hotspots. When a hotspot is detected, the device accesses the hotspot, retrieves identification information and usage terms from the hotspot, and measures performance metrics of the hotspot. The utility stores the identified hotspot with the current GPS coordinate as an entry within the LHLD. When a user later desires to locate hotspots within a particular geographic location, the user enters the physical address of the location, and hotspots with matching (or proximate) GPS coordinates of the entered address are presented to the user. The user may specify certain preferences for usage terms, performance metrics, and location criteria, and the utility filters all geographic hits and returns only hotspots in the geographic location that also satisfy these preferences.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Michael Halcrow, Dustin Kirkland