Patents by Inventor Paul Hopewell

Paul Hopewell 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: 7543181
    Abstract: Provided are methods, data processing systems, recovery components and computer programs for recovering from storage failures affecting data repositories. At least a part of the recovery processing is performed while the data repositories are able to receive new data and to allow retrieval of such new data. Although new data items may be received into the repository and retrieved therefrom during recovery processing, updates to the data repository which were performed before the failure and which are then restored to the repository by the recovery processing are restored within a recovery unit of work and are inaccessible to processes other than the recovery process until successful completion of the recovery unit of work. The recovery processing ensures that the recovered repository is consistent with the state of the repository at the time of the failure, but is available for addition and retrieval of new data items before completion of the recovery processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Ptd. Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert Frank Buxton, David James Fisher, Jose Emir Garza, Stephen James Hobson, Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Robert Daniel Millar, Peter Siddall, Stephen Richard Walker
  • Patent number: 7484119
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method, apparatus, computer program and computer program product for adjusting the frequency at which data is backed up. This involves receiving a target recovery time. A current estimated recovery time is then determined and the current and target times are compared. If it is determined that the current estimated recovery time has reached a predetermined threshold relative to the received target recovery time a new backup should be initiated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David James Fisher, Stephen James Hobson, Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Robert Daniel Millar, Pete Siddall, Stephen Richard Walker
  • Publication number: 20070001461
    Abstract: A method for controlling variability in power output of a wind farm supplying power to a grid includes monitoring a power output level of the wind farm. The monitored power output level is compared to a target power output level. A command is issued to increase or decrease electrical power consumption by an electrolyzer system electrically coupled to the wind farm to maintain a net power output level by the wind farm based upon the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Inventor: Paul Hopewell
  • Publication number: 20060273595
    Abstract: A technique is provided for operating a wind farm at increased rated power output. The technique includes sensing a plurality of operating parameters of the wind turbine generator, assessing the plurality of operating parameters with respect to respective design ratings for the operating parameters, and intermittently increasing a rated power output of the wind turbine generator based upon the assessment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2005
    Publication date: December 7, 2006
    Inventors: Aaron Avagliano, Ralph Teichmann, Kirk Pierce, Paul Hopewell, Ameet Deshpande, Sukru Eker
  • Publication number: 20060200516
    Abstract: A data processing system for message handling comprises a coupling facility for receiving messages, the coupling facility arranged to maintain a queue of messages, and a database for storing messages. A component, such as a server, of the system is arranged to detect that a message is of a size above a predetermined threshold, and therefore stores this larger message in the database and enters a proxy in the queue of messages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Publication date: September 7, 2006
    Inventors: Dermot Flaherty, Stephen Hobson, Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Peter Siddall
  • Publication number: 20060117221
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method, apparatus, computer program and computer program product for adjusting the frequency at which data is backed up. This involves receiving a target recovery time. A current estimated recovery time is then determined and the current and target times are compared. If it is determined that the current estimated recovery time has reached a predetermined threshold relative to the received target recovery time a new backup should be initiated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Publication date: June 1, 2006
    Inventors: David Fisher, Stephen Hobson, Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Robert Millar, Pete Siddall, Stephen Walker
  • Patent number: 7035852
    Abstract: Provided are a method, computer program product and system for providing indexed queue support for efficient retrieval of messages from a queue. An index key for expediting message retrieval is assigned to a message when the operation of placing the message on a queue is committed. The index key assigned at commit time comprises an attribute (such as a message ID or correlation ID) specified by the sending application program, which placed the message on the queue. This deferred assignment of an index key until commit time means that the index key can be used to search for messages having the particular attribute without any possibility of identifying messages for retrieval before the messages have been committed. This maintains transactional requirements of a transaction-oriented messaging system which requires a message to only be made available for retrieval by receiver application programs after the sender application's put operation has committed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Jeffrey M. Nick, Peter Siddall, James H. Warnes
  • Patent number: 6993537
    Abstract: The invention relates to the recovery of data in a database of database records, following a failure of a media containing said database. The data recovery uses a backup of the database and a log of log records detailing any changes in the database which are not captured in the backup. The log is replayed starting with the most recent log record. It is the determined for each successive log record, that relates to an operation on a database record, whether processing the log record will result in the most recent state of the corresponding database record, and if so, the log record is processed. Subsequently additional data is restored from the backup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert F Buxton, Stephen R Walker, Stephen J Hobson, Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Robert D Millar, Peter Siddall
  • Patent number: 6948093
    Abstract: A data processing arrangement (100) and method for fuzzy backup and restore of MQSeries shared queues held in coupling facility list structure (106). Periodically backups are taken of the data held in the CF list structure by backing up messages in the sequence uncommitted puts (220), committed puts (230), uncommitted gets (240) and expired messages (250), whereby all messages may be backed up in the backup means except for exceptions which are recorded in the record log. In the event of media failure of the coupling facility, data can be restored by restoring messages in the sequence restoring messages from the backup means (320), replaying messages from the record log means (340) and determining final disposition of messages from replay of the record log means (350). This provides the advantage of allowing the number of log records written to be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Dermot Flaherty, David J Fisher, Stephen J Hobson, Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Robert D Millar, Peter Siddall, Stephen R Walker
  • Publication number: 20050131883
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a browse mechanism to scan a list of data items. A marker is applied to the data items once they have been scanned by the browse mechanism. The marker provides an indication that a respective data item has been scanned by a given browse entity. The browse mechanism subsequently scans only unmarked data items in the list of data items.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2004
    Publication date: June 16, 2005
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Buxton, Richard Harran, Andrew Hickson, Paul Hopewell, Stephen Kinder, Ian Parkson, Gary Puchkoff, James Warnes
  • Patent number: 6848037
    Abstract: A data processing system (100) and method for creating a fuzzy backup (116) only of objects older than a predetermined threshold, and restoring from the fuzzy backup and from a record log (114) replayed from a time equal to the predetermined threshold before the fuzzy backup start time. This provides advantages of reduced resource cost for the fuzzy backup and reduced restore time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Dermot Flaherty, David J. Fisher, Stephen J. Hobson, Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Robert D. Millar, Peter Siddall, Stephen R. Walker
  • Publication number: 20040215998
    Abstract: Provided are methods, data processing systems, recovery components and computer programs for recovering from failures affecting data repositories. In a data processing system in which updates applied to a data repository are applied within transactional units of work, a secondary copy is stored of data items held within the data repository and updates applied to the data repository within transactional units of work. In response to a failure affecting a primary copy of the data repository, the secondary copy is used to identify a set of operations required for restoring data items and applied updates to the primary copy of the data repository. The set of operations are analyzed to determine the state, at the time of the failure, of each unit of work corresponding to one or more operations of the identified set of restore operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert F. Buxton, David J. Fisher, Stephen J. Hobson, Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Robert D. Millar, Peter Siddall, Stephen R. Walker
  • Publication number: 20030191984
    Abstract: A data processing arrangement (100) and method for fuzzy backup and restore of MQSeries shared queues held in coupling facility list structure (106). Periodically backups are taken of the data held in the CF list structure by backing up messages in the sequence uncommitted puts (220), committed puts (230), uncommitted gets (240) and expired messages (250), whereby all messages may be backed up in the backup means except for exceptions which are recorded in the record log. In the event of media failure of the coupling facility, data can be restored by restoring messages in the sequence restoring messages from the backup means (320), replaying messages from the record log means (340) and determining final disposition of messages from replay of the record log means (350). This provides the advantage of allowing the number of log records written to be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Publication date: October 9, 2003
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Dermot Flaherty, David J. Fisher, Stephen J. Hobson, Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Robert D. Millar, Peter Siddall, Stephen R. Walker
  • Publication number: 20030191918
    Abstract: A data processing system (100) and method for creating a fuzzy backup (116) only of objects older than a predetermined threshold, and restoring from the fuzzy backup and from a record log (114) replayed from a time equal to the predetermined threshold before the fuzzy backup start time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Publication date: October 9, 2003
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Dermot Flaherty, David J. Fisher, Stephen J. Hobson, Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Robert D. Millar, Peter Siddall, Stephen R. Walker
  • Publication number: 20030191782
    Abstract: The invention relates to the recovery of data in a database of database records, following a failure of a media containing said database. The data recovery uses a backup of the database and a log of log records detailing any changes in the database which are not captured in the backup. The log is replayed starting with the most recent log record. It is the determined for each successive log record, that relates to an operation on a database record, whether processing the log record will result in the most recent state of the corresponding database record, and if so, the log record is processed. Subsequently additional data is restored from the backup.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Publication date: October 9, 2003
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert F. Buxton, Stephen R. Walker, Stephen J. Hobson, Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Robert D. Millar, Peter Siddall
  • Publication number: 20020087507
    Abstract: Provided are a method, computer program product and system for providing indexed queue support for efficient retrieval of messages from a queue. An index key for expediting message retrieval is assigned to a message when the operation of placing the message on a queue is committed. The index assigned at commit time comprises an attribute (such as a message ID or correlation ID) specified by the sending application program which placed the message on the queue. This deferred assignment of an index key until commit time means that the index key can be used to search for messages having the particular attribute without any possibility of identifying messages for retrieval before the messages have been committed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2001
    Publication date: July 4, 2002
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Hopewell, Paul Kettley, Jeffrey M. Nick, Peter Siddall, James H. Warnes