Patents by Inventor Philip Chidester

Philip Chidester 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).

  • System and method for monitoring the status of a bus in a server environment
    Publication number: 20070088816
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed in which the buses of a server computer are monitored through server management software. A data structure for a monitored bus or group of buses is created and stored in a repository of data structures for other monitored devices within the server computer. As events, such as failure events, occur on one or more of the monitored buses, the event is recorded in an event log. Using the server management software, monitoring commands can be issued by the baseboard management controller to each monitored bus to check the status of the bus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Publication date: April 19, 2007
    Inventors: Nasiha Hrustemovic, Philip Chidester, Akkiah Maddukuri
  • Method to reduce IPMB traffic and improve performance for accessing sensor data
    Publication number: 20060206286
    Abstract: An information handling system is provided with a BIOS and an baseboard management controller. The baseboard management controller is provided with non-standard functionality that enables the BIOS to request sensor data records of a specific type. Thus the BIOS can ask for specific kinds of sensor data, such as those for memory sensors only. By limiting the amount of data retrieved by the BIOS from the BMC, slow moving traffic between the BIOS and the BMC can be reduced, thereby increasing overall system performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Publication date: September 14, 2006
    Inventors: Chandrasekhar Mugunda, Philip Chidester, Mukund Khatri, Wayne Weilnau
  • Technique for increasing the visibility of an LCD panel during warm-up thereof
    Patent number: 5636041
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for automatically increasing the visibility of an LCD during warm-up thereof is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the system of the present invention comprises brightness control circuitry electrically connected to an LCD panel of a portable personal computer (PC) or other battery operated electronic device for controlling the brightness level of the LCD. The brightness control circuitry is also electrically connected to receive a signal indicative of a brightness control level selected by a user using a user-settable control means, such as a brightness control knob located on the device. In operation, on power up of the LCD, the brightness control circuitry increases the LCD brightness to a maximum level, regardless of the brightness level selected by the user. Once the LCD has warmed up, the brightness control circuitry decreases the brightness level of the LCD to the level selected by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1997
    Assignee: Dell USA, L.P.
    Inventors: John J. Pearce, Philip Chidester