Patents by Inventor Randall R. Spangler

Randall R. Spangler 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).

  • Publication number: 20140223163
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for recovering a boot image from a secure location. Hardware instructions initiate a sequence of boot cycles to launch a computer operating system on a computer-enabled device. During the boot cycles, multiple levels of boot code are verified and a determination is made whether each level is usable by the device. If a level of boot code is determined to be unusable, a secure copy of the boot code is loaded from a secure read-only location to repair the unusable code to launch the computer operating system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Tabone, Randall R. Spangler
  • Patent number: 8732527
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for recovering a boot image from a secure location. Hardware instructions initiate a sequence of boot cycles to launch a computer operating system on a computer-enabled device. During the boot cycles, multiple levels of boot code are verified and a determination is made whether each level is usable by the device. If a level of boot code is determined to be unusable, a secure copy of the boot code is loaded from a secure read-only location to repair the unusable code to launch the computer operating system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Tabone, Randall R. Spangler
  • Patent number: 8583891
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for associating partitions in a computing device are disclosed. An example method includes, loading an operating system (O/S) kernel partition (kernel partition) and identifying one or more root filesystem (rootfs) partitions that are compatible with the loaded kernel partition. In the example method, the one or more compatible rootfs partitions are identified by comparing a set of compatibility bits of the loaded kernel partition with respective sets of compatibility bits of a plurality of rootfs partitions of the computing device. The example method still further includes selecting a rootfs partition from the one or more identified compatible rootfs partitions and loading the selected rootfs partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Randall R. Spangler, William A. Drewry, William F. Richardson
  • Patent number: 8477350
    Abstract: A print server may include an application manager configured to receive a print request over a network from an application executing on a device, and configured to provide, over the network, a print dialog to a user of the application, the print dialog configured to provide for a selection of at least one printer associated with a user account of the user and thereafter receive a selected printer from the selection. A format converter may be configured to receive a print job designating the selected printer, the print job including print data and print characteristics expressed in a first format, and configured to convert the print job from the first format into a printer-specific format associated with the selected printer. A print job router may be configured to route the print job over the network from the print server to a print client associated with the selected printer, for printing by the selected printer, using the printer-specific format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Mike Jazayeri, Randall R. Spangler, Sanjeev Radhakrishnan, Abhijit Kalamkar, Marc Pawliger, Scott Byer, Yevgeniy Gutnik
  • Patent number: 8464038
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing modes of operation of computing device are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a mode-selection input device having a first state and a second state. The example apparatus also includes firmware operably coupled with the mode-selection input device. In the example apparatus, when the mode-selection input device is in the first state, the firmware is configured to cause the computing device to operate in a first mode of operation, a user mode. In the example apparatus, when the mode-selection input device is in the second state, the firmware is configured to cause the computing device to operate in second mode of operation, a developer mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Randall R. Spangler, Ryan Tabone, Anton Staaf, Christopher Masone, Matthew Papakipos
  • Patent number: 8386763
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for locking down a capability of a computer system. Hardware instructions initiate a sequence of boot cycles to launch a computer operating system on a computer-enabled device. During the boot cycles, multiple levels of boot code are verified. Each verified stage of boot code verifies a subsequent stage of boot code. If the subsequent stage of boot code cannot be verified, the verified stage locks a capability of the computer so that the subsequent stage of boot code cannot modify the capability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Randall R. Spangler, William F. Richardson, Sumit Gwalani, Luigi Semenzato, William A. Drewry
  • Publication number: 20130047031
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for recovering a boot image from a secure location. Hardware instructions initiate a sequence of boot cycles to launch a computer operating system on a computer-enabled device. During the boot cycles, multiple levels of boot code are verified and a determination is made whether each level is usable by the device. If a level of boot code is determined to be unusable, a secure copy of the boot code is loaded from a secure read-only location to repair the unusable code to launch the computer operating system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Publication date: February 21, 2013
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Ryan TABONE, Randall R. Spangler
  • Patent number: 8281119
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for booting a computer is disclosed according to an aspect of the subject technology. The computer comprises firmware memory including a first section and a second section. The method comprises determining at boot time whether a developer mode is enabled on the computer, and, if the developer mode is enabled, then booting the computer using developer firmware stored in the first section of the firmware memory. The method also comprises, if the developer mode is disabled, then booting the computer using normal firmware stored in the second section of the firmware memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Randall R. Spangler, William F. Richardson
  • Patent number: 8189014
    Abstract: A system and machine-implemented method for generating a screen layout for a BIOS display on a computing system, via accessing a screen layout definition, wherein the screen layout definition identifies which of a plurality of stored images are to be included in a screen layout, defines an order for overlaying the identified images, and defines a position for placing each identified image within the screen layout; and processing the screen layout definition to generate the screen layout, using the order for overlaying the identified images and the position for placing each identified image as defined in the screen layout definition, for the BIOS display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Wai Hong Tam, William F. Richardson, Randall R. Spangler
  • Publication number: 20110299110
    Abstract: A print server may include an application manager configured to receive a print request over a network from an application executing on a device, and configured to provide, over the network, a print dialog to a user of the application, the print dialog configured to provide for a selection of at least one printer associated with a user account of the user and thereafter receive a selected printer from the selection. A format converter may be configured to receive a print job designating the selected printer, the print job including print data and print characteristics expressed in a first format, and configured to convert the print job from the first format into a printer-specific format associated with the selected printer. A print job router may be configured to route the print job over the network from the print server to a print client associated with the selected printer, for printing by the selected printer, using the printer-specific format.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Mike Jazayeri, Randall R. Spangler, Sanjeev Radhakrishnan, Abhijit Kalamkar, Marc Pawliger, Scott Byer, Yevgeniy Gutnik
  • Publication number: 20110087870
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing modes of operation of computing device are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a mode-selection input device having a first state and a second state. The example apparatus also includes firmware operably coupled with the mode-selection input device. In the example apparatus, when the mode-selection input device is in the first state, the firmware is configured to cause the computing device to operate in a first mode of operation, a user mode. In the example apparatus, when the mode-selection input device is in the second state, the firmware is configured to cause the computing device to operate in second mode of operation, a developer mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Randall R. Spangler, Ryan Tabone, Anton Staaf, Christopher Masone, Matthew Papakipos
  • Patent number: 7130463
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided to allow a portion of a captured image to be evaluated with a digital camera. A display device of the digital camera can display the captured image. A specific area of interest of the captured image can be defined on the display device by zooming and panning or by defining a window over the captured image, and a histogram derived from only that area of interest can be displayed. The histogram can represent different types of information about the pixels of the captured image within the area of interest such as the levels of individual colors and luminance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: Foveon, Inc.
    Inventor: Randall R. Spangler
  • Patent number: 5883326
    Abstract: A music composition system, comprising receiving a first harmony including a first melody, analyzing the first harmony to derive in real-time a rule relating the first melody to the first harmony, receiving a second melody, and applying the rule in real-time to the second melody to produce a second harmony relating to the second melody.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Rodney M. Goodman, Randall R. Spangler
  • Patent number: 5736666
    Abstract: A music composition system, comprising receiving a first harmony including a first melody, analyzing the first harmony to derive in real-time a rule relating the first melody to the first harmony, receiving a second melody, and applying the rule in real-time to the second melody to produce a second harmony relating to the second melody.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Rodney M. Goodman, Randall R. Spangler