Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm David A. Mims
  • Patent number: 7940285
    Abstract: A method and system are described for re-arranging a display in a viewable area. The method comprises dividing the viewable area into units; determining the contents of units of the viewable area; prioritizing the availability of the units by content; and allocating one or more display items in the prioritized available units. A plurality of display items is provided and the display items are allocated according to a determined order which may depend on one or more of a user preference, the contents of the viewable area, the activity of the user, and environmental parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel E. Would, Scott J. Clee, Peter B. Masters
  • Patent number: 7937689
    Abstract: Determining a relative measure of build quality for a built product based on analysis of historical test data from test cases applied to a series of builds of the built product, by identifying one or more first sets of test results, each first set of test results being derived from the application of a set of test cases to a series of builds of a built product; determining a test quality coefficient for each test case based on the respective test results from the first set of test results; identifying a second set of test results derived from the application of one or more of the test cases to a further build of the built product; applying each test quality coefficient to each corresponding test result from the second set; and calculating the mean of the second set of test results as qualified by their corresponding test quality coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Ian G Holden
  • Patent number: 7921170
    Abstract: A method and system creates virtual email identifications and dynamically map the virtual email-ids to the real email identities. A virtual email identify will be described in a specific fixed syntax that is easy for the users to remember and implement. The virtual email-id is dynamically mapped to one or more real email-ids by using a database of employees or other personnel maintained by the organization. The database can have various configurations that will be a function of the organization of the entity and the relationships of the persons in the entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Philip Fried, Rajeev Mirsha, Suresh Sabarathinam
  • Patent number: 7921128
    Abstract: A migration tool for merging disparate virtual universes by selecting a source region or source account, selecting a destination edge or destination account, retrieving and storing virtual universe information for the source region or account, inserting the virtual universe resources of the source region or account into the destination region or account, activating the inserted resources, and deleting the source resources from the source region or account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Steven Mark Harrison, Brian Marshall O'Connell, Clifford Alan Pickover, Keith Raymond Walker
  • Patent number: 7912910
    Abstract: A communication system, which facilitates distribution of electronic communications for a user account, includes an emergency auto-reply agent that scans each received communication addressed to the user account for a particular communication sent from at least one emergency address specified for the user account separate from the address of the user account. Responsive to the communication system detecting the particular communication sent from one of the emergency addresses, the emergency auto-reply agent parses the content of the particular communication to detect whether the particular communication comprises a required password. Responsive to detecting the required password within the content of the particular communication, the emergency auto-reply agent directs the communication system to compose and send auto-reply communications from the user account in reply to received communications addressed to the user account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Dwip N. Banerjee, Ranadip Das, Sandeep R. Patil, Venkat Venkatsubra
  • Patent number: 7913106
    Abstract: A host enables any adapter of multiple adapters of the host to concurrently support any VIPA of the multiple VIPAs assigned to the host. Responsive to a failure of at least one particular adapter from among the multiple adapters, the host triggers the remaining, functioning adapters to broadcast a separate hardware address update for each VIPA over the network, such that for a failover in the host supporting the multiple VIPAs the host directs at least one other host accessible via the network to address any new packets for the multiple VIPAs to one of the separate hardware addresses of one of the remaining adapters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Vinit Jain, Mallesh Lepakshaiah, Elizabeth J. Murray, Venkat Venkatsubra
  • Patent number: 7908256
    Abstract: A computer-implementable method, system and computer-usable medium. One or more objects among a plurality of objects can be processed utilizing a data-processing apparatus/system. One or more lock reservations can be applied among a group of lock reservations over a multiple sequential lock operations with respect the particular object. Thereafter, the lock reservation can be cancelled with respect to the last monitor exit operation in order to eliminate lock operations where traditional lock coarsening cannot be applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Nikola Grcevski, Peter Burka
  • Patent number: 7904818
    Abstract: A portal summary controller monitors usage metadata indicating current usage of at least one portlet within at least one portal page for one of multiple events specified to trigger storage of the usage metadata. Responsive to detecting one of the multiple events within the usage metadata which triggers storage, the portal summary controller stores the detected usage metadata at a current time of at least one instance of at least one portlet application within the at least one portal page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christina K. Lauridsen, Malcolm C. Ong, Lauren G. Wilcox
  • Patent number: 7904286
    Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus and computer program product for extending test coverage in a simulated multiple core integrated circuit. The simulator applies at a first time a first test vector on the simulated multiple core integrated circuit, the first test vector having a duration. The simulator may also apply a second test vector at a second time before the duration but substantially after the first time. The simulator can collect a response from the multiple core integrated circuit based on the first test vector and the second test vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Duy Quoc Huynh, Gahn Wattanadilok Krishnakalin, Giang Chau Nguyen
  • Patent number: 7886187
    Abstract: The present invention provides a computer implemented method and apparatus for unmounting file systems from a plurality of file servers. The method comprises of issuing an unmount command targeting a file system of a first server among the plurality of file servers. The timeout period is then expired without receiving an unmount acknowledgement associated with the unmount command. Thus, the timeout period is associated with an allowable time for the file system to acknowledge unmounting. In response to expiring the timeout period, a ping is transmitted to the first server among the plurality of file servers. The ping timeout then expires based on a failure to receive a ping acknowledgment corresponding to the ping. This action marks the first server for a later retry of unmounting to form a marked set based on the first server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Carlie Sue Bower, Saurabh Kumar Gupta, Avanish Kumar Ojha, Muthulaxmi Pearl Srinivasan
  • Patent number: 7881922
    Abstract: A communication device comprises processing means, storage means for storing a database of language components, display means and user interface means. The processing means is arranged to determine at least one qualifier, to access the database, and to select at least one language component according to the at least one determined qualifier, and the display means is arranged to display the at least selected language component. A user can select a displayed language component, and this can be outputted as an audio or wireless signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ben J Fletcher, Daniel E Would
  • Patent number: 7882506
    Abstract: An object request broker (ORB) for receiving an incoming message including a message header and a message body in General Inter-ORB Protocol (GIOP) type format, the ORB comprising: an external ORB element for converting the header of the incoming message to an implementation-specific format, and for providing the header in implementation-specific format with the body in GIOP type format to a distribution mechanism for identifying an appropriate target server for processing the body of the incoming message; and an internal ORB element associated with the identified target server for converting the body of the incoming message to an implementation-specific format for use by the target server to process the message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Chacko, Neil Richards, Erin Schnabel, Katherine Tsui
  • Patent number: 7877765
    Abstract: A method and system are provided in which DVR viewer metrics are collected and saved in a “Watched Log” data base including identifying titles and other features of recorded DVR programs. User viewing metrics are collected and saved for use in determining whether or not future shows are recorded. After a DVR user watches a TV or other video show episode, the show episode will be added to the Watched Log. Subsequently, before recording a new TV show, the DVR device can determine the viewer's actions with regard to previous similar shows and factor such information into a decision regarding the recording of the new show.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kulvir Singh Bhogal, Gregory Jensen Boss, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Alexandre Polozoff
  • Patent number: 7877706
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and program product comprises a behavior processing system for capturing a three-dimensional movement of a user within a particular environment, wherein the three-dimensional movement is determined by using at least one image capture device aimed at the user. The behavior processing system identifies a three-dimensional object properties stream using the captured movement. The behavior processing system identifies a particular defined behavior of the user from the three-dimensional object properties stream by comparing the identified three-dimensional object properties stream with multiple behavior definitions each representing a separate behavioral signal for directing control of the document. A document control system selects at least one document element to represent the at least one particular defined behavior and inserts the selected document element into the document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jacob C. Albertson, Kenneth C. Arnold, Steven D. Goldman, Michael A. Paolini, Anthony J. Sessa
  • Patent number: 7876889
    Abstract: A method and system are provided in which teleconference calls are scheduled in advance and, at an appropriate predetermined time, calls are automatically made to the designated participants of the conference calls thereby avoiding the need for the participants to call into a teleconference center. In a preferred embodiment, when teconferences are scheduled, the telecon participants are designated and their phone numbers are input or otherwise determined, for example, through access to a centralized database. A calendar is monitored and at a predetermined time relative to the scheduled start of the telecon, a server system application initiates the calling of the participants for connection to the telecon. The system may be configured to require participants to enter a password before the connection is completed. The status of the called participants is determined and displayed on individual display devices of the other participants in the telecon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Viktors Berstis, Randolph Michael Forlenza
  • Patent number: 7870560
    Abstract: There is disclosed a method, apparatus and computer program product for receiving a message, the message being processable by a component on one of a plurality of processing threads. A message is received from a first component on a current thread. The communication style that was used by the first component is determined. Responsive to receipt of the message, the communication style that is desired to be used by a second component is determined. Responsive to determining that the two components are asynchronous, communication takes place with the second component using the current thread.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Pamela H Fong, Simon A J Holdsworth
  • Patent number: 7865870
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a method which derives from metadata definitions the allowable values for a method argument, where the allowable values are a subset or a restricted set of values from a defined range of values for that type of method argument. The subset of allowable values is then converted into a fragment of source code that can be used to initialize the argument variable with one of the allowable values when the method is invoked. The fragment of source code is inserted into the source code for that method argument using an editor tool. A system for implementing the method may comprise an integrated development environment (IDE) program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Srimanth Gunturi, Richard L. Kulp, Gili Mendel, Rebecca J. Schaller, Peter A. Walker, Joseph R. Winchester
  • Patent number: 7855877
    Abstract: Disclosed is a laptop computer including a body and a display articulably connected to the body. The laptop computer includes at least one drive unit capable of moving the display relative to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Sandeep Sham Zende
  • Patent number: 7853633
    Abstract: A system and method for generating random permutations of elements (e.g., integers) in a test generation tool by providing one or more ordered ranges (110-170), each represented by a low and high value. Initially a single range is provided corresponding to the entire set of integer to be permuted. A random integer is then selected within this range, and this selected integer is removed by excluding the selected element. This exclusion is achieved by either splitting the range (110) into two ranges (120, 130), or, if the selected integer is the lowest or highest value of an existing range, adapting the end of the range. Subsequently, one of the ranges in the list of ranges is selected randomly and an element within the selected range is selected randomly and excluded, and so on. In this way a random permutation of all the elements in the original range is generated in the test generation tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Steve Poole
  • Patent number: 7844468
    Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a system and methodology for sorting and/or distributing items and articles being shipped to a receiving party through private and/or commercial delivery systems. Various characteristics of an article being shipped are obtained and assembled in a database. In an exemplary embodiment, the descriptive characteristics of the article are acquired at a first site and the processing and desired disposition of the article is determined at a second site which is physically separate from the first site. The descriptive characteristics of the article being shipped are displayed at the second site and are sufficient to identify the article to a processing individual located at the second site. The processing individual is then enabled to indicate a desired disposal of the article from the second site without being exposed to the physical article located at the first site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Sandip Lahiri