Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm David A. Mims
  • Patent number: 7840856
    Abstract: A solution provided here comprises transferring control to at least one data-capture component when an error occurs in a production environment, performing introspection upon an object associated with the error, and capturing data from the object. The captured data is associated with the error, and the capturing is performed at least partially through introspection. Methods for error—handling and providing diagnostic data, systems for executing such methods, and instructions on a computer-usable medium, for executing such methods, are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ajay A. Apte, Hany A. Salem
  • Patent number: 7840031
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and program product includes a movement processing system for capturing a first three-dimensional movement of a user and capturing at least another three-dimensional movement of the user, wherein the three-dimensional movement is determined using at the at least one image capture device aimed at the body of the user. A projected movement system predicts a movement baseline based on the first three-dimensional movement of the user and predicts at least one subsequent movement range based on the at least another three-dimensional movement of the user. Based on a comparison of the movement baseline with the at least one subsequent movement, the projected movement systems predicts a projected movement of a user for tracking changes in a range of body movement of a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jacob C. Albertson, Kenneth C. Arnold, Steven D. Goldman, Michael A. Paolini, Anthony J. Sessa
  • Patent number: 7836396
    Abstract: A style compressor for improving compression of a web document collects all the style attributes referenced by elements of the web document into a central style repository. The style compressor replaces each reference by each of the elements with a class attribute assigned in the central style repository to the replaced style attributes. Next, the style compressor organizes the style attributes in the central style repository and compresses the style attributes into a minimized selection of class attributes each referencing at least one of the style attributes. The style compressor updates the elements of the web document to reference one or more of the minimized selection of class attributes in the central style repository to produce a shorter, more efficiently organized web document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel O. Becker
  • Patent number: 7836106
    Abstract: Provided are methods, apparatus and computer program products for change management within a data processing system and in particular for simulating the effect of removal of a file from the system. An anti-file is created within a file system layer that is overlaid onto a set of computer program files. The anti-file hides a corresponding first file such that overlaying the anti-file layer on the set of program files simulates the effect of removing the first file from the set of program files.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Philip Graham Willoughby
  • Patent number: 7826654
    Abstract: A method and implementing computer system are provided for enabling a user to paint a surface a desired final color while using a paint, the color of which appears in raw form different from the desired final color for the painted surface. In an exemplary embodiment, a tile painting application is illustrated and includes a camera arranged to take an image of a bisque tile. When a user applies a glaze to the tile, the camera-computer system analyzes the glaze color among other factors affecting the painting process and an image showing a final color of the tile after firing is presented on the display of the computer system such that by looking at the computer screen, the user is able to see the actual final color of the tile after firing while applying the initial glaze to the bisque tile before firing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Henry Barnes, John W. Dunsmoir, Sheryl S. Kinstler, Mei Yang Selvage, Abigail Alice Tittizer, Carol Sue Robertson Walton
  • Patent number: 7827343
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for processing a bus protocol packet in order to provide accelerator support. A component receives a bus protocol packet having a requester identifier. The component looks up an agent routing field. The component routes the bus protocol packet to an accelerator agent based on the agent routing field. It processes the bus protocol packet at the accelerator agent based on the agent routing field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bradly George Frey, Steven Mark Thurber, Andrew Henry Wottreng
  • Patent number: 7827538
    Abstract: A memory leak detection scheme for use in a computer system (e.g., Java) by: finding an allocation site (410) which is responsible for allocating objects which accumulate in a memory heap (400); and monitoring memory activity related to the found allocation site to discover a memory leak related thereto. The technique can be entirely application independent and can be made fully automatic, running as a daemon process on a machine and detecting leakage in a number of client processes simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Martin J Trotter
  • Patent number: 7822686
    Abstract: A method and system are provided in which a user is enabled to record, for example, a song or other radio and/or video content, on demand, and to account for and process appropriate payment for the use of the recorded content. The recorded material is saved and indexed by title and is retrievable for subsequent review, tabulation and/or playing at the user's convenience. In one example, a user is enabled to record received media content by pressing a single “ADD” button at any time while a favorite song is being received and played. The song then being played together with the title of the song or video presentation are then saved to memory for subsequent retrieval and playing. The received content is accounted for and tabulated and a payment for the use of the recorded song is processed by the user in accordance with a predetermined payment schedule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Viktors Berstis, Fabian F. Morgan
  • Patent number: 7818376
    Abstract: A method and implementing instant messaging processing system are provided in which a user's presence and on-line status in a chat session are not broadcast to the chat or instant messaging participants until the user chooses to allow or enable such broadcast. Additionally, the user is enabled to selectively exclude other specified users from seeing the user's on-line status. A “preferences” screen is presented to a user to enable the user to input his or her privacy preferences during a subsequent chat session before the user actually logs-into the chat session. The instant messaging system includes means by which a local instant messaging user is enabled to view all remote users within the chat application who are monitoring the user's on-line status as a result of having the user included in the remote users' buddy lists, as well as the ability to view the on-line state of those remote users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Doreen Lynn Galli, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, James Wesley Seaman
  • Patent number: 7813276
    Abstract: A network cluster is provided herein having a plurality of cluster members. In order to control the admission of client requests sent to the cluster, one member of the cluster is elected “reservation coordinator.” The reservation coordinator runs a reservation algorithm for controlling the distribution of rate capacity across members of the cluster. For example, each member of the cluster may reserve some amount of rate from the coordinator to allow for passing of client requests. To ensure that each member is provided with the appropriate rate capacity, each member of the cluster runs an estimation algorithm to determine whether or not additional rate capacity should be reserved from the reservation coordinator, or released back into the cluster for redistribution. The estimation algorithm is run in real-time and allows the admission control algorithm to adapt to changes in rate distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Michael A. Gilfix
  • Patent number: 7805471
    Abstract: The present invention provides a computer implemented method for truncating a file in a file system. The file system receives a request to truncate a file to a target size, the file having a first inode. The file system creates a second inode to a transient directory, wherein the second inode holds a plurality of in-progress entries. The file system sets a target size in the first inode. The file system writes a truncate entry to a journal, the truncate entry comprising a predetermined size. The file system truncates the file by up to the predetermined size. The file system determines that the file is above the target size. Responsive to a determination that the file is above the target size, the file system repeats the truncating step and the determining step. Responsive to a determination that the file is not above the target size, the file system applies the in-progress entries from the transient directory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines, Corporation
    Inventors: Shashidhar Bomma, Joon Chang, Ramesh Veeramalla, Sreenivas Makineedi
  • Patent number: 7801332
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and program includes 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 representing a particular behavioral signal 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 at least one machine. In response to identifying the particular defined behavior, a machine control system generates a control signal triggered by the particular behavioral signal for directing control of the at least one machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jacob C. Albertson, Kenneth C. Arnold, Steven D. Goldman, Michael A. Paolini, Anthony J. Sessa
  • Patent number: 7792328
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and program product includes a behavior processing system for capturing a three-dimensional movement of an operator of a vehicle, wherein the three-dimensional movement is determined by using at least one image capture device aimed at the operator, and identifying at least one behavior of the operator from the captured three-dimensional movement. An operator monitoring system for a vehicle determines whether the predicted behavior and the current operational state of the vehicle indicate unsafe operation of the vehicle and the operator monitoring system notifies the operator when unsafe operator of the vehicle is indicated by the operator's behavior for the current operational state of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jacob C. Albertson, Kenneth C. Arnold, Steven D. Goldman, Michael A. Paolini, Anthony J. Sessa
  • Patent number: 7783662
    Abstract: A method for management of federated information in associated knowledge systems. The method includes maintaining a data structure, the data structure including associative metadata that correlates a plurality of substantive knowledge entities from a plurality of disparate knowledge bases; monitoring the substantive knowledge entities for an access-limiting event; determining the access-limiting event on at least one of the substantive knowledge entities; and responsive to determining the access-limiting event, adding to the associative metadata a persistent audit enhancement indicative of the access-limiting event, the persistent audit enhancement including a timestamp. The access-limiting event may include deletion of a substantive knowledge entity, enacting more restrictive access permissions for a substantive knowledge entity, and copying of a substantive knowledge entity to a more restrictive access area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sandra K. Johnson, Joan LaVerne Mitchell, David Ward
  • Patent number: 7769691
    Abstract: Modern enterprises, particularly technology companies, often provide benefits that are sold or given to their customers or partners. For example, an enterprise's customers, or selected subsets of customers, may be entitled to receive product upgrades, product updates or product support. The types and levels of service to which a particular customer is entitled may vary across services and customers. A mechanism is provided to determine, in response to a request for a service, often, but not necessarily, to be delivered electronically, if the requesting recipient is entitled to the service. In determining if the recipient is entitled to the service, an administrator-configurable set of profile attributes values associated with a package of services containing the requested service is compared with corresponding values for said recipient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Karen A. Anders, Pamela A. Bermender, Phong Anh Pham
  • Patent number: 7752114
    Abstract: A seat ticket auction method and system using the Internet is provided. A user submits a tender for the auction of each seat while referring to a seating table, and also performs a search of an exhibition before submitting a tender during the auction. Further, when the seating table is referred to, information for a seat appropriate for a person in a wheelchair, and a simulation (view) of what a user will see of the stage from a seat are displayed on the terminal of the user. Three tender types, a personal tender, a complete group tender and an incomplete group tender can be selected. For the complete group tender, when a bid is not successful for all the members of the group, the bid is abandoned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Hideo Sakai
  • Patent number: 7742287
    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: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Sandeep Sham Zende
  • Patent number: 7730185
    Abstract: In a computer system including a set of resources for allocation to, and access by, a plurality of consumers, a method for allocating a resource to a requesting consumer comprising: calculating a suitability rating for each resource in the set of resources as a value in a range from least suitable to most suitable, the suitability rating being calculated from: a) a measure of recency of access to the resource; b) a measure of a number of times the resource has been accessed by a consumer other than the requesting consumer since a previous access to the resource by the requesting consumer; and c) a measure of a number of times the resource is accessed by a different consumer since the previous access to the resource by the requesting consumer; identifying a resource having a suitability rating which is closest to most suitable; and allocating the identified resource to the requesting consumer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Chacko, Gordon Hutchison
  • Patent number: 7725547
    Abstract: A gesture-enabled electronic communication system informs users of gestures made by other users participating in a communication session. The system captures a three-dimensional movement of a first user from among the multiple users participating in an electronic communication session, wherein the three-dimensional movement is determined using at least one image capture device aimed at the first user. The system identifies a three-dimensional object properties stream using the captured movement and then identifies a particular electronic communication gesture representing the three-dimensional object properties stream by comparing the identified three-dimensional object properties stream with multiple electronic communication gesture definitions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jacob C. Albertson, Kenneth C. Arnold, Steven D. Goldman, Michael A. Paolini, Anthony J. Sessa
  • Patent number: 7720087
    Abstract: A method and system for managing channels in a voice response system is provided. The method comprises periodically monitoring utilization of a system resource and determining a number, N, of voice channels required to be quiesced based on the utilization level of the system resource. This number is compared with the number of channels currently quiescing, Q, and the number of quiescing channels is adjusted accordingly. A quiescing channel is disabled when it becomes inactive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Nigel L. Jones, Bernard Zdzislaw Kufluk, Philip Noel, David Robnett Vyvyan