Patents Represented by Attorney David Mims
  • Patent number: 8352729
    Abstract: Disclosed is a computer implemented method and apparatus to secure a routing path. A local node receives a request for secure route identification from an upstream node. Responsive to receiving a request for secure route identification, the local node transmits a local node security level and an authentication key to the upstream node. The local node determines whether at least one downstream node is authentic and has sufficient security level from a second-level downstream node. The local node may then establish a socket to the upstream node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert S. Manning, Linda A. Zimmer, Jos M. Accapadi
  • Patent number: 8335764
    Abstract: An information handling system (IHS) includes a network adapter having a hardware address store that stores multicast addresses and a device driver that stores multicast addresses in a software address store. When there is no more storage space available in the hardware address store for multicast addresses, the device driver stores multicast addresses in the software address store. When the IHS receives a multicast information packet, the network adapter searches the hardware address store for a multicast address corresponding to that multicast information packet. If the search of the hardware address store does not find that multicast address, then the device driver searches the software address store for that multicast address. The IHS may prioritize the multicast addresses in the hardware address store and the software address store on a most frequently used basis, a most recently used basis or a most popular basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew R Ochs, Omar Cardona, Baltazar De Leon, III, James B Cunningham
  • Patent number: 8332852
    Abstract: For each thread of a computer program to be executed on a multiple-processor computer system, an affinity identifier is associated to the thread by the computer program. The affinity identifiers of the threads denote how closely related the threads are. For each thread, a processor of the multiple-processor computer system on which the thread is to be executed is selected based on the affinity identifiers of the threads, by an operating system being executed on the multiple-processor computer system and in relation to which the computer programs are to be executed. Each thread is then executed by the processor selected for the thread.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Manish Gupta, Anithra P Janakiraman
  • Patent number: 8315264
    Abstract: A network system employs path health information to select an acceptable path between a source node and destination node within an information handling system (IHS) and/or between a source node within one IHS and a destination node within another IHS. One or more switches may connect these two IHSs together. The network system accesses the path health information to determine the availability of paths for communicating between nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kyle R. Moser, Srikanth Subramanian, Pedro V. Torres, Venkat Venkatsubra
  • Patent number: 8307188
    Abstract: An information handling system (IHS) loads an application that may include startup code and steady state operation code. The IHS allocates one region of system memory to the startup code and another region of system memory to the steady state operation code. A programmer inserts a memory release call command at a location that marks the end of execution of the startup code. After executing the startup code, the operation system receives the memory release call command. In response to the memory release call command, the operating system releases or de-allocates the region of memory to which the IHS previously assigned to the startup code. This enables the released memory for use by code other than the startup code, such as other code pages, library pages and other code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mathew Accapadi, Grover Cleveland Davidson, II, Dirk Michel, Bret Ronald Olszewski
  • Patent number: 8296381
    Abstract: A method and computer program product enable an email user to receive an update to a previously received email message. An email client receives an update to the previously received email message is received. Privacy information in the update is identified and that privacy information is associated with a first portion of the previously received email message. The privacy information indicates whether the user is permitted to view that first portion of the previously received email message. The privacy information may be used to update the previously received message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Alasdair Nottingham, Kevin Brian Smith, Timothy James Ward
  • Patent number: 7978937
    Abstract: Method and computer program product including executable instructions on a computer readable medium for using a photographic image in a component search. A plurality of attributes for searching a component information source is gathered, including a photographic image of space available for receiving a component. The photographic image is analyzed to determine the physical dimensions of the space available. A component information source may then be searched to identify components that satisfy the plurality of attributes. The attribute of the photographic image is satisfied with respect to a particular component if the physical dimensions of the space available are determined to allow proper installation of the particular component. Search results are communicated to a user, wherein the results include the identification of at least one component from the information source satisfying each of the plurality of attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Negley Abernethy, Jr., Travis M. Grigsby, Justin Kai-yuen Hong
  • 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 6931603
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system to append information to an image file containing a stored graphical image. The appended information relates to the contents of the graphical image. In the process of the present invention, there is an initial graphical file containing a stored image. During the creation of the graphical file (such as a PowerPoint file or Freelance Graphics file), the user can insert images, other objects or text onto the file. Some of the objects can be hyperlinks (referred to as “Hotspots”) to other files or other system resources. The graphical software stores information related to every object on the graphical file. During the process of converting a graphical image to a graphical image file format such as a JPEG file, the present invention takes the information concerning ‘Hotspot’ or other objects on the file on the graphical file and generates an appendix to the created graphical image file containing this ‘Hotspots’ information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Flemming Boegelund
  • Patent number: 6865427
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system to monitor the statuses of devices that can operate and transmit current device status information to a storage location. The present invention also provides a method to manage and initiate sets of instructions that will be performed by devices in response to a set of current statuses of one or more devices. Each set of instructions is known as a “workflow routine”. Each workflow routine will be based on a set device statuses. This set of device statuses can be referred as a device scenario. When a status of a device changes, the workflow manager of the present invention will check the statuses of the devices in the scenario to determine if the scenario conditions for the initiation of a specified workflow have been met. When the conditions have been met, the workflow routine will be initiated and perform a set of instructions which could lead to the performance of some activity by one or more devices in the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William A. Brown, Richard William Muirhead, Francis Xavier Reddington