Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Derek P. Martin
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Patent number: 6305014Abstract: An instruction scheduler in an optimizing compiler schedules instructions in a computer program by determining the lifetimes of fixed registers in the computer program. By determining the lifetimes of fixed registers, the instruction scheduler can achieve a schedule that has a higher degree of parallelism by relaxing dependences between instructions in independent lifetimes of a fixed register so that instructions can be scheduled earlier than would otherwise be possible if those dependences were precisely honored.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 1998Date of Patent: October 16, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Robert Ralph Roediger, William Jon Schmidt
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Patent number: 6298345Abstract: A journal mechanism for a database allows simultaneous deposits on multiple journal arms. According to a first embodiment, a journaling system maintains the time-order of interdependent deposits on the journal, but does not necessarily maintain the time-order of deposits that are independent of each other, thereby providing multiple simultaneous deposit points on the journal. The first embodiment provides excellent scaling of journal functions as processors are added to a database computer system. According to a second embodiment, a journaling system maintains the time-order of deposits on the journal, but allows a group of deposits known as a “bundle” to span multiple journal arms, thereby providing multiple simultaneous deposit points on the journal. The second embodiment provides good scaling while providing compatibility with known database systems. The present invention thus relieves contention for the journal that exists as the number of processors increases in a database system.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 1998Date of Patent: October 2, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: William Joseph Armstrong, Jr., Gary Ross Ricard, Timothy Joseph Torzewski
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Patent number: 6298476Abstract: A framework for use with object-oriented programming systems provides a software build system that detects modules that make up a software product, examines each module to determine if it is up-to-date, and automatically updates any modules that require processing. The framework includes a software object of a class called “Product” that comprises a software product to be processed and built. An instance of the Product is comprised of multiple software build objects, each of which is called “Object”. Each Object in turn contains four objects that are a kind of object class called BldSrc (Build Source). The BldSrc objects specify a different aspect of the software product and desired processing. Each of the software build objects in a Product's Object list is examined to determine if all four of the BldSrc objects is current. If any one of the software build objects is not current, the Object is re-built. If all four objects are current, the re-building step is skipped.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 1995Date of Patent: October 2, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: David Joseph Misheski, Clifton Malcolm Nock
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Patent number: 6297766Abstract: A portable weather indicating device includes a housing with a display that can be carried by a user during hiking, biking, or other activities. A communication link and microprocessor are located in the housing for receiving and processing weather data. A global locating device, such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, inputs a user's location into the microprocessor. The display receives data from the microprocessor that is representative of at least one graphical weather image. The graphical weather image indicates the location input from the global locating device and the weather data. The graphical weather image includes an area encompassing the user's location and a location marker representative of the user's location within that area. A system for displaying weather data includes the portable weather indicating device and one or more base stations positioned at different locations.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 1999Date of Patent: October 2, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventor: Paul Douglas Koeller
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Patent number: 6289500Abstract: In an object oriented computer system, a domain-neutral object is modified with domain-specific run-time extensions to customize the object to a particular domain. A special factory uses the extension identifier to create the domain-neutral object with appropriate extensions in a collection that corresponds to the domain extension. If the special factory is not available, or if a specialized collection associated with the particular extension type has not been previously created, the domain-neutral object with appropriate extensions is created in a default collection. In this manner, an object that is domain-neutral can be customized to a particular domain and created in an appropriate collection for objects of that type.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 1998Date of Patent: September 11, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Randy Dee Baxter, Brent Allen Carlson, Albert S. Lee
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Patent number: 6275979Abstract: In an object oriented computer system, one or more run-time extensible items are defined that may be dynamically reconfigured as required to support different interfaces at run-time. The behavior associated with these interfaces is supported by one or more extensions owned by the extensible item. Each extension class has a corresponding method table that is shared among instances of the extension class and that correlates the methods defined on the extension class to method node objects that carry out the method. A method repository is a static object that is created at run-time to correlate extensions to their corresponding method tables. When a client invokes an invokeMethod( ) method on an extensible item, specifying the name of the method to be invoked, the extensible item cycles through its extensions, from newest to oldest, looking for an extension that supports the named method.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 1999Date of Patent: August 14, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Timothy James Graser, Steven Lester Halter
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Patent number: 6266708Abstract: A framework for use with object-oriented programming systems includes one or more objects of a class called “Socket” that receive and process packets of work. As various applications execute, they require servicing of tasks, which correspond to the packets of work mentioned above. The packets of work are represented in the framework by objects of a class called “WorkUnit”. When a WorkUnit object is generated by an application, it in turn generates an object of a class called “Retriever” which is associated with the appropriate Socket object needed for servicing the WorkUnit. The Retriever object retrieves the Socket object to service the WorkUnit from an object of a class called “SessionInfo”. The SessionInfo object is a single object for maintaining registries of Socket objects and objects of a class called “ApplicationInfo”.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 1995Date of Patent: July 24, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Shawn M. Austvold, Rebecca B. Legler, Marshall P. Cline, Daniel R. Dahl, Jim Evans, Peter M. Gaertner, Neal Hale, Sujatha Pothireddy
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Patent number: 6240498Abstract: An object oriented storage pool provides enhanced performance by allowing very fast and efficient allocation of storage elements from the storage pool instead of obtaining a storage element from the heap in an object oriented computer system. The storage pool is preferably in a linked-list format, and operations on the linked list to allocate and return storage elements are atomic operations to assure serialization of accesses to the storage pool. The presence and operation of the storage pool is hidden from the user by overloading the New() and delete() methods that are defined in the programming language. In this manner the storage pool can be introduced without modification to existing application software, thereby enhancing computer system performance without changing other software in the system.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 1999Date of Patent: May 29, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Steven Michael Dickes, Philip Braun Winterfield
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Patent number: 6240466Abstract: According to the present invention, an apparatus and method for creating new objects “near” existing objects is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a desirable location for the new object is determined by making a series of observations and system level decisions. By examining the system parameters and creating new objects in physical locations where other, related objects currently reside, system performance in object-oriented systems can be greatly increased.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 1997Date of Patent: May 29, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Michael D. McKeehan, Steven J. Munroe, Erik E. Voldal
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Patent number: 6227928Abstract: A fixture, process and kit allow a user to construct game calls at home with little effort and at low cost. A kit that includes the fixture, call frames, and reeds provides the materials a person needs to construct game calls to custom specifications. The fixture includes a base block that is placed on a flat surface, such as a table. The base block includes a reed recess where one or more reeds are placed flat, one atop the other. Once the reed or reeds are in place, clamps are used to secure each end of the reed or reeds to the base block. Once the ends are secure, a tensioning rod is used to stretch the reed or reeds to the desired tension. Once the reed or reeds are to the desired tension, the bottom portion of a call frame is inserted into a frame recess in the base block by sliding the call frame under the reed or reeds.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 1999Date of Patent: May 8, 2001Inventor: Joseph S. Beasley
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Patent number: 6222634Abstract: An apparatus and method for printing related web pages allows a web user to select a web page, then print all of the related web pages based on a predetermined criteria. In a first embodiment, each web page includes an applet that is run on the web client system when a print button on the page is pressed. The client applet communicates with a print tool running on the server that parses the selected page and builds a list of related pages and allows the user to select which of the related pages will be printed. Once the user selects the pages to be printed, the print tool constructs a temporary web page that contains all the web pages the user selected. This temporary web page may then be printed using the standard print function supplied with the browser. In a second embodiment, a print utility in the web client allows a user to print related web pages by parsing a selected web page and building a list of related pages. The user may then select from a the list of related pages which pages to print.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 1997Date of Patent: April 24, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Joel C. Dubbels, Kevin P. Gibson
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Patent number: 6212667Abstract: Testcases are run to test the design of an integrated circuit. The coverage of the testcases is evaluated and compared against one or more microarchitecture models that define the behavior of a portion of the integrated circuit. If the coverage of the testcases is not adequate, new testcases are generated to test the previously untested behavior specified in the microarchitecture models.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 1998Date of Patent: April 3, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Charles Porter Geer, Ronald Nick Kalla, Jerome Martin Meyer, Shmuel Ur
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Patent number: 6205471Abstract: A framework for use with object-oriented programming systems provides a common message processing system structure that can be placed on any OOP platform and be configured to support any e-mail message protocol standard or specific mail server function. The framework defines an e-mail message as a number of distinct objects, each of which contains information that describes some portion of the message. All messages received by a system in which the framework is implemented are defined on this core object structure. Another set of objects and methods define the processing steps required for a mail server to process a message. A message is received as a class of message objects, which are assigned a message type that determines the subsequent processing steps to which the message object is subjected. As a message is processed, the objects of which it is comprised are changed, so that the message processing can be interrupted and then resumed without loss or duplication of processing steps.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 1998Date of Patent: March 20, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Frank William Gilchrist, Eric Nels Herness, Eric H. Jenney, John Christopher Ripstra, George James Romano
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Patent number: 6199197Abstract: In an object oriented computer system, a framework mechanism defines behavior that may be accessed by different processing levels in the framework. A shared policy corresponding to the behavior is defined. A policy usage view is defined that includes one or more methods for accessing attributes required by the shared policy. A view adapter is also defined that provides an implementation for invoking the methods on the policy usage view. When a processing level needs the behavior defined by the shared policy, the methods on the view adapter are invoked, which retrieve the required attributes for the shared policy.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 1998Date of Patent: March 6, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Jan Olof Engstrom, Timothy James Graser, Barbara Regine Proske
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Patent number: 6195791Abstract: In an object oriented computer system, a framework mechanism defines an infrastructure for allowing a user to couple processes in the framework together in any suitable way to define a desired process flow. A user first defines a static object structure that corresponds to the specific process flow from one process to the next. The processes in the framework may be flexibly coupled in any suitable order, so a process does not have knowledge of its predecessor or successor processes. Thus, at run-time, a process determines the next step in the process flow from the static object structure. Once a process determines its subsequent process, a client may then create the next process and invoke methods on one or more objects corresponding to the newly-created process. Each process thus determines at run-time the next step in the process flow from the static object structure that the user statically defined to configure the process flow, which defines the desired processing environment.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 1998Date of Patent: February 27, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Brent Allen Carlson, Jan Olof Engstrom, Timothy James Graser, Ulf Jesper Thomas Lindblom, Barbara Regine Proske
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Patent number: 6192368Abstract: According to the present invention, an object change manager includes methods afterCreation( ), beforeDeletion( ), beforeChange( ) and afterChange( ) that may be invoked when an object is changed. The object change manager automatically updates all data structures, such as indexes and has tables, that correspond to the object being changed when one of these methods is called. The object change manager is an extensible framework that allows a programmer to define custom change management environments. The object change manager of the preferred embodiments is a portion of code that automatically propagates changes to objects to their corresponding data structures in a way that is transparent to the programmer, without requiring excessive overhead in the object infrastructure code.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 1998Date of Patent: February 20, 2001Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Scott Neal Gerard, Steven Lester Halter, Steven J. Munroe, Robert Eugene Westland
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Patent number: D437442Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 1999Date of Patent: February 6, 2001Inventor: James W. Lucas
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Patent number: D443939Type: GrantFiled: August 16, 2000Date of Patent: June 19, 2001Inventor: Bud H. Thomas
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Patent number: D444480Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 1999Date of Patent: July 3, 2001Inventors: Marcus L. Shultz, Jr., Betty Jean Whetstone, Thomas C. Hall
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Patent number: D448756Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2000Date of Patent: October 2, 2001Inventor: Mark A. Lewellen