Patents Represented by Attorney Francis Lammes
  • Patent number: 8250395
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for controlling operational parameters associated with a plurality of processors. A control system in the data processing system determines a utilization slack value of the data processing system. The utilization slack value is determined using one or more active core count values and one or more slack core count values. The control system computes a new utilization metric to be a difference between a full utilization value and the utilization slack value. The control system determines whether the new utilization metric is below a predetermined utilization threshold. Responsive to the new utilization metric being below the predetermined utilization threshold, the control system decreases a frequency of the plurality of processors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John B. Carter, Heather L. Hanson, Karthick Rajamani, Freeman L. Rawson, III, Todd J. Rosedahl, Malcolm S. Ware
  • Patent number: 8245159
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for optimizing a photolithograph mask. A given target pattern is received. An initial fictitious mask is generated from the given target pattern and an initial value of ?2 is selected where the initial value of ?2 is used to determine a light intensity and a wafer image. The light intensity for each pixel in the initial fictitious mask and the wafer image for each pixel in the initial fictitious mask are then determined. A determination is then made as to whether a convergence has been achieved by comparing the wafer image generated from the fictitious mask to the given target pattern. Responsive to a convergence of the wafer image generated from the fictitious mask to the given target pattern, a final mask is generated to use to transfer an image to a wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ying Liu, Sani R. Nassif, Xiaokang Shi
  • Patent number: 8244918
    Abstract: An expansion card is provided that allows resources allocated to the expansion card to be shared with a different card. The expansion card comprises a coupling device that couples the expansion card to a data processing system. The expansion card also includes an identifier data structure that when queried by the data processing system, identifies the expansion card as a resource sharing expansion card. The data processing system reallocates one or more resources allocated to the expansion card to a different card coupled to the data processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Manish Ahuja, Joel H. Schopp, Michael T. Strosaker
  • Patent number: 8239841
    Abstract: Prefetching irregular memory references into a software controlled cache is provided. A compiler analyzes source code to identify at least one of a plurality of loops that contain an irregular memory reference. The compiler determines if the irregular memory reference within the at least one loop is a candidate for optimization. Responsive to an indication that the irregular memory reference may be optimized, the compiler determines if the irregular memory reference is valid for prefetching. Responsive to an indication that the irregular memory reference is valid for prefetching, a store statement for an address of the irregular memory reference is inserted into the at least one loop. A runtime library call is inserted into a prefetch runtime library for the irregular memory reference. Data associated with the irregular memory reference is prefetched into the software controlled cache when the runtime library call is invoked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tong Chen, Marc Gonzalez tallada, Zehra N. Sura, Tao Zhang
  • Patent number: 8239583
    Abstract: A system and method for migrating domains from one physical data processing system to another are provided. With the system and method, domains may be assigned direct access to physical I/O devices but in the case of migration, the I/O devices may be converted to virtual I/O devices without service interruption. At this point, the domain may be migrated without limitation. Upon completion of the migration process, the domain may be converted back to using direct physical access, if available in the new data processing system to which the domain is migrated. Alternatively, the virtualized access to the I/O devices may continue to be used until the domain is migrated back to the original data processing system. Once migration back to the original data processing system is completed, the access may be converted back to direct access with the original physical I/O devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin M. Corry, Mark A Peloquin, Steven L Pratt, Santhosh Rao, Karl M Rister
  • Patent number: 8230372
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for electrical yield enhancement retargeting of photolithographic layouts. Optical proximity correction is performed on a set of target patterns in order to produce a set of optical proximity correction mask shapes. A set of lithographic contours is generated for each of the set of optical proximity correction mask shapes. A determination is made of electrical yield sensitivities for at least one shape in a set of shapes in the set of target patterns. A determination is also made as to an amount and a direction of retargeting for each of the at least one shape in the set of shapes based on the electrical yield sensitivity of the shape. A new set of target patterns with retargeted edges is generated for each shape in the at least one shape based on the amount and the direction of retargeting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Kanak B. Agarwal
  • Patent number: 8228170
    Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for identifying an object placed on a clear surface. An indication is received that an object has been placed on the surface. A plurality of physical characteristics are identified that are associated with the object. Using the plurality of physical characteristics, a data structure is searched to determine the existence of a single object with physical characteristics that matches the plurality of physical characteristics. Responsive to a match, a determination is made as to whether the single object has an associated presentation. Responsive to an existence of the associated presentation, the associated presentation is presented to a user through the clear surface on which the object has been placed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lydia M. Do, Pamela A. Nesbitt, Lisa A. Seacat
  • Patent number: 8224996
    Abstract: The illustrative embodiments provide for filtering LDAP requests and server responses. A viewport server is configured with filtering rules for responses from a directory server where the responses are generated to fulfill requests from a client application. The filtering rules determine which data is to be forwarded to the client application. One or more responses are intercepted from the directory server to the client application. The one or more intercepted responses are filtered according to the filtering rules to produce a set of filtered responses. The set of filtered responses are then sent to the client application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kristin M. Hazlewood, John M. McConaughy, Gary D. Williams
  • Patent number: 8219668
    Abstract: The present invention provides for resource property aggregation. A set of new instances is received from one or more providers. For each new instance in the set of new instances, a determination is made as to whether the new instance represents a same resource as at least one other instance. Responsive to determining that the new instance represents the same resource as another instance, a set of properties associated with the new instance and with the at least one other instance are identified. Each property from the new instance is compared to an associated property in the at least one other instance using a set of precedence rules. At least one property value is identified from either the new instance or the at least one other instance. An aggregate instance is then generated that represents the resource using the identified property values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James R. Boykin, Alberto Giammaria, Patricia D. Griffin, Mark W. Johnson, Christopher A. Peters
  • Patent number: 8219834
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for predictively power gating a set of units within the data processing system. A second-level power gating controller monitors a set of events for each unit in a set of units within the data processing system. The second-level power gating controller identifies idle sequences of a predetermined set of cycles within the events from each unit where the unit is idle. The second-level power gating controller determines preceding sequences of a predetermined length that precede the idle sequences. The second-level power gating controller determines an accuracy of the preceding sequences. Responsive to the accuracy being above a threshold, the second-level power gating controller sends a permit command to a first-level power gating mechanism associated with the unit to permit power gating of the unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jayanta Basak, Pradip Bose, Alper Buyuktosunoglu, Anita Lungu
  • Patent number: 8219833
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for two-level guarded predictive power gating of a set of units within the data processing system. A success determines whether a unit within the set of units is power gated during a monitoring interval. If the unit is power gated, the success monitor determines whether a count of idle cycles for the unit is below a breakeven point. If the count is above the breakeven point, the success monitor increments a success efficiency counter. If the count is below the breakeven point, the success monitor determines whether the unit needs to be woke up. If the unit needs to be woke up, the success monitor increments a harmful efficiency counter. If the value of the harmful efficiency counter is less than the value from the success efficiency counter, the success monitor enables power gating for the unit via a first-level power-gating mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jayanta Basak, Pradip Bose, Alper Buyuktosunoglu, Anita Lungu
  • Patent number: 8218886
    Abstract: Systems and media for transitioning compression levels of a streaming image system include a machine-accessible medium of a storage device containing instructions for transitioning compression levels between image frames in a streaming image system. Embodiments may include receiving client information from a client of an interactive streaming image system, generating a new image frame based on the received information, determining an initial compression level, comparing the new image frame to a previous frame to determine whether content changed, performing a smoothing heuristic by generating a multi-frame smoothing routine by increasing image quality in response to no change of content and decreasing image quality in response to a change in content, setting the new compression level based on the multi-frame smoothing routine, and encoding and transmitting the new image frame and compression level to a client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth James Ayres, Jr., Szymon Swistun, Van Dung Dang To
  • Patent number: 8219801
    Abstract: A method and a corresponding system for authenticating software products are proposed. A digital certificate (260) and a corresponding private key (265) required to sign each product are stored on a server computer. Whenever a user needs to sign a product, he/she logs on a client computer and transmits a corresponding request to the server computer. The server computer verifies whether the request has been received from an authorized subject; for example, an address of the client computer and an identifier of the user are compared with a predefined list (245). If the result of the verification is positive, the product is signed and returned to the client computer. For this purpose, a script (250) called on the server computer includes either an instruction passing the access password to a signing tool (255) as a parameter or an instruction causing the signing tool (255) to import the access password from a registry of the server computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Luca Ferri, Luigi Pichetti
  • Patent number: 8214816
    Abstract: A compiler implemented software cache in which non-aliased explicitly fetched data are excluded are provided. With the mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments, a compiler uses a forward data flow analysis to prove that there is no alias between the cached data and explicitly fetched data. Explicitly fetched data that has no alias in the cached data are excluded from the software cache. Explicitly fetched data that has aliases in the cached data are allowed to be stored in the software cache. In this way, there is no runtime overhead to maintain the correctness of the two copies of data. Moreover, the number of lines of the software cache that must be protected from eviction is decreased. This leads to a decrease in the amount of computation cycles required by the cache miss handler when evicting cache lines during cache miss handling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tong Chen, John Kevin Patrick O'Brien, Kathryn O'Brien, Byoungro So, Zehra N. Sura, Tao Zhang
  • Patent number: 8214472
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for registering a Common Information Model (CIM) provider to at least one Common Information Model Object Manager (CIMOM). The CIMOM pre-stores at least one class definition. The CIMOM sends information to the Common Information Model (CIM) provider in order for the CIM provider to determine the at least one CIMOM existing in a network. The CIMOM sends thee at least one class definition stored in the CIMOM in order for the CIM provider to determine if the CIMOM comprises a class definition suitable for the CIM provider to operate. Responsive to the CIM provider determining that the CIMOM comprises a suitable class definition, the CMOM registers the CIM provider by recording an identifier of the CIM provider under the name of the class definition suitable to the CIM provider in the at least one CIMOM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hui Yang, Jun Wei Zhang
  • Patent number: 8214658
    Abstract: Mitigating effects of delamination of components in the data processing system is provided. A signal is received from one or more sensors in the data processing system. A determination is made as to whether the signal indicates that one threshold in a plurality of thresholds has been reached or exceeded. Responsive to the signal indicating that one threshold in the plurality of thresholds has been reached or exceeded, a determination is made as to whether the one threshold is a low temperature threshold or a high temperature threshold. Responsive to the one threshold being a low temperature threshold, one of a plurality of actions is initiated to increase a temperature of the data processing system thereby mitigating effects of delamination of the components in the data processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jon A. Casey, Michael S. Floyd, Soraya Ghiasi, Kenneth C. Marston, Jennifer V. Muncy, Malcolm S. Ware, Roger D. Weekly
  • Patent number: 8214734
    Abstract: Evaluating the performance of a text analysis engine is provided. A plurality of pre-annotated reference documents and a set of annotation types associated with the pre-annotated reference documents are received. Annotation contexts of reference annotations in the plurality of pre-annotated reference documents are analyzed using the set of annotation types. Similar annotation contexts are identified between the reference annotations and the set of annotation types. Responsive to identifying the similar annotation contexts, the similar annotation contexts are clustered thereby forming a plurality of reference annotation clusters. A set of reference content heterogeneity scores are computed based on the number of reference annotation clusters for each annotation type in the set of annotation types. An integral reference content rate for the set of annotation types is then computed and output to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Genady Grabarnik, Lev Kozakov, Larisa Shwartz
  • Patent number: 8214663
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for using a power proxy unit combined with on-chip actuators to meet a defined power target value identifying a target power consumption of a component of a data processing system. A power manager in the data processing system identifies a proxy power threshold value, for the defined power target value, identifying a maximum power usage for the component, and a power usage estimate value identifying a current power usage estimate for the component. The power manager sends a set of signals to one or more on-chip actuators in the power proxy unit associated with the component in response to the power usage estimate value being greater than the power proxy threshold value. The one or more on-chip actuators adjusts a set of operational parameters associated with the component in order to meet the defined power target value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael S. Floyd, Karthick Rajamani, Malcolm S. Ware
  • Patent number: 8214831
    Abstract: A runtime dependence-aware scheduling of dependent iterations mechanism is provided. Computation is performed for one or more iterations of computer executable code by a main thread. Dependence information is determined for a plurality of memory accesses within the computer executable code using modified executable code using a set of dependence threads. Using the dependence information, a determination is made as to whether a subset of a set of uncompleted iterations in the plurality of iterations is capable of being executed ahead-of-time by the one or more available threads in the data processing system. If the subset of the set of uncompleted iterations in the plurality of iterations is capable of being executed ahead-of-time, the main thread is signaled to skip the subset of the set of uncompleted iterations and the set of assist threads is signaled to execute the subset of the set of uncompleted iterations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Alexandre E. Eichenberger, Kathryn M. O'Brien, Xiaotong Zhuang
  • Patent number: 8214661
    Abstract: Managing power-consumption, for use in a storage system comprising first data stored on one or more storage devices is provided. A receiver receives a policy comprising a power-management parameter, a first parameter and a rule associated with the policy. An analyser, responsive to receipt of a policy, analyzes second data associated with the rule. A determiner, responsive to the analysis, determines third data in accordance with the second data. The third data is associated with migration of the first data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Alastair Cooper, Robert B. Nicholson