Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm James R. Nock
  • Patent number: 8307275
    Abstract: The present invention enables users to dynamically manage historical data within documents bearing one or more links, and retain the relationships defined by the links. The present invention tracks the links not just from source documents to destination documents, but also from destination documents back to the source documents, organizes the links in a hierarchical manner based on the content/naming of the links, and displays the link information to the user in a real-time and meaningful way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy Pressler Clark, Zachary Adam Garbow, Richard Michael Theis, Brian Paul Wallenfelt
  • Patent number: 8198757
    Abstract: The present invention provides a power saving method and apparatus for powering a lower voltage device from a higher voltage power source. The apparatus includes a switch having an input coupled to an output of the higher voltage power source. The apparatus further includes a high-to-low voltage converter having an input coupled to an output of the switch. The apparatus also includes a power plug having an input coupled to an output of the high-to-low voltage power converter, and an output configured to receive a power socket of the low voltage device. Finally, the apparatus includes a switch actuator coupled to the power plug and the switch. When the power plug is operatively engaged within the power socket of the lower voltage device, the switch actuator closes the switch. When the power plug is operatively disengaged from the power plug, the switch actuator opens the switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard S Brink, Michael R Curry, Donald R Fearn, Raymond A Richetta, Timothy J Schmerbeck, Dereje G Yilma
  • Patent number: 8140669
    Abstract: Systems, methods and articles of manufacture are disclosed for resolving hostnames on a private network with a public Internet server. One embodiment of the invention provides for a public Internet server configured to generate a private network ID when a new private network is identified, wherein the private network ID is a unique reference to all nodes within a private network and wherein the private network is comprised of one or more private DNS servers. The public internet server stores the private network ID and an IP address for at least one or more private DNS servers on the private network and sends, upon request, the private network ID to at least one of the private DNS servers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David A. Christenson, Christopher T. Gloe, John C. Kasperski
  • Patent number: 8009539
    Abstract: A method and infrastructure are provided for monitoring and analyzing the storage media quality and the drive hardware performance of a media library. The media library comprises a plurality of removable storage media, a plurality of drive units for said storage media and means for moving said storage media to and from appropriate drive units. The media library is managed by a management system being connected to said media library. At least one reference medium of a known and proven quality to compare the performance of at least one of said storage media in a given drive unit with the performance of said reference medium in said given drive unit and/or to test the performance of at least one given drive unit of said media library when acting on said reference medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Nils Haustein, Stefan Neff, Ulf Troppens
  • Patent number: 7865951
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and program product for tiered, multi-state intelligent detection and enforcement of security on a pervasive device is provided. The method/apparatus first monitors the pervasive device for the presence of a security identifier, then establishes a current security level chosen from a plurality of security levels for the pervasive device based on the presence of the security identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Frederick Allyn Kulack, Scott Alan Moore
  • Patent number: 7859935
    Abstract: A memory system includes: a high-voltage-supply booster circuit for driving an access control circuit from a low voltage for memory access to a high voltage for memory access by supplying electric charge that is stored in advance to an access control circuit in response to an access start request for a memory cell array; and a low-voltage-supply booster circuit for absorbing excess electric charge when the access control circuit is switched from the high voltage to the low voltage in response to an access end request for the memory cell array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Toshio Sunaga
  • Patent number: 7716036
    Abstract: The present invention utilizes clock bursting to minimize command latency in a logic simulation hardware emulator/accelerator. The emulator/accelerator includes an emulator system having logic gate functions representing a design under test. The logic gate functions further include special burst clock logic for toggling a clock signal to a plurality of latches within the design under test for a predefined number of clock cycles. A host workstation, coupled to the emulator system by a high-speed cable, provides control for the emulator system. In normal operation, the host workstation encodes a predefined number of clock cycles for the emulator to run, then transmits the encoded number of cycles to the burst clock logic via the high-speed cable. The host workstation then generates a trigger signal within the high-speed cable, which directs the burst clock logic to read and decode the predefined number of cycles and begin toggling the clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Roy Glenn Musselman
  • Patent number: 7631067
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method, apparatus and program product for improving reliability in RAID/Server systems by monitoring the RAID/Server system at the system level for predictive failure analysis (PFA) triggering events. Examples of PFA triggering events include: rebuild operations, addition of new disk drives, a change in usage patterns, and suspected handling damage. Once a triggering event is detected, the RAID/Server system issues a command to the disk drives in the system to begin performing PFA. If a PFA error is detected on any of the drives, the error is reported to the RAID/Server system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Gordon James Smith
  • Patent number: 7624393
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods and a computer-readable program for providing autonomic, event driven upgrade maintenance of one or more software modules residing on a computer system. In a preferred embodiment, a method begins by detecting a predefined triggering event on the computer system indicative of a potential maintenance issue. Next the computer system connects to an upgrade management server, where the upgrade maintenance server creates a list of recommended upgrade modules to download to the computer system, the list based upon the triggering event and a set of selection policies. The method then downloads the list of recommended upgrade modules from the upgrade management server to the computer system, and selectively installs upgrade modules chosen from the list of recommended upgrade modules on the computer system. The user is then notified of the status of the upgrade maintenance operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Carol Ann Egan, Earl Walter Emerick, Thomas Alan Shore
  • Patent number: 7587185
    Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method in which a set of broadcast channels is automatically selected on a mobile receiver based on the mobile receiver's current location, a database of broadcast sources contained within the mobile receiver, and a predefined set of user preferences. This location based selection of broadcast channels may be implemented by first querying a user for personal preferences. These user preferences, along with a database of broadcast sources and program formats, are then loaded into the mobile receiver. The mobile receiver includes a means for determining the current location of the receiver, as the receiver moves from location to location. After the location of the receiver is determined, the database of broadcast sources and program formats are searched in order to determine broadcast sources that can be received by the receiver in its current location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Wright J. Nee
  • Patent number: 7571464
    Abstract: A local computer system and a remote computer system are connected by a network. When the local computer system needs to initiate communication with the remote computer system or vice versa, a cross-system request is generated, and placed in a request queue on the computer system generating the request. All cross-system requests residing on request queues and are handled by two jobs executing on local computer system. The first of these jobs, a request push job, pushes cross-system requests existing on local computer system's request queue to the remote computer system's request queue. The second of these jobs, a request pull job, pulls cross-system requests existing on remote computer system's request queue over to local computer system's request queue. In this way, all cross-system communications are initiated from a computer system inside the firewall (e.g., local computer system) without violating any outside-in dataflow limitations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Ryan Edward Watkins
  • Patent number: 7535981
    Abstract: The present invention generates an output clock signal CLKreq having a frequency freq between the frequency fref/A of a divided clock signal CKL1 and the frequency fref/(A+1) of a divided clock signal CLK2. A clock divider circuit selectively generates divided clock signals CLK1, CLK2. A discrete value correction circuit controls the clock divider circuit so as to repeat C times the process of generating the clock signal CLK2 once and the clock signal CLK1 (Q?1) times and then to generate the clock signal CLK1 R times if C<D and so as to repeat D times the process of generating the clock signal CLK1 once and the clock signal CLK2 (Q?1) times and then to generate the clock signal CLK2 R times if C>D. A, B, and C are natural numbers satisfying freq=fref/(A+C/B). In D=B?C, Q is a quotient of B/C if C<D or a quotient of B/D if C>D.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sohichi Tsukamoto, Shuhsaku Matsuse, Makoto Ueda
  • Patent number: 7499944
    Abstract: The present invention provides a dimension table processing apparatus that efficiently derives a dimension hierarchy for a denormalized dimension table. The first information presenting means presents information on a plurality of fact tables included in a multidimensional database to an administrator as first information. The second information presenting means receives a fact table selected by the administrator from among the fact tables related to the first information, and presents information on dimension tables associated with the selected fact table in a star schema to the administrator as second information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Masaya Higuchi
  • Patent number: 7480611
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and program product are provided for increasing the usable memory capacity of a logic simulation hardware emulator. The present invention performs an additional logic synthesis operation during model build to transform an original logical array within a logic model into a transformed logical array, such that a row within the transformed logical array includes a plurality of merged logical array rows from the original logical array. The invention further modifies read and write port logic surrounding the transformed logical array during the logic synthesis operation to support read and write accesses during model emulation run time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Michael Gooding, Roy Glenn Musselman
  • Patent number: 7451336
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method, apparatus and computer-readable program for providing management of a computing complex during a utility interruption. More specifically, the present invention provides an automated method, apparatus and computer-readable program to manage the selected power down of devices within an information technology computing complex when the loss of conventional utility service occurs. This invention selectively shuts down systems/devices within the computing complex based on the criticality of the systems/devices and the current state of environment parameters (e.g., battery reserve level, temperature, time, etc.) monitored within the computing complex.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey Donald Manuell, Michael James Pascoe, Maureen Faye Peters
  • Patent number: 7437282
    Abstract: The present invention enhances the Direct Access Stimulus (DAS) interface presently employed within a logic simulation hardware emulator to provide alternative stimulus to signals internal to a model actively running on a logic simulation hardware emulator. The present invention accomplishes this by introducing a set of special logic within the logic model to provide an alternate source for selected signals, identifies the special logic so that it is subsequently connected directly to the DAS card interface, and adds information to a symbol table so that this special logic can be identified as signal accessible through the DAS card interface. At runtime, when the user control program accesses facilities that have been connected to the DAS card interface, a set of special routines automatically reference the symbol table information to access the special logic that is connected to the DAS card interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Roy Glenn Musselman
  • Patent number: D569339
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Luis E. Elizalde, Kevin L. Schultz
  • Patent number: D569379
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David F. Champion, Aaron R. Cox, Gerard F. Muenkel, Edward J. Vitek, Jr.
  • Patent number: D580443
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Joni E. Saylor
  • Patent number: D583383
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Joni E. Saylor