Patents Represented by Attorney Kunzler Needham Massey & Thorpe
  • Patent number: 8103956
    Abstract: One aspect of the present invention includes adaptive techniques used to render dynamic web content for accessibility software applications, such as screen readers. In one embodiment, an operation for improving webpage browsing with accessibility software includes detecting if an accessibility software application is in use, tracking the position of user focus on the webpage, and presenting information to the user based on the position of user focus on the webpage. In a further embodiment, additional content is rendered on the webpage to screen reader applications, and is placed at the position of the screen reader focus in response to dynamic content appearing or changing on the webpage. This additional content is read by the screen reader to inform the user of the dynamic content change, and/or enable the user to quickly perform a specific action on the webpage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Damian Trujillo
  • Patent number: 8100757
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed in which players achieve various lifestyle goals through interactive game-playing. A plurality of game elements is provided, wherein information regarding an activity in pursuit of a lifestyle improvement goal is displayed on a surface of each game element. A game framework is provided, comprising a spatial representation of an actual accomplishment by a player of the activity in pursuit of the lifestyle improvement goal. A journal is also provided, comprising a written representation of the actual accomplishment by the player of the activity in pursuit of the lifestyle improvement goal. A timing device may also be provided that times the actual accomplishment of the activity in pursuit of a lifestyle improvement goal by the player, according to a timing criterion that comprises at least one of a lower time limit and an upper time limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Inventor: Michelle L. Melendez
  • Patent number: 8102617
    Abstract: An apparatus for transporting a storage media cartridge in a data storage library is disclosed. The apparatus includes an accessor, a pinion and a rack having a straight section and a curved section. The curved section includes multiple rack teeth that are capable of rotating independently from each other to allow the pinion to travel along the straight section and onto the curved section of the rack, or vice versa, without any interruption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Thorn, Raymond Yardy
  • Patent number: 8097575
    Abstract: A method and new use of an aqueous composition including a surfactant and a buffering agent, wherein the new use and method include the steps of applying the composition to a surface with an acidic finish, etching the surface, and removing the aqueous composition. The removal may be by evaporation. A new finish may be applied to the surface. Methods are disclosed for the cleaning and neutralizing of an existing finish to allow for the application of a new finish. Also disclosed are compositions for the cleaning and neutralizing of an existing finish without complete removal of the existing finish. The compositions include a buffering agent configured to neutralize the existing finish, and a surfactant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Harris Research, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward E. Durrant
  • Patent number: 8099397
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for improved Portable Document Format (“PDF”) document archiving. The method includes scanning a source PDF document for a shared resource. The source PDF document includes a plurality of records. The shared resource includes a common resource referenced by way of a resource pointer associated with a record of the source PDF document. The method includes copying the shared resource to a resource group associated with the source PDF document. The method also includes short-circuiting a link between content for the shared resource and the resource pointer in each record that points to the shared resource. The method includes extracting a record from the source PDF document. The extracted record is void of content for the shared resource in response to the short-circuited link. Thus, records may be stored in a standalone format without excessive storage space requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory S. Felderman, Brian K. Hoyt
  • Patent number: 8091345
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for efficiently increasing exhaust flow temperature for an internal combustion engine. The method includes excepting a user input to disable an exhaust valve opening mechanism. The method further includes monitoring exhaust gas mass flows and temperatures, interpreting required exhaust temperatures for aftertreatment devices, and surveying a plurality of operating conditions for a combustion engine. The method includes determining a crankshaft angle for dynamically engaging an exhaust valve open mode based on the exhaust temperature, the required exhaust temperature, and the engine operating conditions. Dynamically engaging the exhaust valve open mode includes selecting a specific crankshaft angle for each combustion cycle of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Cummins IP, Inc
    Inventors: Lisa A. Farrell, Timothy R. Frazier, Kyle Miller
  • Patent number: 8095827
    Abstract: A method for replicating a volume of data including selecting a target storage box to receive a physical copy of the actual volume of data stored on the source storage box for replication of the actual volume of data, selecting a point in time storage box to receive a physical copy of actual data stored on the target storage box, physically copying actual data stored on the target storage box to the point in time storage box, performing the replication of the actual volume of data by initiating the physical copying on the target storage box of the actual volume of data, and selectively undoing the physical copying on the target storage box of the actual volume of data by replacing the current actual data stored on the target storage box with the physical copy of actual target storage box data stored on the point in time storage box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David R. Blea, Errol J. Calder, Steven M. Kern, William D. Olsen, Jeffrey R. Placer, Benjamin J. Randall, Todd B. Schlomer, Jacob A. Stevens, John J. Wolfgang
  • Patent number: 8092353
    Abstract: An apparatus and system are disclosed for a fitness stick. The apparatus includes an elongated rod having a center point, a first end, and a second end. The apparatus also includes a first track connected with the rod and extending helically away from the center point along an outer surface of the elongated rod toward the first end, and a second track connected with the rod and extending helically away from the center point along an outer surface of the elongated rod toward the second end. Any point along the second track is reflectively symmetrical to a corresponding point on the first track about a central plane extending through the center point and orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the elongated rod. The system includes the apparatus, first and second hand-slides, and a resistance band coupling the first hand-slide with the second hand-slide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Inventors: Li Si Yang, Michael Grech
  • Patent number: 8091455
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for cutting tubes has a scarf cut made in a direction transverse to a cut-off direction. The scarf cut passes through a thickness of a tube wall and forms an opening that receives a tip of a cut-off blade. The cut-off blade has cutting edges with an angle that engage ends of the opening such that a slug is forced upward and outward relative to the tubes. The scarf blade, the cut-off blade, and a clamping jaw may be moved in a coordinated manner by separate drivers operated under control of an electronic controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Cummins Filtration IP, Inc.
    Inventors: Dave J. McKeeth, Tim Fitzmaurice, Roger A. Kosmosky
  • Patent number: 8091537
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for improving performance in an internal combustion engine includes texturing on an inner surface of at least a portion of an engine head. The texturing may include elongated raised portions extending in one or more directions that may aid in controlling and directing pre-combustion and/or combustion gases in a combustion chamber for a more unified combustion. The result is improved power and/or efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Inventors: Kelsey Manning, James Rex Larsen
  • Patent number: 8090701
    Abstract: An apparatus and system are disclosed for communicating with multiple data stores. The present invention includes a control module that communicates with a plurality of data stores. The control module is in communication with a connection module. The connection module communicates with a first association module that is in communication with a first data store. The control module communicates with the first data store through the connection module and the first association module. In addition, the first association module communicates with a second association module. The second association module communicates with a second data store. The control module also communicates with the second data store through the connection module, the first association module, and the second association module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Francis Joseph Ricchio, Judy Y. Tse
  • Patent number: 8091089
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and signal bearing medium are disclosed for dynamically allocating meta-data repository resources. In one embodiment, the present invention includes tracking resources allocated to a meta-data repository, evaluating repository usage of the resources allocated to a meta-data repository to ascertain whether a resource adjustment is desirable, determining the desirable adjustments to the resources allocated to a meta-data repository, and adjusting the allocated resources in accordance with the determined amount. In one embodiment dynamically allocating meta-data repository resources, strings and buffers from volatile memory, will efficiently use necessary resources thereby not misusing essential system memory. By dynamically allocating meta-data repository resources, system and work performance are enhanced increasing productivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Patricia Driscoll Choi, Mark Edward Thomen
  • Patent number: 8089762
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for directing power supply airflow. A power supply is disposed adjacent a first end of a chassis. The chassis comprises a z axis from the first end to a second end of the chassis and an x axis orthogonal to the z axis. A bay is disposed adjacent the first end of the chassis along the x axis from the power supply. The bay comprises at least one storage device. A chamber is disposed adjacent the first end of the chassis adjacent the bay along the x axis between the bay and the power supply. A first baffle is disposed offset from the power supply, the bay, and the chamber along the z axis toward the second end. The first baffle forms a first section and isolates a first airflow in the first section from a second airflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Albert V. Makley, Timothy S. Farrow, William F. Martin-Otto, Marc R. Pamley
  • Patent number: 8089889
    Abstract: An apparatus for configuring a port in a multi-port communication adapter includes a quiesce module quiescing communications at one or more first I/O ports of a multi-port communication adapter while allowing communications at one or more second I/O ports of the multi-port communication adapter. A path module removes one or more logical paths between the one or more first I/O ports and one or more remote adapters in anticipation of taking the one or more first I/O ports offline. The offline module takes offline the one or more first I/O ports. The update module updates a port resource of the one or more first I/O ports while allowing a concurrent communication on the one or more second I/O ports of the multi-port communication adapter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Steven Bayus, Roger Gregory Hathorn, Bernhard Laubli
  • Patent number: 8091019
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and system are disclosed for supporting variable data structures and constant data structures in a hardware-based XML PPE. The method may include inserting one or more constant Type-Length-Attributes (TLAs) into an output stream. The constant TLAs are inserted from one or more constant node-sets referenced from a constant table. The method may also include creating one or more variable node-sets. Each variable node-set includes one or more variable TLAs (TLAs saved from a base XML document) and is mapped to a variable table. The method may also include inserting one or more variable TLAs into the output stream inserted from one or more variable node-sets referenced from the variable table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Heather D. Achilles, Joseph H. Allen, David J. Hoeweler, Jeffrey M. Peters
  • Patent number: 8091091
    Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for facilitating conversational and non-conversational transactions between thin-clients and MFS-based IMS applications. The apparatus stores conversation attributes associated with a conversational transaction between a thin-client and an MFS-based IMS application, the conversation attributes comprising connection information and conversation-specific information. Next, one or more transaction messages from the thin-client are preprocessed based on a transaction message type. The stored conversation attributes are updated in response changes in the conversation attributes caused by the one or more transaction messages. Then, a conversation output message is formatted for the thin-client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thu-Tram T. Dinh, Shyh-Mei F. Ho, Jenny ChengYin Hung, Kevin Yu Chang Lo
  • Patent number: 8087027
    Abstract: A computer program product and system are disclosed for deferring the deletion of resource control blocks from a resource queue within an information management system that includes a plurality of short-term processes and a plurality of long-term processes when each of the long term processes has unset a ‘resource in use’ control flag for that long term process, a ‘request deletion’ flag has been set by the information management system, and a predetermined amount of time has elapsed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Janna Lynn Mansker, Betty Joan Patterson, Bruce Eric Naylor, Sandra Lee Stoob
  • Patent number: 8086840
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for remotely booting a client from a storage area network (“SAN”). A connection module enables a client, such as a diskless client, to connect to two or more storage area networks (“SANs”), the SANs belonging to a group of redundant SANs, each SAN in the group redundantly storing at least a portion of substantially identical operating system data for the client. The boot module enables the client to remotely boot an operating system from the two or more redundant SANs. The boot module makes at least one read request to each of the two or more connected SANs, each read request configured to retrieve a disparate portion of the operating system data for loading the operating system onto the client. The boot module loads the operating system onto the client using a combination of data retrieved from the two or more connected SANs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Richard Wayne Cheston, Mark Charles Davis, Howard Locker, Rod D. Waltermann
  • Patent number: 8086642
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method is disclosed for receiving a hierarchical data structure, analyzing the hierarchical data structure to determine what actions are needed to correctly process the hierarchical data structure in a data repository, generating a hierarchical command structure comprising a series of repository-specific commands needed to interface with the data repository, and executing the repository-specific commands to process the hierarchical data structure with respect to the data repository. In selected embodiments, the hierarchical command structure is represented as a series of nodes including a parent node and at least one child node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Travis Eli Nelson, Ranjana Kaur Tasser, Suraksha Vidyarthi
  • Patent number: 8082655
    Abstract: A method includes forming a winding structure from a single sheet of electrically conductive material, where the winding structure includes a winding base and multiple winding extensions extending from the winding base as a continuous piece of the electrically conductive material. The multiple winding extensions include a base portion that extends from the winding base along a first face of a fully assembled magnetic core, a wrapping portion that extends from the base portion along a second face of the fully assembled magnetic core, and a connection portion that extends from the wrapping portion along a third face of the fully assembled magnetic core, the connection portion comprising an electrical connection surface. The base portion, the wrapping portion, and the connection portion of each winding extend from the winding base such that the integrated windin structure is shaped for placement over the full assembled magnetic core in a single motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Chu T. Chung, Chien H. Lin, Randhir S. Malik, Robert Wei