Patents Represented by Attorney Ryan K. Simmons
  • Patent number: 7752589
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product for visually indicating the interaction between one or more edges of a design that contribute to a defined critical area pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert J. Allen, Sarah C. Braasch, Matthew T. Guzowski, Jason D. Hibbeler, Daniel N. Maynard, Kevin W. McCullen, Evanthia Papadopoulou, Mervyn Y. Tan, Robert F. Walker
  • Patent number: 7738984
    Abstract: A method of iterative negotiation for improved production planning between one or more purchasers and suppliers in a supply chain. The method includes a purchaser in a supply chain generating a request schedule that is communicated to a supplier. In response to the request schedule the supplier generates a commit schedule and communicates it back to the purchaser. Through the iterative negotiation process (ask-answer) one or more interpolation constraints are generated based on the supplier's commit schedules. Upon completion of the ask-answer process purchaser solves a final advanced planning system (APS) based on said one or more interpolation constraints and generates a final production plan. The invention can be employed to integrate the collaboration among purchasers and suppliers with an advanced planning system for optimizing established planning objectives (e.g. customer service, short lead times, low inventory, and prioritized allocation of supply and capacity).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brian T. Denton, Thomas R. Ervolina, Robert J. Milne, Robert A. Orzell, Samik Raychaudhuri
  • Patent number: 7650601
    Abstract: A method for managing multiple processors in the execution of one or more processes in a task-based library platform. The one or more processes are partitioned into highly granulized sub-tasks from a library calling process, whereby each sub-task has a protection attribute associated with it. The protection attribute designates processing resources that a processor may use in the execution of the sub-task. The sub-tasks are placed in a central task queue, whereby idling processors in the multiple processor system obtain consecutive sub-tasks in the queue until all the processes have been executed. Each processor executes a sub-task using only those processing resources that have been designated as being available by the protection attribute of the sub-task. The atomic execution results of the one more sub-tasks may then be combined into an execution result for the process. Also provided is a task-based library for processor management.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Maximino Aguilar, Jr., Alex C. Chow
  • Patent number: 7526544
    Abstract: A message tracker having a transfer monitor, a set of registers, and at least one arithmetic unit increases performance and reliability when transmitting or receiving messages within a computer system. A set of message parameters such as a current address, a remaining length, and a communicated length are stored within the set of registers. The transfer monitor observes data transfers on a multi-tenant bus in order to detect data transfers related to the message and provide an update signal. The message parameters within the registers are updated in response to the update signal. The process of detecting and updating is repeated until the entire message is transferred, and the message tracker then informs a control processor or process that communication of the message has occurred. To facilitate message coalescing, several message trackers may share a message queue that is configured to store message parameters corresponding to completed messages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Edward Lewis Hauck, Noel Simen Otterness
  • Patent number: 7360138
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product for performing verification on an integrated circuit design having state variables. Random vectors are generated, used to simulate the design, and generate a set of values for the state variables. The generated values are compared to groups having stored values from previous stimulations and either a new group is created for the generated set of values or the existing groups accurately represent the generated set of values and they are stored in one of the existing groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jesse Ethan Craig, Suzanne Granato, Francis A. Kampf, Barbara L. Powers
  • Patent number: 7305278
    Abstract: A system, method, service and media for managing both supplier-owned and non-owned manufacturing asset types utilizing a supplier model of a product which goes across the manufacturing asset types. The invention maps the model to instances of the asset types and uses a network to control and monitor the assets. The monitoring and control occur according to the model, rules and services and does not require the vendors of non-owned manufacturing asset types to change their manufacturing execution systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kerry J. Enright, Thomas D. Furland, David B. Lutton, II, Michael J. Maslack, Steven R. Pike
  • Patent number: 7292904
    Abstract: Allocating limited manufacturing resources to achieve a feasible production plan that is consistent with customer demand is a difficult and common problem faced in many manufacturing industries. For large-scale multi-stage manufacturing systems, existing methods are typically based either on allocating limited resources sequentially, according to a priority ranked list of production starts, or linear programming based models. The output of such planning models is a production plan which specifies the quantity of each part to produce at each plant, using resources available to the enterprise. Typically there are lot-sizing rule defining the permissible production start quantities. The invention disclosed herein is a method for applying these rules to the lot-sizing of production starts within a linear program. It employs advanced heuristics that consider both established operational objectives (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brian T. Denton, John J. Forrest, Robert John Milne