Patents Represented by Attorney Shimokaji & Associates, P.C.
  • Patent number: 7756655
    Abstract: An observation apparatus which observers operations of an observation target apparatus, and which includes: an output signal acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring signal values by observing signals outputted by the observation target apparatus; a state storage unit for sequentially storing the acquired signal values; a determination unit for determining whether a first signal value newly acquired is identical with a second signal value which is acquired prior to the first signal value, and which is stored in the state storage unit; and a separation unit for separating and outputting a signal sequence, which includes a plurality of signal values acquired between the first signal value and the second signal value, as transactions of the output signals, on condition that it is determined that the first signal value is identical with the second signal value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Ohba, Kohji Takano
  • Patent number: 7752307
    Abstract: A system for analyzing an information system connected between a plurality of information processors through a communication line, including: a capturing unit for capturing communication packets sent through the communication line; a first counting unit for extracting an attribute value representing communication attributes from each of the captured communication packets to add attribute values for each destination of the communication packets; a second counting unit for extracting an attribute value representing communication attributes from each of the captured communication packets to add attribute values for each source of the communication packets; and a determining unit for determining which of a server function and a client function uses a TCP/UDP port of each of the information processors on the basis of the total attribute value for communication packets addressed to the TCP/UDP port and the total attribute value for communication packets sent from the TCP/UDP port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Maho Takara
  • Patent number: 7748051
    Abstract: Method and system for embedding a unique and different digital watermark in digital contents for each access without increasing the overhear or load at the contents server. The contents server has a digital watermark-embedded contents storage unit for storing a plurality of digital contents where a different digital watermark is embedded, and a fingerprint performing unit for, adding to the digital contents the information specified using a bit row that is formed by a digital watermark being embedded for each part of the digital contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Norishige Morimoto, Kohichi Kamijoh, Seiji Kobayashi, Masato Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 7747661
    Abstract: A virtual binding system ensures that the WORM logic for protecting data immutability cannot be circumvented, effectively guaranteeing WORM property of a WORM storage system composed of rewritable magnetic hard disks. To close the security hole between the rewritable media and the WORM logic, virtual binding securely authenticates the legitimacy of a WORM logic controller before granting data access on a WORM storage media. Furthermore, the system verifies the legitimacy of the WORM logic controller during data access. This approach virtually binds together the WORM logic controller and the WORM storage media even though the WORM logic controller and the WORM storage media may be physically separate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Windsor Wee Sun Hsu, Lan Huang
  • Patent number: 7743375
    Abstract: An information handling system includes instruction processing nodes in respective physical partitions. A communications bus couples two information processing nodes together. Each node includes hardware resources such as CPUs, memories and I/O adapters. Prior to a command to merge the physical partitions, the communication bus exhibits a disabled state such that the two information processing nodes are effectively disconnected. After receiving a command to merge the physical partitions, the system enables the communication bus to effectively hot-plug the two nodes together. A modified master hypervisor in one node stores data structures detailing the hardware resources of the two nodes. The modified master may assign resources from one node to a logical partition in another node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Benjiman Lee Goodman, Milton Devon Miller, II, Naresh Nayar
  • Patent number: 7739547
    Abstract: A method of data loading for large information warehouses includes performing checkpointing concurrently with data loading into an information warehouse, the checkpointing ensuring consistency among multiple tables; and recovering from a failure in the data loading using the checkpointing. A method is also disclosed for performing versioning concurrently with data loading into an information warehouse. The versioning method enables processing undo and redo operations of the data loading between a later version and a previous version. Data load failure recovery is performed without starting a data load from the beginning but rather from a latest checkpoint for data loading at an information warehouse level using a checkpoint process characterized by a state transition diagram having a multiplicity of states; and tracking state transitions among the states using a system state table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ying Chen, Bin He, Ana Lelescu, James J. Rhodes, Rui Wang
  • Patent number: 7739492
    Abstract: Reduces message length of encrypted message to be transmitted selectively to plurality of decrypting devices. An encrypting device includes a generating unit for generating node associating information configured to associate respective terminal nodes in a tree structure with each decrypting device in relation to a group of decrypting devices enabled for decryption, a extracting unit for extracting a decryption enabled node containing decrypting devices in descendant terminal nodes and not containing a decrypting device with decryption disabled in any of the descendant terminal nodes, and a unit for encrypting the message by use of a node encryption key for the decryption enabled node. Decrypting devices include specifying unit for specifying terminal node associated with decrypting device based on node associating information, and a decrypting unit for decrypting encrypted message using a node decryption key for any decryption enabled nodes ranging from terminal node to root node thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Koichi Kamijo
  • Patent number: 7739609
    Abstract: A method for responding to inquiries from a user by a response support system. A request displaying a second screen is received from a user terminal of the user in which a first screen is being displayed. An inquiry destination of the response support system is identified in the first screen. Screen data pertaining to the second screen and containing an operation object is retrieved. The second screen is configured to be sent to the inquiry destination in response to an operation performed on the operation object by the user. Screen transition information containing screen identifiers of screens previously displayed by the user terminal, including the first screen, is retrieved. The second screen is assembled by inserting the retrieved screen data and the retrieved screen transition information into the second screen. The assembled second screen is sent to the user terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Ryo Yoshida
  • Patent number: 7739743
    Abstract: Provision of a technology capable of presenting information regarding derivative files secondarily derived and created from a leaked file, by retrieving the first leaked file, and capable of presenting personal information recorded on a computer accessible via a wide area network. There is provided an apparatus including a recording section for recording original data of a leaked file, an extracting section for extracting the original data and representations corresponding to information that should be prevented from being leaked and included in one or more files existing in a recording area to be investigated, an investigating section for investigating a degree of association between the file existing in the recording area to be investigated and the original data based on the extracted representations, and a presenting section for presenting information on a file created based on the leak.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Masaharu Itoi, Hiroshi Maruyama, Hiroshi Nomiyama
  • Patent number: 7738753
    Abstract: An optoelectronic circuit fabrication method and integrated circuit apparatus fabricated therewith. Integrated circuits are fabricated with an integral optical coupling transition to efficiently couple optical energy from an optical fiber to an integrated optical waveguide on the integrated circuit. Layers of specific materials are deposited onto a semiconductor circuit to support etching of a trench to receive an optical coupler that performs proper impedance matching between an optical fiber and an on-circuit optical waveguide that extends part way into the transition channel. A silicon based dielectric that includes at least a portion with a refractive index substantially equal to a section of the optical fiber is deposited into the etched trench to create the optical coupler. Silicon based dielectrics with graded indices are also able to be used. Chemical mechanical polishing is used finalize preparation of the optical transition and integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Solomon Assefa, Christopher Jahnes, Yurii Vlasov
  • Patent number: 7730013
    Abstract: A date querying system processes free-form text in documents to identify and locate some or all of the dates in the documents using extended regular expression matching to capture various date formats. The system packages a canonicalized format of each identified date to support various types of queries such as, for example, specific date querying, hierarchical date querying, range date querying, proximity queries comprising a date and any keywords, and any combination of types of queries. The system scans a document to identify the various format dates occurring in the document, disambiguates the resulting occurrences of dates, and canonicalizes the dates according to one or more predetermined formats.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen Dill, Madhukar R. Korupolu
  • Patent number: 7725932
    Abstract: In response to a command to start restrictions on a communication service of a computer, the communication service is restricted by a countermeasures apparatus which replaces the communication address of a second computer, which has been stored in a first computer, with the communication address of the countermeasures apparatus, and replaces a communication address of the first computer, which has been stored in the second computer, with the communication address of the countermeasures apparatus. Accordingly, the countermeasures apparatus acquires a packet from the first computer to the second computer and determines whether or not this acquired packet is to be transmitted to the second computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kentaro Aoki, Yukinobu Moriya, Izumi Kagawa
  • Patent number: 7725346
    Abstract: A sales prediction system predicts sales from online public discussions. The system utilizes manually or automatically formulated predicates to capture subsets of postings in online public discussions. The system predicts spikes in sales rank based on online chatter. The system comprises automated algorithms that predict spikes in sales rank given a time series of counts of online discussions such as blog postings. The system utilizes a stateless model of customer behavior based on a series of states of excitation that are increasingly likely to lead to a purchase decision. The stateless model of customer behavior yields a predictor of sales rank spikes that is significantly more accurate than conventional techniques operating on sales rank data alone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel Frederick Gruhl, Ramanathan Vaidhyanath Guha, Jasmine Novak, Shanmugasundaram Ravikumar, Andrew S. Tomkins
  • Patent number: 7724659
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product for detecting a connection configuration of a network system. An embodiment includes acquiring first and second network data flowing in the network system; determining whether the contents of the first network data are identical with those of the second network data, and whether a destination address of the first network data is identical with a source address of the second network data; and providing output indicating that a load balancing apparatus is set to have the source address of the second network data, and that a cluster node is set to have a destination address of the second network data, in response to a determination that there is a coincidence in the above-mentioned determining step. The embodiment makes it possible to grasp a logical connection relationship of a current network, without relying on memory of a system administrator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Tadashi Tsumura
  • Patent number: 7721098
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product enabling individual user devices to authenticate and validate a digital message sent by a distribution center, without requiring transmissions to the distribution center. The center transmits the message with an appended modulus that is the product of two specially selected primes. The transmission also includes an appended authentication value that is based on an original message hash value, a new message hash value, and the modulus. The new message hash value is designed to be the center's public RSA key; a corresponding private RSA key is also computed. Individual user devices combine a digital signet, a public modulus, preferably unique hardware-based numbers, and an original message hash to compute a unique integrity value K. Subsequent messages are similarly processed to determine new integrity values K?, which equal K if and only if new messages originated from the center and have not been corrupted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Jeffrey B. Lotspiech
  • Patent number: 7720640
    Abstract: Provides a diagnostic apparatus for diagnosing a measured object based on time-series data of a plurality of parameters measured from the measured object. An example of an apparatus includes a change-point score calculating portion for calculating a time-series change-point score with which each of the plurality of parameters changes according to passage of time based on the time-series data on the parameter, a change-point correlation calculating portion for calculating a change-point correlation indicating strength by which each of the plurality of parameters is associated with each of other parameters based on the change-point scores of the parameter and the other parameter, and a parameter outputting portion for outputting a set of parameters of which calculated degrees of associations are higher than a predetermined reference change-point correlation as a set of mutually strongly associated parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Keisuke Inoue, Tsuyoshi Ide
  • Patent number: 7716145
    Abstract: Provided is a system 10 which supports a user's behavior by generating a behavioral decision function indicating behavior to be adopted to a certain target. The system 10 includes: a data acquiring section 110 which acquires a cost caused as a result of adopting each of a plurality of behaviors to a target as training data for generating the behavioral decision function, the plurality of behaviors having already been adopted to the target; and a function generator 120 which generates, based on the training data, the behavioral decision function to minimize the expected shortfall of a cost to be obtained as a result of adopting the behavior to the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Hisashi Kashima
  • Patent number: 7712063
    Abstract: A critical path detecting unit for detecting critical paths for a design in which cells are placed on an integrated circuit and information concerning timing constraints. A representative-critical-path extracting unit extracts a representative critical path by having one critical path represent critical paths which share more intervals than a certain number, and which are similar to one another, out of critical paths which have been detected by the critical path detecting unit. A path-image generating unit renders the representative critical path, which has been extracted by the representative-critical-path extracting unit and reflects information concerning other critical paths, which are similar to the representative critical path, on the representative critical path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Katsunori Nishida
  • Patent number: 7711956
    Abstract: Efficient access processing is performed when the service level of a server apparatus is low. There is provided a proxy apparatus including: a request sending unit for sending a first server request message based on a first client request message received from an information terminal to a destination server apparatus; a server status information storage unit for storing timeout information of the destination if a timeout of a first server request message is detected; a request monitoring unit for deciding to time out a second client request message received from an information terminal if timeout information of the destination of the second client request message is stored; and a proxy timeout response unit for sending a timeout response message corresponding to the second client request message that is decided to be timed out to the requesting information terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Takafumi Kinoshita, Akihiko Ohki
  • Patent number: 7711114
    Abstract: A traitor tracing enabling system assigns sequence keys to a media player to enable better tracability with fewer actual variations in the content. The system comprises a technique for increasing a number of sequence keys, allowing a finer granularity in a traitor tracing process with little increase in sequence key storage or in bandwidth required to transmit sequence keys to a media player. The present system comprises a variation table which maps the sequence keys to the individual variations in the file, such that multiple sequence keys can be mapped to a single variation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey Bruce Lotspiech, Hongxia Jin