Abstract: A system and method for maintaining consistency in a system where multiple copies of an object may exist is provided for maintaining consistent copies. Consistency is maintained using a plurality of consistency policies in which at least one consistency policy results in different performance than a second consistency policy. A consistency policy is selected from the plurality consistency policies for each object to improve system performance.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 17, 2003
Date of Patent:
July 1, 2008
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Arun Kwangil Iyengar, Richard P. King, Lakshmish Macheeri Ramaswamy, Daniela Rosu, Karen Witting
Abstract: A system and method for providing a consistent view of data stored therein, which can change dynamically in an uncoordinated way, includes a client program and a snapshot server program. The snapshot server program permits one or more client programs to request snapshots of data from the snapshot server program such that the data included in or referenced by a snapshot originates from one or more host server programs and the data is accessible to the snapshot server program, but is managed independently of the snapshot server program.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 13, 2004
Date of Patent:
June 24, 2008
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Richard J. Cardone, Reto Hermann, Andreas Schade, William F. Trautman
Abstract: A weather-resistant electrical connector having an environmental seal and including a locking assembly made from a high impact strength thermoplastic. A method is disclosed for overmolding the connectors in one step. A locking yoke latches the connectors together. Locking tabs secure the connectors to mounting plates. The locking tabs have steps to retain the connectors upon compression of a seal. An insulated mounting post supports the contact and is of sufficient length to seal and contain any arcs from live connections.
Abstract: A venting system that is incorporated into the roof and/or wall allows the same to provide continuous air flow to ventilate the roofs and walls and prevent condensation build up and ultimate water damage to the structure. The venting system is adapted to allow air flow around air flow obstacles contained within the walls or roofs, such as, for example roof joists, and/or floor and ceiling supports in walls. The venting system can provide air flow around in wall obstacles by channeling in air from the outside or carrying air around the obstacle from within the wall or roof itself. The channeled venting system can be incorporated into the roof and/or wall sheathing and thereby is not prone to blockage by improper or amateur insulation installations.
Abstract: A device and method for evaluating reliability of a semiconductor chip structure built by a manufacturing process includes a test structure built in accordance with a manufacturing process. The test structure is thermal cycled and the yield of the test structure is measured. The reliability of the semiconductor chip structure built by the manufacturing process is evaluated based on the yield performance before the thermal cycling.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 10, 2006
Date of Patent:
June 17, 2008
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Ronald Gene Filippi, Jason Paul Gill, Vincent J. McGahay, Paul Stephen McLaughlin, Conal Eugene Murray, Hazara Singh Rathore, Thomas M. Shaw, Ping-Chuan Wang
Abstract: A room temperature infrared imager, fabricated using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) techniques, made up of individually functioning analog elements laid out in a horizontal and vertical block matrix (pixel array). The front of each individual pixel element is IR sensitive and varies its properties in proportion to the corresponding analog level of incident IR energy exposure. An image infrared energy is focused across the front of the array to ultimately create a visible light image. The detector elements are formed on the front of a substrate. On the rear of the substrate, right behind the detectors, are electronics which read the sensors exposure level. Formed on top of the electronics are Light Emitting Devices (LED's). The electronics vary the brightness of the LED's proportionally with the exposure level on the front of the detector. The image is formed by the different visible light levels that appear on the array readout.
Abstract: A memory system and method includes a cache having a filtered portion and an unfiltered portion. The unfiltered portion is divided into block sized components, and the filtered portion is divided into sub-block sized components. Blocks evicted from the unfiltered portion have selected sub-blocks thereof cached in the filtered portion for servicing requests.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 30, 2004
Date of Patent:
May 27, 2008
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Philip George Emma, Allan Mark Hartstein, Thomas Roberts Puzak, Moinuddin Khalil Ahmed Qureshi
Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for resource adaptive workload management. In a method thereof, at least one execution objective is received for at least one of a plurality of queries under execution. A progress status of, and an amount of resource consumed by, each of the plurality of queries are monitored. A remaining resource requirement for each of the plurality of queries is estimated, based on the progress status of, and the amount of resource consumed by, each of the plurality of queries. Resource allocation is adjusted based on the at least one execution objective and the estimates of the remaining resource requirements.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 22, 2005
Date of Patent:
May 27, 2008
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Abstract: Systems and methods for making electrical measurements using optical emissions include positioning a sensor/photodetector to measure radiation emissions from devices to be tested. Radiation emission information is collected from the device to be tested during electrical operation. Characteristic features of the radiation emission information are determined, and differences between the characteristic features are deciphered. Based on the differences, models are employed to determine electrical properties of the device, especially operational characteristics.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 2, 2005
Date of Patent:
May 27, 2008
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Franco Stellari, Alberto Tosi, Peilin Song
Abstract: An antenna unit is provided with an inverted F-type antenna element provided with a feeding point and a ground connection point, and a non-feed antenna element configured so as to resonate with the inverted F-type antenna element through electrical coupling. In addition, the antenna unit may also be provided with a ground part which is grounded to the earth and connected to the ground connection point provided on one edge of the inverted F-type antenna element, and a resonance element, one edge of which is connected to the ground part, resonated by the non-feed antenna element through electrical coupling.
Abstract: A common lens HMD is shown and described. The use of a common lens in a biocular or binocular helmet mounted display (HMD) system provides a means to manipulate light rays from an image(s) which are traveling from two or more separate upstream optics trains to the helmet visor and onward to each eye, with fields of view which overlap at the midpoint of the visor. The common lens changes the optical paths of each individual ray going to a single eye, and changes the corresponding ray traveling to the other eye in a mirrored fashion (i.e. with the opposite component in the Left/Right direction).
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 7, 2006
Date of Patent:
May 20, 2008
Assignee:
Gentex Corporation
Inventors:
Todd Ashcraft, Kenneth Scott Ellis, Richard Nicholas Pfisterer
Abstract: The present invention relates to an inline fan housing assembly adaptable for connection with conduits of various diameters. The inline fan housing assembly comprises a connector collar for connection to the inlet or exhaust ports of the fan housings to adapt the fan housings for connection to a variety of conduits having diameters not designed to connect with the inlet or exhaust ports of the fan housing. The inline fan housing assembly also comprises an inner inlet ring for adapting the inlet port of the inline fan housing to direct air into motorized impellor of various sizes mounted within the inline fan housing. The connector collars of the present invention contain one or more steps, each step suitable for connection with a conduit of a different diameter. In one exemplary embodiment, the inner steps of the connection collar are removable thereby allow for increased air flow through the connection.
Abstract: A method and system for enabling voice over Internet for computer applications includes registering session initiation protocol (SIP) as a system service and providing SIP service through an application programming interface (API) to permit access to service functions by individual software applications. A SIP link is provided within a software application to permit user invocation of SIP service functions. The link may be passed as a parameter to permit external access to an invoked service function.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 29, 2003
Date of Patent:
May 20, 2008
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Abstract: A device and method for selective placement of charge into a gate stack includes forming gate stacks including a gate dielectric adjacent to a transistor channel and a gate conductor and forming doped regions for transistor operation. A layer rich in a passivating element is deposited over the doped regions and the gate stack, and the layer rich the passivating element is removed from selected transistors. The layer rich in the passivating element is than annealed to drive-in the passivating element to increase a concentration of charge at or near transistor channels on transistors where the layer rich in the passivating element is present. The layer rich in the passivating element is removed.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 3, 2006
Date of Patent:
May 20, 2008
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
John Michael Hergenrother, Zhibin Ren, Dinkar Virendra Singh, Jeffrey William Sleight