Patents Represented by Attorney Yee & Associates, P.C.
  • Patent number: 7962646
    Abstract: The present invention solves the disadvantages of the prior art and provides a distributed messaging system supporting stateful subscriptions. A stateful publish-subscribe system extends the functionality of the content-based approach to include more general state-valued expressions. A plurality of broker machines is provided to deliver messages sent by publishing clients toward subscribing clients based upon the contents of the messages and stateful transformations requested by the subscribing clients. Subscription specifications are analyzed by a compiler and converted into a collection of message transforms and views. A deployment service component deploys tasks to optimize system performance. A monitoring services component detects a possible need to reconfigure. A performance optimization service component computes new assignment of transforms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Roman Ginis, Robert Evan Strom
  • Patent number: 7962628
    Abstract: A number of improvements in network adapters that offload protocol processing from the host processor are provided. Specifically, a mechanism for improving connection establishment in a system utilizing an offload network adapter is provided. The connection establishment mechanism provides the ability to offload connection establishment and maintenance of connection state information to the offload network adapter. As a result of this offloading of connection establishment and state information maintenance, the number of communications needed between the host system and the offload network adapter may be reduced. In addition, offloading of these functions to the offload network adapter permits bulk notification of established connections and state information to the host system rather than piecemeal notifications as is present in known computing systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas Morgan Freimuth, Elbert C. Hu, Ronald Mraz, Erich M. Nahum, Prashant Pradhan, Sambit Sahu, John Michael Tracey
  • Patent number: 7962650
    Abstract: Method, system and computer usable program code for dynamic component placement in an event processing system having producers, consumers, a plurality of nodes between the producers and the consumers, and a flow graph representing computational components to be executed between the producers and the consumers. A description of a change to the system is received. At each node, next-hop neighbor nodes for each consumer are identified. A routing value is assigned to each next-hop neighbor node for each consumer. Using the routing values in a context of the change, a performance cost of the system is estimated based on hypothetical changed placements of the computational components at nodes along paths from a producer to a consumer through the next-hop neighbor nodes for each consumer, and a changed placement of the computational components that minimizes performance cost of the system relative to the hypothetical changed placements is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Geetika Tewari Lakshmanan, Chitra Dorai, Robert Evan Strom
  • Patent number: 7958055
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for leasing a unique digital item in a network data processing system. A listing request is received for a payment and a deposit in the account of a first party. A listing request is received for a unique digital item in the account of a second party. Responsive to receiving the listing requests, the respective digital properties are transferred to a temporary storage account in association with retrieval tags. Listings for the digital properties appear on a trusted third-party leasing service. A lease contract is drawn up between the parties. After all parties have signed the lease agreement, the payment is transferred to the second party and the unique digital item is transferred to the first party. The deposit is held by the trusted third-party leasing service until the unique digital item is returned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jimmy Ming-Der Hsu, Peter Y. Hsu
  • Patent number: 7958172
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions are provided for implementing container managed uses, ownerships, and references in an enterprise JavaBean™ environment. A user may specify a uses, ownership, reference relationships between entity beans and sessions in a deployment descriptor file. When the file is processed, the present embodiment generates methods on the entity beans and allows the container to recognize the relationships, such that the user may access the session beans based on the specified relationships.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Geoffrey Martin Hambrick, Robert Howard High, Jr., Rodney Alan Little, Sridhar Sudarsan
  • Patent number: 7957848
    Abstract: A computer implemented method, data processing system, and processor are provided for managing a thermal management system. A determination is made as to whether a plurality of digital thermal sensors is faulty or functional. A power savings mode of at least one unit within the integrated circuit associated with the functional digital thermal sensor is monitored in response to at least one of the plurality of digital thermal sensors being functional. A functional digital thermal sensor is disabled in response to the at least one unit being in a power savings mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Charles Ray Johns, Michael Fan Wang
  • Patent number: 7958093
    Abstract: A system and method for optimizing a storage system to support short data object lifetimes and highly utilized storage space are provided. With the system and method, data objects are clustered based on when they are anticipated to be deleted. When an application stores data, the application provides an indicator of the expected lifetime of the data, which may be a retention value, a relative priority of the data object, or the like. Data objects having similar expected lifetimes are clustered together in common data structures so that clusters of objects may be deleted efficiently in a single operation. Expected lifetimes may be changed by applications automatically. The system automatically determines how to handle these changes in expected lifetime using one or more of copying the data object, reclassifying the container in which the data object is held, and ignoring the change in expected lifetime for a time to investigate further changes in expected lifetime of other data objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kay Schwendimann Anderson, Frederick Douglis, Nagui Halim, John Davis Palmer, Elizabeth Suzanne Richards, David Tao, William Harold Tetzlaff, John Michael Tracey, Joel Leonard Wolf
  • Patent number: 7958241
    Abstract: A network service allocation device is disclosed. The device comprises a probe, a module, and an engine. The device collects performance data relating to the physical characteristics of a distributed data processing system. The module utilizes the performance data to identify two or more node clusters on the distributed data processing system. The engine correlates the node clusters and one or more performance rules as related to the network service to provide a map of node cluster(s) for supporting the network service, or a list of one or more servers within a node cluster for supporting the network service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Franck Barillaud, Xiaoping Chen, Christopher M. Morrissey
  • Patent number: 7958014
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for distributed computing in a network data processing system. A task is accepted for distributed computing. Work units are sent to a plurality of data processing systems on a network, wherein each data processing system within the plurality of data processing systems includes a software for accepting a work unit, processing the work unit to generate a result, and returning the result, wherein the software is monitored for compliance with an operation policy requiring a connection to the network and allocating a period of time for processing work units. Results are received from the plurality of data processing systems. These data processing systems may be individually owned by consumers in which the systems are provided at no cost or some lower cost in return for making available processing resources for processing work units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Craig Henry Becker, Robert Simon Goodman, Stewart Earle Nickolas, Wayne Elmo Vicknair
  • Patent number: 7957850
    Abstract: A mobile station for an unmanned vehicle comprises a vehicular storage area for storing a vehicle during transit or at rest. A first wireless transceiver communicates a status or command between the vehicle and the mobile station during at least one of vehicular deployment and rest. A station controller manages a management plan of the vehicle comprising at least one of retooling the vehicle, loading a payload on the vehicle, and recharging or refueling of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventor: Noel Wayne Anderson
  • Patent number: 7958325
    Abstract: A temporary file is identified. The temporary file includes a data block containing a first file image. A determination is made whether the temporary block has been included in a previous snapshot. Responsive to receiving a modification of the temporary block that has been included in the previous snapshot, a modified first image is created. The modified image is stored in the original file block, and the original image is copied to a newly allocated block. The original first block is updated to include a reference to the second block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Janet Elizabeth Adkins, Joon Chang
  • Patent number: 7957413
    Abstract: A technique for efficiently processing resource allocation requests in an on-demand environment. When a user logs into a resource allocation request manager, various resource requirements entered are immediately sent to a remote resource manager to allow for dynamic, real-time feedback to the user who is entering the resource requirements as to any issues or concerns regarding the requested resource(s) or plug-in element(s), such as lack of availability. The user can thus reconfigure or otherwise modify the various resource requests based on this feedback to optimize the overall resource allocation request. This also allows an organization providing services such as computer hosting services to re-allocate resources in advance if a new resource request would exceed a service level agreement outlined in advance with a customer, thereby improving resource planning in a data center environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rhonda L. Childress, Catherine Helen Crawford, David Bruce Kumhyr, Paolo Franco Magnone, Neil R. Pennell
  • Patent number: 7953693
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for ontology-based classification of media content are provided. With the method and apparatus, initial confidence values of classifiers in a hierarchical classification structure are modified based on relationships between classifiers. A confidence value for a classifier is boosted by a boosting factor based on a correspondence between the confidence value and confidence values of ancestor classifiers in the hierarchical classification structure. A confidence value for a classifier is modified by a confusion factor based on a correspondence between the confidence value of the classifier and the confidence values of mutually exclusive classifiers in the hierarchical classification structure. In this way, a more accurate representation of the actual confidence that media content falls within the classification associated with the classifier is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Smith, Belle L. Tseng, Yi Wu
  • Patent number: 7954093
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data processing system for substituting a candidate instruction in application code being loaded during load time. Responsive to identifying the candidate instruction, a determination is made whether a hardware facility of the data processing system is present to execute the candidate instruction. If the hardware facility is absent from the data processing system, the candidate instruction is substituted with a second set of instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Mike Stephen Fulton
  • Patent number: 7953686
    Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer-usable program product for validating expected cohort behavior. In one embodiment, sensory data gathered by a set of multimodal sensor devices is processed to form a set of actual cohort behavior data. The sensory data comprises information associated with a cohort group. Each member of the cohort group shares at least one common attribute. The set of actual cohort behavior data is compared to a set of predicted cohort behavior models. The set of actual cohort behavior data comprises information describing actual behavior by members of the cohort group. The set of predicted cohort behavior models comprises information describing an expected behavior of members of the cohort group. A comparison result is generated. The comparison result indicates an accuracy of the set of predicted cohort behavior models.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Lee Angell, Robert R. Friedlander, James R. Kraemer
  • Patent number: 7954156
    Abstract: A system and method to reduce external access to hypervisor interfaces in a computer system, thereby reducing the possibility of attacks. In a preferred embodiment, addresses for calls are used to fill a table, where the addresses are specifically selected for a requesting computer. For example, in one embodiment, a routine searches for the adapter type of a requesting computer and populates the table with calls specific to that type of adapter. Other types of calls are not put in the table. Instead, those calls are replaced by routines that will return an error. In other embodiments, the operating system type is used to determine what addresses are used to populate the table. These and other embodiments are explained more fully below.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Trang N. Huynh, Gordon D. McIntosh
  • Patent number: 7953747
    Abstract: A centralized method for defining and enforcing strong-typing among domains in RDBMS or ORDBMS is provided to allow flexible, easy, and quick domain creation, as well as facilitating easy implementation and change control on domains. When an application requests data from the database, one or more domains are first identified in the SQL query. A determination is then made as to whether operators for each domain pair in the SQL query are authorized. A determination is also made as to whether functions in the SQL authorized. If the operators and functions in the SQL are authorized, the initial SQL request is rewritten to include a casting formula for each domain pair operation. The rewritten SQL request is then executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John H. Handy-Bosma, Dan J. Mandelstein, Mei Y. Selvage, Charles D. Wolfson
  • Patent number: 7953256
    Abstract: A system to detect fingerprint spoofing. In response to detecting a finger on a scanner plate, the finger is scanned to produce a scanned image of the finger. The scanned image of the finger is compared with a plurality of stored fingerprint images in a storage unit to validate an identity of a user. In response to determining that a match is found between the scanned image of the finger and one of the plurality of stored fingerprint images in the storage unit, a temperature around the scanner plate is regulated to activate sweat glands in the finger. The finger is rescanned after a predetermined period of time to produce a second scanned image of the finger. In response to determining that a sweat pattern is found in the second scanned image of the finger, access is authorized to a secure object and a message is displayed to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Eric Wilfred Bruno Dias
  • Patent number: 7953113
    Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code to receive a user input defining settings at an application layer to form a set of received settings. An adaptive bandwidth control process is executed using the received settings to identify a transmission rate for transmitting data packets across a network. The data packets are transmitted across the network using the identified transmission rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Steven Elliot, Gregory James Kudamik, Christopher Victor Lazzaro, Thanh K. Tran
  • Patent number: 7953854
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing remote access redirect in a host channel adapter of a system area network are provided. The apparatus and method provide a mechanism by which a host channel adapter, in response to receiving a marker message, places selected channel(s) of the host channel adapter in a remote access redirect (RAR) mode of operation. During the RAR mode of operation, memory access messages received by the host channel adapter that are destined for portions of an application memory space marked as being protected are converted to RAR receive messages and redirected to a queue pair associated with an operating system rather than the queue pair for the application. The operating system is responsible for serializing access to application memory pages outside of the host channel adapter. The mechanisms of the present invention may be used to perform a checkpoint data integrity operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Elmootazbellah Nabil Elnozahy, Peter Anthony Walker