Patents Assigned to International Business Machines Corp.
  • Publication number: 20080270843
    Abstract: A method, system and article of manufacture for the storing convolution-encoded data on a redundant array of independent storage devices (RAID) is described. The convolution-encoded data comprises error correction coded data to eliminate the need for parity as used in conventional RAID data storage. The number of storage devices may vary to accommodate expansion of storage capacity and provide on demand storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.
    Inventors: Daniel J. Winarski, Craig A. Klein, Nils Haustein
  • Publication number: 20080270822
    Abstract: There is provided a method and system for replicating data at another location. The system includes a source node that contains data in a data storage area. The source node is coupled to a network of potential replication nodes. The processor determines at least two eligible nodes in the network of nodes and determines the communication cost associated with a each of the eligible nodes. The processor also determines a probability of a concurrent failure of the source node and each of eligible nodes, and selects at least one of the eligible nodes for replication of the data located on the source node. The selection is based on the determined communication costs and probability of concurrent failure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: JINLIANG FAN, Zhen Liu, Dimitrios Pendarakis
  • Publication number: 20080271055
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for communicating information in a data structure between applications. According to the method, a description of a data structure is sent from a first application to a second application, and there is received from the second application an identification of at least one portion of the data structure that is requested by the second application. The first application marshals a subset of the data structure consisting of the at least one portion that was identified, and there is sent from the first application to the second application the marshalled subset of the data structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Stephen J. Fink, Alan A. Donovan, Darrell Reimer, Mark N. Wegman
  • Publication number: 20080270821
    Abstract: A system and method of recovering from errors in a data processing system. The data processing system includes one or more processor cores coupled to one or more memory controllers. The one or more memory controllers include at least a first memory interface coupled to a first memory and at least a second memory interface coupled to a second memory. In response to determining an error has been detected in the first memory, access to the first memory via the first memory interface is inhibited. Also, the first memory interface is locally restarted without restarting the second memory interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.
    Inventors: Edgar Rolando Cordero, James Stephen Fields, Kevin Charles Gower, Eric Eugene Retter, Scott Barnett Swaney
  • Publication number: 20080266058
    Abstract: Data associated with supply chain events for a manufactured assembly is automatically stored. In preferred embodiments the supply chain events for the manufactured assembly are stored on an RFID tag attached to the assembly as it travels through the supply chain to insure the data concerning the assembly is readily available and not separated from the assembly. In other embodiments, the supply chain events or characteristic data is stored on the RFID tag in a hierarchical structure beginning with the original state of the assembly and with additional entries for each step in the assembly process. In other embodiments, as the product undergoes rework, conversion to a different assembly, or personalizations, the new state of the assembly is stored in the RFID tag. In other preferred embodiments, other information is also stored on the RFID tag such as country of origin, failure data, cycle times and a quality status indicator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Steven C. Erickson, Ivory Wellman Knipfer, Jeffrey George Komatsu, Fraser Allan Syme
  • Publication number: 20080266057
    Abstract: Data associated with supply chain events for a manufactured assembly is automatically stored. In preferred embodiments the supply chain events for the manufactured assembly are stored on an RFID tag attached to the assembly as it travels through the supply chain to insure the data concerning the assembly is readily available and not separated from the assembly. In other embodiments, the supply chain events or characteristic data is stored on the RFID tag in a hierarchical structure beginning with the original state of the assembly and with additional entries for each step in the assembly process. In other embodiments, as the product undergoes rework, conversion to a different assembly, or personalizations, the new state of the assembly is stored in the RFID tag. In other preferred embodiments, other information is also stored on the RFID tag such as country of origin, failure data, cycle times and a quality status indicator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Steven C. Erickson, Ivory Wellman Knipfer, Jeffrey George Komatsu, Fraser Allan Syme
  • Publication number: 20080252331
    Abstract: A method for an electronic device is provided for preventing reverse engineering by monitoring light emissions emitted from transistors and such electrically active devices in the electronic device. The method emits extraneous randomized light emissions in substantial close proximity to the transistors to hide a pattern of light emissions emitted from the transistors. As one feature, the device can include a source of randomized light emissions in substantial close proximity to the transistors to hide a pattern of the emitted light from the transistors in randomized light emissions emitted by the source. As a second feature, the device can emit the randomized light emissions by randomly delaying an electrical signal that is electrically coupled to the transistors and, in response to the randomly delayed electrical signal, the transistors randomly emitting light emissions thereby hiding a separate pattern of light emission emitted from the transistors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. Kash, James C. Tsang, Daniel R. Knebel
  • Publication number: 20080251840
    Abstract: An electronically scannable multiplexing device is capable of addressing multiple bits within a volatile or non-volatile memory cell. The multiplexing device generates an electronically scannable conducting channel with two oppositely formed depletion regions. The depletion width of each depletion region is controlled by a voltage applied to a respective control gate at each end of the multiplexing device. The present multi-bit addressing technique allows, for example, 10 to 100 bits of data to be accessed or addressed at a single node. The present invention can also be used to build a programmable nanoscale logic array or for randomly accessing a nanoscale sensor array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2007
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: HEMANTHA KUMAR WICKRAMASINGHE, Kailash Gopalakrishnan
  • Publication number: 20080251289
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for repairing a damaged contact pad that is located on a first surface of a printed circuit board and connected to a via that passes through the circuit board. According to the method, a countersink hole is created in the first surface of the printed circuit board in a location that is substantially centered on an axis passing through the via, and a replacement structure is inserted into the countersink hole. The replacement structure has a stem portion, a head portion, and a shoulder portion that connects the stem and head portions, with the angle of the shoulder portion substantially matching the angle of the shoulder of the countersink hole. The stem portion of the replacement structure is permanently attached to sidewalls of the via so as to electrically couple the head portion of the replacement structure to the via.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: JOSEPH P. PALMERI, Vincent P. Mulligan
  • Publication number: 20080256499
    Abstract: A method for generating a constraint for generating a constraint for use in the verification of an integrated circuit design includes identifying a target in a netlist (N) of the design and creating an overapproximate abstraction (N?) of the netlist. A space state (S?) is created by enumerating the states of N? from which the identified target may be asserted. A constraint space C? is then derived from the state space S?, where C? is the logical complement of S?. The process is repeated for multiple selected targets and the constraint spaces from each iteration are logically ANDed. Creating an overapproximate abstraction may include replacing a sequential gate with a random gate. Identifying a sequential gate may include selecting a target in the netlist, performing underapproximate verification of the target, and, if a spurious failure occurs, selecting a gate further down the fanin chain of the currently selected gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.
    Inventors: Jason Raymond Baumgartner, Hari Mony, Viresh Paruthi, Jiazhao Xu
  • Publication number: 20080243691
    Abstract: Account holders may specify vendor-specific charge restrictions for charging transactions against their accounts, where each vendor-specific charge restriction includes a unique identifier for the corresponding vendor to which the charge restriction is applicable. The charge restriction may be an exclusion from approval of all charge authorization requests, an amount limit on charge authorization requests which may be approved, a “rebill” limit on the number of times subsequent charge authorization requests may be approved, or a combination of such restrictions and/or other restrictions. When a charge authorization request is received for a charge against an account having vendor-specific charge restrictions set by the account holder, the vendor identifier is extracted from the charge authorization request and employed to determine whether any charge restrictions are applicable to the requesting vendor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.
    Inventor: JERRY WALTER MALCOLM
  • Publication number: 20080243887
    Abstract: An exclusion controller which allows an information processing unit to acquire a contended resource to the exclusion of the other information processing units includes a plurality of non-prioritized information processing units mutually exclusively acquiring a non-prioritized exclusion right, which indicates a candidate for acquiring the contended resource, by a first process. The exclusion controller further includes a prioritized information processing unit acquiring the contended resource by a second process, which requires a shorter processing time than the first process, to the exclusion of the non-prioritized information processing unit having acquired the non-prioritized exclusion right.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: KIYOKUNI KAWACHIYA, Akira Koseki, Tamiya Onodera
  • Publication number: 20080239539
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for measuring the physical quantities of a data center during operation and method for servicing large-scale computing systems is disclosed. The apparatus includes a cart that supports a plurality of sensors. The cart is moveable within the data center. The sensors capture temperature or other physical parameters within the room. The sensor readings, along with position and orientation information pertaining to the cart are transmitted to a computer system where the data is analyzed to select the optimum temperature or other system environmental parameters for the data center.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: HENDRIK F. HAMANN, Madhusudan K. Iyengar, James A. Lacey, Martin P. O'Boyle, Roger R. Schmidt
  • Publication number: 20080231311
    Abstract: A physically secure processing assembly is provided that includes dies mounted on a substrate so as to sandwich the electrical contacts of the dies between the dies and the substrate. The substrate is provided with substrate contacts and conductive pathways that are electrically coupled to the die contacts and extend through the substrate. Electrical conductors surround the conductive pathways. A monitoring circuit detects a break in continuity of one or more of the electrical conductors, and preferably renders the assembly inoperable. Preferably, an epoxy encapsulation is provided to prevent probing tools from being able to reach the die or substrate contacts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Publication date: September 25, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: VINCENZO CONDORELLI, Claudius Feger, Kevin C. Gotze, Nihad Hadzic, John U. Knickerbocker, Edmund J. Sprogis
  • Publication number: 20080229108
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for private information exchange in smart card commerce is disclosed. The method includes, in response to determining that an item of biometric data received on a biometric reader corresponds to an authorized user, unlocking a communication channel on a communication port, exchanging public keys between the user and authorized point of sale, receiving an information request from an external point of sale machine across the communication channel, decrypting an information request and parsing a data token.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.
    Inventors: MICHAEL S. CHASE-SALERNO, SEAN DAGUE, RICHARD FERRI, MICHAEL H. GRUNDY
  • Publication number: 20080225847
    Abstract: The reassembly timer in a TCP/IP receiver is dynamically set to avoid data corruption on fast networks caused by IP identification wrap-around. A sender generates IP packets with a special option specifying a reassembly time for fragments based on the subnet of the destination or on the calculated round-trip time of the connection. A receiver sets the reassembly timer to the reassembly time specified in the option. A sender can generate IP packets with an alternative option setting a time stamp for the generated packet. A receiver calculates a traversal time based on the difference between the arrival time of the fragment and this time stamp, and sets the reassembly timer based on this traversal time. A receiver can independently set the reassembly timer to a first reassembly time set by the user for fast networks or to a second reassembly timer set by the user for slow networks based on whether the receiver and sender are on the same subnet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.
    Inventors: Shankar Manjunatha, Vasu Vallabhaneni, Venkat Venkatsubra, Richard Perry Youngman
  • Publication number: 20080228809
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for generating a dynamic web page. A structured data context is generated based on the result of a business logic process performed in response to a request from a browser, and a template associated with the request is loaded. The structured data context includes at least one dynamic data item for the dynamic web page. The template is able to be browsed by the browser and contains associated information that corresponds to the at least one dynamic data item of the structured data context. The at least one dynamic data item of the structured data context is merged into the template so as to produce the dynamic web page.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corp.
    Inventors: Jian Hong Shan, Shao Yang Yu, Zhong Yan Lu
  • Publication number: 20080228694
    Abstract: A method for performing verification includes selecting a first set containing a seed register and adding to a second set a result of a subtraction of a fanout of the first set from a fanin of the first set. A third set is rendered equal to a result of a subtraction of a fanin of the second set from a fanout of the second set, and whether a combination of the first set and the third set is equivalent to the first set is determined. In response to determining that the combination of the first set and the second set is not equivalent to the first set, a min-cut of the first set and the second set containing a minimal set of predicates between a first component and the logic to which the component fans out, wherein the logic is bordered by the second set is returned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.
    Inventors: JASON R. BAUMGARTNER, HARI MONY, VIRESH PARUTHI, FADI Z. ZARAKET
  • Publication number: 20080225863
    Abstract: A data processing system includes a first plane including a first plurality of processing nodes, each including multiple processing units, and a second plane including a second plurality of processing nodes, each including multiple processing units. The data processing system also includes a plurality of point-to-point first tier links. Each of the first plurality and second plurality of processing nodes includes one or more first tier links among the plurality of first tier links, where the first tier link(s) within each processing node connect a pair of processing units in the same processing node for communication. The data processing system further includes a plurality of point-to-point second tier links.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.
    Inventors: Ravi K. Arimilli, Benjiman L. Goodman, Guy L. Guthrie, Praveen S. Reddy, William J. Starke
  • Publication number: 20080228443
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for benchmarking a stream processing system are disclosed. The method comprises generating a plurality of correlated test streams. A semantically related data set is embedded within each of the test streams in the plurality of correlated test streams. The plurality of correlated test streams is provided to at least one stream processing system. A summary is generated for each of the semantically related embedded data sets. A common identifier, which is transparent to the system being tested, is embedded within each stream in the plurality of correlated test streams. The common identifier is extracted from the output data set generated by the stream processing system. At least one of the stored copies of the summaries and the common identifier are compared to an output data set including a set of zero or more correlation results generated by the stream processing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: International Business machines Corp.
    Inventors: KAY S. ANDERSON, Joseph P. Bigus, Eric Bouillet, Parijat Dube, Zhen Liu, Dimitrios Pendarakis