Patents Assigned to International Business Machines Corporations
  • Patent number: 6958540
    Abstract: Interconnect structures are disclosed for forming dual damascene back-end-of-line (BEOL) structure using materials for the vias or studs which are different from those used for the line conductors, or using materials for the via liner which are different from those used for the trench liner, or having a via liner thickness different from that of the trench liner. Preferably, a thick refractory metal is used in the vias for improved mechanical strength while using only a thin refractory metal in the trenches to provide low resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey Gambino, Edward Cooney, III, Anthony Stamper, William Thomas Motsiff, Michael Lane, Andrew Simon
  • Patent number: 6959308
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for maintaining an organized and automated archiving and retrieval system including a personal bibliography of original documents or other original real objects as well as an electronic archive containing copies of such original real objects with guaranteed access. Essentially this is done by establishing a machine and/or human readable “unique identifier” (UID) distributed with each original real object, a so-called personal archive allowing a person (or a group of persons) to maintain a personal bibliography, a managed storage containing electronic copies of the distributed original real objects, and means for a controlled, but guaranteed access to the stored electronic copies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ferdinand Gramsamer, Peter Micheal Klett, Beat Liver, Hong Linh Truong
  • Patent number: 6958636
    Abstract: An apparatus, a method, and a computer program are provided for correcting charge in a Phased Lock Loop (PLL). Typically, PLL's utilize a Low Pass Filter (LPF). However, as a result of improvement of Complimentary Metal-Oxide on a Semiconductor (CMOS) technology charge leakage has become prevalent within LPFs. As a result, the method, apparatus, and computer program provide a device and/or methodology for correcting for charge leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David William Boerstler, Franklin Manuel Baez, Eskinder Hailu
  • Patent number: 6959327
    Abstract: A computer dispatcher connected to one or more respective network buffers has stored file lists that identify one or more of the files in the database that are to be transmitted over networks connected to the respective network buffer. A scheduler(s) schedule one or more portions of one or more of the files to be written to the respective network buffers by defining transmission criteria about each of the files in the file list. These transmission criteria include a quantity to transmit criteria, defining a quantity of one or more of the portions of the respective file to transmit, and one or more release times. The release times define the time at which the respective portion is to be written to the network buffer. The system includes a dispatching process that determines an available space on one or more of the network buffers and a current system time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Norbert George Vogl, Geoffrey Hale Purdy, Robert Alan Flavin, Yuan Feng, Edward Payson Clarke, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6959264
    Abstract: Probing and monitoring of applications in a distributed computer network is achieved using a probe designed to be integrated into the kernel of an operating system. The probe intelligently delegates the periodic probing functionality into the kernel of the operating system. As the operating system already monitors system resources for its own resource allocation purposes, such functionality represents minimal extra computational and network load. The resource probing application on a client machine runs a simple algorithm on the matrix data, depending on the server request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Partha Mandal
  • Patent number: 6958286
    Abstract: The invention forms an epitaxial silicon-containing layer on a silicon germanium, patterned strained silicon, or patterned thin silicon-on-insulator surface and avoids creating a rough surface upon which the epitaxial silicon-containing layer is grown. In order to avoid creating the rough surface, the invention first performs a hydrofluoric acid etching process on the silicon germanium, patterned strained silicon, or patterned thin silicon-on-insulator surface. This etching process removes most of oxide from the surface, and leaves a first amount of oxygen (typically 1×1013?1×1015/cm2 of oxygen) on the silicon germanium, patterned strained silicon, or patterned thin silicon-on-insulator surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Huajie Chen, Dan M. Mocuta, Richard J. Murphy, Stephan W. Bedell, Devendra K. Sadana
  • Patent number: 6959433
    Abstract: A data processing system, method, and program including an automated software test environment are disclosed for automatically testing a software application. A work flow manager is established for automatically managing the automated software test environment. The automated software test environment includes multiple computer systems coupled to a server computer system utilizing a network. The work flow manager is executed utilizing the server computer system. Multiple ordered test phases are established. At least each of two of the order test phases are executed utilizing different ones of the computer systems. An event is transmitted to the work flow manager utilizing one of the computer systems to start execution of selected ones of the ordered test phases. The work flow manager controls execution of the selected ordered test phases in response to the receipt of events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rene Morales, Jr., Charles Vaughn Rankin
  • Patent number: 6958998
    Abstract: Providing packet-based service differentiation on packet-based networks involves first determining information associated with packets as a basis for inferring connection characteristics associated with the respective packet, as the packets pass though a particular network node. Statistical measures based on numerical values of, for example, Round Trip Time (RTT), is used to characterize connections as being, in this case “long” or “short”. “Long” connections are given a higher priority than “short” connections. Accordingly, the assigned priority associated with particular packets can be used to adjust drop probabilities for those packets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Rajeev Shorey
  • Patent number: 6957484
    Abstract: A method for reworking a connector attached to an electronic board and including a plurality of stacked modules thereon. The method comprises providing a tool with a holding structure for holding the board and having first and second jaws for grasping and removing a selected one of the modules from the board, at least one of the jaws having a wedge and a slit for receiving the selected module, the tool having a first drive structure for moving the jaws between an open and a closed position along a direction parallel to the selected module, a second drive structure for moving the jaws along a direction perpendicular to the board and a third drive structure for moving the jaws along a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connector, wherein the wedge separates an adjacent module from the selected module to be removed from the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Silvio Pupin, Franco Scotti
  • Patent number: 6959416
    Abstract: Provided is a method, system, program and data structures for managing structured documents. Each structured document has at least one element in common and each element is capable of having one defined data object. At least one table is generated based on a schema of elements in the managed structured documents. Further, at least one table is designed to include entries for each element instance in the managed structured documents and at least one object for one element instance. For each element instance in the managed structured documents, one entry is added to at least one table including information on an element identifier for the element instance, the data object for the element instance, and a document identifier for the structured document including the element instance. The at least one table provides an association of the element instance, the at least one data object for the element instance, and the document identifier of the structured document including the element instance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kyle P. Manning, Dwight Ross Palmer
  • Patent number: 6959291
    Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method track concurrent uses of a computer program across a plurality of logical partitions in a logically partitioned computer, such that a decision as to whether to grant or deny a request to use the computer program in a particular logical partition may be made based upon whether the requested use, coupled with other uses in other logical partitions in the computer, would violate a concurrent use software license associated with the computer program. As such, the license restrictions of a concurrent use software license can be enforced on a logically partitioned computer regardless of the particular logical partitions within which a computer program executes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: William Joseph Armstrong, Naresh Nayar, Kevin Patrick Stamschror
  • Patent number: 6959310
    Abstract: A system, method and computer readable medium for providing a standby file system with snapshot feature is disclosed. A first snapshot of a primary file system is generated. Next, a standby file system restores the first snapshot of the primary file system in the standby file system and a snapshot of the standby file system is taken. Then, a second snapshot of the primary file system is taken and a data set capturing the differences between the first snapshot of the primary file system and a previous data set of the primary file system is generated. Subsequently, the data set is applied to the standby file system. Upon unavailability of the primary file system, the standby file system is initialized as the new primary file system. Upon recovery of the old primary file system, the old primary file system is initialized as a new standby file system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Marc M. Eshel, Roger L. Haskin, Wayne A. Sawdon, Frank B. Schmuck
  • Patent number: 6959369
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system, method, and program for data backup. A backup copy of source data is created. A backup dataset inventory is created when the backup copy is created. The backup dataset inventory includes a backup dataset identifier and an originating source volume identifier for cach dataset of the source data. The backup copy is copied to a storage medium. A storage media inventory is created when copying the backup copy to the storage medium. The storage media inventory includes the originating source volume identifier and a storage media identifier for each dataset of the source data. This single backup scheme eliminates having to issue both image copies for individual dataset recovery, as well as, separate full volume dumps for recover of failed physical volumes or to recover an entire application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lyn Lequam Ashton, Anthony Steve Pearson, Anand Rao Savur, John Glenn Thompson
  • Patent number: 6959305
    Abstract: A cursor query identifier is defined to uniquely identify cursors in a relational database system that supports nested routine invocation. The identifier includes a cursor nesting level value that corresponds to the nested level at which the cursor is opened. The identifier also includes a invocation identifier that corresponds to the routine within which a cursor is opened. The third part of the identifier is a unique cursor counter. The definition of the cursor query identifier permits cursors to be opened within nested levels of the same relational database context and to be uniquely identified for reference by database system and by applications accessing the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Paul M. Bird, Timothy J. Vincent, Curt L. Cotner
  • Patent number: 6958878
    Abstract: In a magnetic tape drive having a plurality of stepped operational speeds, data storage logic estimates, from the effective data fill rate for a data buffer and the drive data write rate, the time cost to continue to operate the magnetic tape drive at the current stepped operational speed from a target to the next end of wrap; estimates, the time cost to force a backhitch of the magnetic tape data storage media and change the stepped operational speed to a higher stepped operational speed and operate the magnetic tape drive at the higher stepped operational speed to the next end of wrap; and determines the lesser time cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glen Alan Jaquette, Arturo Avila Mojica
  • Patent number: 6958545
    Abstract: A system and method for correcting wiring congestion in a placed and partially or fully globally-routed VLSI chip design while avoiding adding new timing or electrical violations or other design constraints. Globally-congested areas are identified along with determining terminated and non-terminated wires in the congested areas. The process includes optimizing the identified congestion areas, incrementally rerouting affected nets, testing the resultant design legality and congestion metrics, and committing or reversing the optimizations and reroutings. The optimizations further includes the movement of logic cells and decomposition, recomposition or any other modification of logic cell structures (possibly combined with cell movement) to move terminated wires to less congested grid edges, rearrangement of commutative connections within or between cells, or addition of buffers to cause reroutes of feedthrough wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Pooja M. Kotecha, Rama Gopal Gandham, Ruchir Puri, Louise H. Trevillyan, Adam P. Matheny
  • Patent number: 6959423
    Abstract: A method for stateful toggling of check box status, implemented as a software program installed and operating on a computer comprising a computer processor coupled to computer memory. Embodiments of the invention include detecting a touch event on a first check box, toggling the status of the first check box to a new status, and repeatedly, for a multiplicity of repetitions, carrying out the steps of detecting a drag event for each additional check box onto which a user drags the pointer, wherein the user drags the pointer onto at least one additional check box, and statefully toggling the status of each additional touch box for which a drag event is detected to the new status of the first check box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Hans Handy Bosma, Keith Raymond Walker, Yen-Fu Chen
  • Patent number: 6959389
    Abstract: A method for secure entry of a user-identifier in a publicly positioned device can include establishing a private communications link between a user and the publicly positioned device; dividing the user-identifier into at least two portions; separately prompting the user for each portion of the user-identifier; prompting the user for a combination of random data and the user-identifier; and, discarding the random data from the combination. In the preferred embodiments, the publicly positioned device can have a visual interface through which the user can be visually prompted for the random data and the user-identifier. Alternatively, the publicly positioned device can have a telephone interface through which the user can be audibly prompted for the random data and the user-identifier. In the case of a visual display, the private communications link can be established by linking the publicly positioned device to active glasses having a shuttered display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James M. Dunn, Edith H. Stern, Barry E. Willner
  • Patent number: 6959312
    Abstract: A fast provisioning unit is disclosed that contains a basic unit, a duplicating unit and a control unit. The basic unit has a production computer and two or more hard drives each connected to the production computer by a first switch. The duplicating unit has a duplicator that is connected to an image disk and to a second switch. The second switch is connected to the hard drives of the basic unit. The control unit has a computer connected to the first switch, the second switch and the duplicator. The first switch permits the hard drives to be connected or disconnected from the production computer by the control computer pursuant to instructions from control software.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Viktors Berstis, Christopher Daniel Reech
  • Patent number: 6959081
    Abstract: A method, system, and program for expert hold queue management are provided. A call is received at a call center. The call is placed on hold in a hold queue until a representative of the call center is available to answer the call. While on hold in the hold queue, the call is transferred to an expert. In particular, the call may be transferred to a second hold queue within the first hold queue if the expert is not immediately available. Experts may include freelance experts, query based experts, and emergency response experts. Then, responsive to detecting the call at the top of the call queue, the caller is notified of an availability of a representative. The caller may select to remain with the expert or transfer to the representative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Wayne Brown, David R. Cheng, Wing-Ying Stephanie Leung, Folu Okunseinde, Michael A. Paolini, Seema Sheth-Voss, Scott Lee Winters