Patents Assigned to International Computers Limited
  • Patent number: 6564373
    Abstract: On completion of execution of a current block of instructions, a block completion process searches for potential successor blocks, using block descriptors and egress data structures. For each potential successor block, the process compares a set of entry conditions associated with the block with the exit conditions of the current block and, if a match is found, selects the potential successor block as the current block and executes it. A consistency check is performed, to compare the block identity of the successor block with an expected block identity. Block-following code is selectively planted into translated blocks, to call a successor block directly, by-passing the block completion process. The block-following code is optimised, in that it contains tests for entry conditions only if the results of those tests are not known at the time the block-following code is planted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventors: Kevin Hughes, Martin Pixton
  • Patent number: 6550053
    Abstract: A method of estimating the time a particular designer or any one of a group of designers will take to realize a new design using an object-oriented methodology. The particular version, for each designer, or group of designers, of a formula which links time taken and the number of predetermined types of object-oriented elements, each element type having a respective multiplier for each designer or group of designers, is determined by “training” using the number of the elements employed and the actual time taken, for a number of previous designs, realized by that designer or group of designers. For the new design, the numbers of the elements to be present is determined and this data inserted into the formula with the respective designer's designers' multipliers and an estimate of time obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventor: Stuart Muckley
  • Patent number: 6549119
    Abstract: An identification system, e.g. for tagging goods in a retail store, has at least one interrogator and a number of transponders for attaching to goods. Each transponder responds to an interrogation signal from the interrogator by returning a response signal containing information stored in the transponder. The transponder can be switched, by means of a mode switching signal from the interrogator, into a reduced power mode in which the power level of the response signal is reduced from its normal level. The reduced power mode may for example be selected when the goods have been paid for, to ensure that the transponder does not trigger an anti-theft gate, which can detect only the normal power level. The transponder can, however, still be read by an interrogator capable of detecting the reduced power level, e.g. at a customer services desk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventor: Edwin Turner
  • Patent number: 6532532
    Abstract: A computer system in which blocks of source code instructions are translated into blocks of target code instructions and executed. During execution, the system builds up dynamic behavior information about frequency of execution of, and relationships between, the blocks. On the basis of this information, a block coalition mechanism selects blocks, and combines them to form an optimized superblock of target code instructions that is functionally equivalent to the combination of the selected blocks. In this way, the system can start with relatively small, naively translated blocks, and build up larger, more optimized blocks, on the basis of the dynamic behavior of the code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventors: John Richard Eaton, Kevin Hughes
  • Patent number: 6519768
    Abstract: A method of translating source code instructions into target code instructions is described. Prior to translate time, an existing interpreter is analyzed to identify sequences that implement individual source order code instructions. Sub-sequences within each template that implement predetermined sub-functions are identified and eliminated. The sequences are compiled and stored as templates. For each instruction in an input block of source code instructions, the appropriate template for that source code instruction is selected and appended to an output block of target code instructions. The source code block is then analyzed to determine the net effect of the non-implemented sub-functions, and code is planted in the output block to achieve this net effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventors: Kevin Hughes, John Richard Eaton
  • Patent number: 6470451
    Abstract: Subscribers are given access to a series of events by a smart card acting as an electronic ticket, which operates automatic turnstile. A subscriber can cancel the card in respect of a particular event by telephoning a cancellation office and verbally communicating the identifying number of the subscriber's card. This number is entered into a stop list for the event. The stop list automatically controls the automatic turnstile to prevent access to the event by use of any card on the stop list for this event. Each subscriber has a hand-held reader device, for displaying a sequence number and authentication code from the card. At the cancellation office, the card is authenticated by generating a check code from the sequence number and comparing it with the authentication code communicated by the subscriber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventor: Luke Anthony Weinstein
  • Patent number: 6466930
    Abstract: A data processing method evaluates expressions, including temporally-scoped operands, to produce temporally-scoped results. Each of the temporally-scoped operands and results includes a sequence of one or more value instances, each value instance including a data item, a start time, and an end time, the start time and end time defining a time span in which the data item is valid. An expression involving a binary operator is evaluated by scanning each of the operands of the binary operator and generating a value instance in the result, in respect of each time span in which each operand has a constant value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventor: Paul Anton Richardson Gardner
  • Patent number: 6460144
    Abstract: A multi-node computer system is described which includes a number of active nodes and a standby node. Each node hosts a server installation. Each server has a system disk, and a recovery disk, which holds a synchronised recovery copy of data held on the system disk. In the event of failure of a node, a recovery process is run to reconfigure the system, by connecting the recovery disk corresponding to the failed computer to the system disk of the standby computer, and copying the contents of this recovery disk to the system disk. This causes the server in the failed node to migrate to the standby node, which thus becomes an active node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventors: Derek William Ashcroft, Geoffrey Robert Atkinson, Philip McKirgan, Stephen Paul Tickhill
  • Patent number: 6438696
    Abstract: An electronic point-of-sale (PoS) system comprises a network with a number of PoS terminals and a PoS server computer attached to it. The PoS terminals and the PoS server interact over the network to perform conventional PoS transactions. Additionally, each of the PoS terminals monitors its own operation for predetermined security-related events (such as refunds or voids). Upon detection of such an event, the PoS terminal sends an alert message and data over the network to a control computer (which may be the PoS server computer, or may be a separate computer). The control computer responds to the alert message by activating a video camera and recorder to record a view of the PoS terminal, along with the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventors: Uri Baran, Edwin Turner
  • Patent number: 6411999
    Abstract: A computer system for supporting a website, comprises a navigation object table defining a number of navigation objects, representing a tree-like navigational structure, and an object handler which uses the table dynamically to construct menus allowing a user to navigate through the navigational structure. Whenever the object handler is called, it is passed a tag identifying an object. It then searches the navigation object table to find objects whose parent object in the tree structure is the object identified by this tag, using these objects to construct the menu. The navigation objects include menu objects specifying subsidiary menus in the tree structure, and selection of one of the menu objects causes a recursive call to the object handler, passing it the tag of the menu object. The system also includes an access control table indicating which users may access which navigation objects, and the object handler uses this access control table to tailor the menus for particular users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventor: Simon Paul Tinkler
  • Patent number: 6404862
    Abstract: An authentication device consists of a hand-held unit having a receptacle for a smart card and an audio interface for communication with a telephone line. A challenge-and-response authentication procedure is performed between the smart card and a remote service. The device is dedicated solely to said authentication procedure and has no display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventor: Nicholas Peter Holt
  • Patent number: 6385616
    Abstract: In a time-versioned storage mechanism, data is stored as a plurality of records, each including at least one attribute, a time span indicating the time span for which the attribute is valid, an insertion time indicating when the record was created, and a type field. The type field indicates whether the record is a concrete record, a delta record that possibly modifies the attribute value of a previous concrete or delta record, or an archive record replacing one or more records that have been archived. The data is accessed to find an attribute value from the point of view of a specified viewpoint time, by retrieving only records with insertion times not later than said viewpoint time, and constructing an attribute value from the retrieved records. The data is updated only by adding concrete records or delta records, without modifying attribute values in the concrete records or delta records.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventor: Paul Anton Richardson Gardner
  • Patent number: 6377942
    Abstract: A data processing system has a searching mechanism for finding occurrences of a plurality of key strings within a target string. The searching mechanism forms a hash value from each of the key strings, and adds each key string to a collection of key strings having the same hash value. It then selects a plurality of symbol positions in the target string, and forms a hash value at each selected symbol position in the target string. This hash value is used to select one of the collections of key strings. Each key string in the selected collection of key strings is then compared with the target string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventors: Stewart Robert Hinsley, Léon Richard Le Lohé
  • Patent number: 6374233
    Abstract: A method for evaluating an expression comprises issuing parallel requests to acquire a plurality of operands. If, upon receipt of a first subset of the operands, it is determined that a second subset of the operands is no longer required in respect of a particular time span, the request for the second subset cancelled for that particular time span. If one operand contains an error indication for a particular time span, the method continues with the request for the other operand for that particular time span, and returns an “error” for that particular time span only if the request for the other operand is not cancelled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventor: Paul Anton Richardson Gardner
  • Patent number: 6360324
    Abstract: A secure database system comprises a server having a database including at least one personal information table and at least one further table containing information relating to the persons whose details are stored in the personal information table. The keys of the tables in the database are unrelated, so that it is impossible to determine solely from information in the server which record in the further table corresponds to which record in the personal information table. Thus, even if a hacker obtains access to the database, the hacker will not be able to relate information in the different tables. Each legitimate client uses an encryption process to convert a personal identifier value, which identifies the record relating to a particular person in the personal information table, into a pseudo-identifier value, which identifies a record relating to the same person in the further table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventor: Gilles Willem Van Blarkom
  • Patent number: 6272528
    Abstract: A computer system is provided for delivery of financial services, such as banking, general insurance, life assurance, pensions and investments, loans and mortgages, and financial planning and advisory services. The system comprises a number of user computers connected to a plurality of server computers by way of a network, such as the Internet. The system creates at least one mobile agent which obtains details of a user's requirements, obtains financial information from the server computers on behalf of the user in the light of the user's requirements, and then transports itself to the user's computer to deliver the financial information to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventors: Terence David Cullen, James Patrick Neill
  • Patent number: 6199065
    Abstract: Information stored at a site remote from a user (1) is accessible by the user via a communications network (4), such as the Internet or an Intranet. In order to provide a degree of fault tolerance, the site is constituted by a number of similar sub-sites (5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a; 5b, 6b, 7b, 8b, 9b etc), which each have the same network address as far as the user is concerned. A user, who requests the supply of particular information as part of a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), is initially connected to one sub-site having a respective server (8a; 8b; 8c) and a login procedure executed by a daemon process (7a; 7b: 7c). In the event of certain faults in the one sub-site the user is connected to a second sub-site without any requirement to repeat the login procedure, as a result of all sub-sites being provided with all user login details, which are stored by session daemons 9a, 9b, 9c, and the original request is complied with at the second sub-site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventor: Simon Charles Kenyon
  • Patent number: 6173308
    Abstract: A distributed data processing system has a deadlock detection mechanism for detecting a potential deadlock involving a cyclic chain of dependencies between transactions. The system also has a deadlock doublechecking mechanism for confirming that all the dependencies in the potential deadlock chain are co-existent. If deadlock is confirmed, action is taken to break the deadlock. The deadlock doublechecking mechanism operates by marking the dependencies in the cyclic chain with a unique existence number, and subsequently checking that the existence number of each dependency in the cyclic chain is unchanged. Marking the dependencies may be performed by propagating a probe message, containing a unique probe existence number, and associating this probe existence number with each dependency visited by said marker probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventors: Albert Stephen Hilditch, Steve Robert Pettifer, Colin Michael Thomson, Nasser Siddiqi
  • Patent number: 6170003
    Abstract: A multi-nodal data processing system in which each node has a local memory for storing message send vectors, one for each other node in the system. When a node has a message to send, it places the message in the message send vector corresponding to the destination node of that message. When a node is ready to receive messages, it reads messages from the message send vectors corresponding to this node in the other nodes. Each message send vector has a head pointer and a tail pointer for defining the head and tail of a queue of messages. Each tail pointer is held locally, in the same node as the message send vector to which it relates, while the head pointer is held in the destination node of that message send vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventors: Jack Benkual, Ian Gregory Colloff, Allen Harold Brumm
  • Patent number: 6161081
    Abstract: A simulation model for a digital system comprises a number of functional units, interconnected by a number of interface units for transmitting messages between the functional units. Each interface unit includes a mechanism for automatically composing and decomposing messages into higher and lower levels of design. The interface thus provides a general mechanism which allows units at any level to communicate with units at any other level, for mixed-level modelling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: International Computers Limited
    Inventors: Muhammed Mutaher Kamal Hashmi, Nigel Rowland Crocker, Alistair Crone Bruce