Patents Assigned to Microsystems, Inc.
  • Applying term consistency to an equality constrained interval global optimization problem
    Patent number: 7099851
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that solves a global optimization problem specified by a function ƒ and a set of equality constraints q1(x)=0 (i=1, . . . , r), wherein ƒ is a scalar function of a vector x=(x1, x2, x3, . . . xn). During operation, the system receives a representation of the function ƒ and the set of equality constraints and stores the representation in a memory within a computer system. Next, the system and performs an interval global optimization process to compute guaranteed bounds on a globally minimum value of the function ƒ(x) subject to the set of equality constraints. Performing this interval global optimization process involves, applying term consistency to the set of equality constraints over a subbox X, and excluding portions of the subbox X that violate the set of equality constraints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: G. William Walster, Eldon R. Hansen
  • HTTP transaction monitor with sequence replay capacity
    Patent number: 7099939
    Abstract: A method for monitoring data flow in a web application hosted on a server includes obtaining a list of HTTP requests processed on the server while interacting with the web application, selecting a number of HTTP requests from the list, and sending a request to the server to re-process the selected number of HTTP requests in a predetermined sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems Inc.
    Inventors: Ana H. von Klopp, George C. Finklang
  • Method and apparatus for testing embedded examples in GUI documentation
    Patent number: 7100150
    Abstract: A method of testing an embedded example in a graphical user interface documentation includes creating an extractable embedded example by tagging the embedded example, extracting the extractable embedded example from the graphical user interface documentation to generate an extracted example, selecting a tagged entity from the extracted example, interpreting the tagged entity to generate an interpreted tagged entity, creating a test suite using the interpreted tagged entity, selecting a graphical tool against which to execute the test suite, executing the test suite against the graphical tool to generate an output response, and verifying the output response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: George Allyn Polk
  • Preemptive round robin arbiter
    Patent number: 7099972
    Abstract: A resource allocation arbitration system. The system includes a plurality of storage devices, a plurality of indicators, and a plurality of mask bits. Each storage device stores requests for resources. Each indicator enables indication of a condition in which the request stored in each storage device is almost empty. Furthermore, the mask bits enable preemption of one request by another request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Fu-Kuang Frank Chao
  • System and method for distributed real-time search
    Patent number: 7099871
    Abstract: A system and method for providing a distributed search mechanism in a network. Network nodes operating as consumer or requesting nodes generate the search requests. Nodes operating as hubs are configured to route the search requests in the network. Individual nodes operating as provider nodes receive the search request and in response may generate results according to their own procedures and return them. Communication between nodes in the network may use a common query protocol. Hub nodes may resolve the search requests to a subset of the provider nodes in the network, for example by matching search requests with registration information from nodes. Provider nodes results may be may customize at various stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Yaroslav Faybishenko, Gene H. Kan, Thomas J. Camarda, David M. Doolin, Steve Waterhouse, Douglass R. Cutting
  • Method and mechanism for generating a live snapshot in a computing system
    Patent number: 7100006
    Abstract: A method and mechanism for generating a snapshot in a computing system. On initiating a snapshot of a first storage, the content of a portion of the first storage that includes at least one block is copying to snapshot storage and a copied indication for each copied block is recording in a copy map. Responsive to any write request to a block for which no copied indication has been recorded in the copy map, the content of the block is copied to the snapshot storage, prior to writing to that block. The content of other blocks for which no copied indication has been recorded in the copy map is successively copied to the snapshot storage. A copied indication for each copied block is recorded in the copy map. The successive copying can be performed as a background task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Durrant, Stephen R Hanson
  • Method and apparatus for using pattern-recognition to trigger software rejuvenation
    Patent number: 7100079
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates using a multi-variate pattern-recognition technique to trigger software rejuvenation for a computer system. The system operates by periodically measuring values of a target set of performance parameters associated with the computer system while the computer system is operating. The system then predicts values for the target set of performance parameters based upon previously determined correlations between performance parameters in the target set of performance parameters. If the predicted values deviate beyond a predetermined threshold from the measured values, thereby indicating that software aging is likely to have occurred, the system schedules a software rejuvenation operation for the computer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenny C. Gross, Kishor S. Trivedi
  • Partitioned shifter for single instruction stream multiple data stream (SIMD) operations
    Patent number: 7099910
    Abstract: A method of enabling a single instruction stream multiple data stream operation and a double precision floating point operation within a single floating point execution unit which includes providing a floating point unit with a two way aligner and a two way normalizer, selectively aligning a value based upon whether a single instruction stream multiple data stream operation is to be performed or a double precision operation is to be performed, and selectively normalizing a value based upon whether a single instruction stream multiple data stream operation is to be performed or a double precision operation is to be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Brooks, Christopher H. Olson, Paul J. Jagodik
  • Method and apparatus for resource access synchronization
    Patent number: 7100161
    Abstract: A resource access control mechanism for a multi-threaded computing environment associates a sequence of one or more mutexes with a resource. When a requesting thread attempts to access the resource, a mutex is locked and allocated to the requesting thread, and if a previous mutex in the sequence is present, an attempt to lock the previous mutex is made. If the previous mutex is already locked, the requesting thread is suspended until the previous mutex is unlocked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Jean-Francois Latour
  • Check creation and maintenance for product knowledge management
    Patent number: 7100082
    Abstract: A system for creating and editing checks for a knowledge automation engine to use in detecting product issues on products. A knowledge automation engine may evaluate a check against a fact to detect a product issue on a product and provide a user of the product remediation information. A check may contain a product issue description, a rule to evaluate against a fact in order to detect the product issue, and remediation information to help a user address the product issue if the product issue is detected on the product. Product issues may include product installation validation and known product bugs. Facts used by the knowledge automation engine may include product configuration facts. Checks may be created and edited using a standard interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mike E. Little, Rex G. Martin, Matthew J. Helgren, Paris E. Bingham, Jr., Alan J. Treece
  • Method and system for buffering a data packet for transmission to a network
    Patent number: 7099345
    Abstract: Memory requests and responses thereto include a tag that has a shift value indicating the misalignment between the first byte of required packet data and the first byte of a line of data in memory. A packet buffer controller receiving data with an associated tag uses the shift value to shift the received line of data accordingly. The first line of data for the packet data payload is shifted accordingly and written into the packet buffer. Subsequent lines of data require masking the previous line of data except for the last N bytes where N equals the shift value. The shifted line of data is written over the previous line so that the lower order bytes of the shifted received line of data are written. Then the shifted line of data is written into the next line of the packet buffer. The packet buffer may be divided into sections containing alternating lines of data to increase storage speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert A. Dickson, Farroukh Touserkani, Thomas P. Webber, Hugh Kurth
  • Configuring computer systems
    Patent number: 7100041
    Abstract: A computer system 10 with one or more processors 12 can be configured to operate in any one of a number of thermal environments. A setting system 14 sets operating parameters of the computer system such as processor operating voltage and frequency. A selecting system 16 selects values of operating parameters for use in setting by responding to an input of configuring data 20 to select a set of parameter values from a parameter value storage memory 18. The configuring data 20 may be input by the insertion of a smart card 58. Such configuring is useful in adapting computer systems during manufacture for compliance with desired specifications without hardware modification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul J. Garnett
  • Method and system for handling interrupts and other communications in the presence of multiple processing sets
    Patent number: 7099984
    Abstract: A computing system comprises two or more processing sets, for example for fault tolerant operation. The multiple processing sets have a connection to at least one device, typically many devices. The ownership of each device is allocated to one of the two or more processing sets. When an interrupt is generated within a device, this is transmitted from the device to the processing set to which ownership of the device has been allocated, but not to the remaining processing sets. In addition, a command for a device may be generated by a processing set. However, receipt of this command by the device is disabled if the processing set that generated the command has not been allocated ownership of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Watkins, Paul J. Garnett, Stephen Rowlinson
  • Checks for product knowledge management
    Patent number: 7100083
    Abstract: A check for a knowledge automation engine to use in detecting product issues on products. A knowledge automation engine may evaluate a check against a fact to detect a product issue on a product and provide a user of the product remediation information. A check may contain a product issue description, a rule to evaluate against a fact in order to detect the product issue, and remediation information to help a user address the product issue if the product issue is detected on the product. Product issues may include product installation validation and known product bugs. Facts used by the knowledge automation engine may include product configuration facts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mike E. Little, Rex G. Martin, Matthew J. Helgren, Paris E. Bingham, Jr., Alan J. Treece
  • Method and apparatus for providing computer-based help
    Patent number: 7100115
    Abstract: A method of managing context-sensitive help data for a computer system includes displaying a plurality of program components to a user for interaction, and retrieving from a first memory area having a first access time first help data corresponding to a first of the components, where the first component is not interacted with by the user. Then store the first help data in a second memory area having a second access time less than the first access time. Subsequent to storing the first help data, determine whether the user has interacted with the first component, and responsive to the determination, retrieve the first help data from the second memory area and display the first help data to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert A. Yennaco
  • System and method for comparing hashed XML files
    Patent number: 7096421
    Abstract: A system and method of comparing a first XML document and a second XML document includes hashing the first and the second XML documents. The first hashed XML document is compared to the second hashed XML document and a difference report is output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edmund G. Lou
  • Calculation of layered routes in a distributed manner
    Patent number: 7096251
    Abstract: A distributed system and method generate “layered routes” that reflect a layered representation of a network, which representation provides deadlock-free routes. The layered representation consists of an ordered set of layers, where each layer is a deadlock-free sub-topology of the network. In determining routes, the links used in each route are constrained to be taken from layers of non-decreasing order as the route extends from source to destination. A device that determines a better or equal cost path to a destination node with respect to its current path to that node sends a route information message to its neighbor devices. The receiver of a route information message may then accept the message and begin using the new path described by the message, or reject the message without using the new path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Dah Ming Chiu, Miriam C. Kadansky, Radia J. Perlman, Murat Yuksel
  • Dynamic feedback for determining collection-set size
    Patent number: 7096238
    Abstract: A garbage collector collects a generation of a dynamically allocated heap in a computer's memory incrementally. A collection set within the generation is associated with each collection increment. The collector reclaims for reuse the memory space occupied by any collection-set object not reachable by a reference chain that extends from outside the collection set. The collector monitors the total amount of allocation that occurs within the generation between collection increments, and it bases the collection-set size on those allocation amounts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Alexander T. Garthwaite
  • Initialization of Java classes in Java virtual machine environments
    Patent number: 7096467
    Abstract: Techniques for initialization of Java classes are disclosed. As such, the techniques can be implemented in a Java virtual machine to initialize Java classes represented in Java class files. A Java class loader suitable for loading class files into the Java virtual machine is disclosed. As will be appreciated, the Java class loader facilitates loading and execution of the Java initialization methods that need to be executed in order to initialize Java classes. Moreover, the Java class loader operates to remove the Java initialization methods after they have been executed and no longer serve a useful purpose. This means that the virtual machine can utilize its memory space more efficiently. As a result, the performance of virtual machines, especially those operating with limited resources is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: David Wallman, Stepan Sokolov
  • Mobile multimedia Java framework application program interface
    Patent number: 7096474
    Abstract: A mobile multimedia framework API is provided that is capable of operation in mobile hardware devices. The mobile multimedia framework API includes a playback interface, controls, an event listener, an error list, exceptions, events, control types, and protocol handlers. Advantageously, a memory size of the mobile multimedia framework API is less than 100 kilobytes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Ivan Wong, Michael Bundschuh, Shuangying Huang, Babu Srinivasan, Amith Yamasani
  • Method and apparatus for determining resonant frequency of a turbine blade made of a meterial not responsive to a magnetic field
    Patent number: 4924706
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for resonant frequency testing of free standing turbine blades made of a material, such as titanium, that is not responsive to a magnetic field is disclosed. A lightweight shim 12 made of a magnetically responsive material such as steel, weighing on the order of 0.5 grams, is attached to the convex side of the blade 10. The shim 12 is excited by an oscillating magnetic field and moves the blade 10 accordingly. The maximum amplitude of blade 10 movement is recorded and used to determine the resonant frequency as the excitation frequency of the magnetic field is swept through a frequency window range. The low weight of the shim 12 does not materially change the resonant frequencies of the blade 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1990
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventor: Donald W. Moore