Patents Assigned to The International Business Machines Corporation
  • Patent number: 8635303
    Abstract: A proximity threshold of an avatar is defined with respect to proximity to an artifact located within a virtual universe domain. Activity by the avatar within the virtual universe domain is tracked, with activity data generated from the tracking. The activity data is analyzed to determine proximity of the avatar to the artifact within the proximity threshold, and a report is generated from the analyzing, the report noting a determined proximity of the avatar to the artifact within the proximity threshold. In one aspect, the report is provided to a supervisory entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kulvir S. Bhogal, Rick A. Hamilton, II, Clifford A. Pickover, James W. Seaman
  • Patent number: 8635094
    Abstract: A method for role-based personalization of a collaborative space can include generating a collaborative space utilizing role information for an interacting user that has been defined by an underlying business process model in a workflow. For example, the step of generating a collaborative space can include parsing the workflow to extract a role model, generating a collaborative space domain model from the role model, selecting a plurality of user interface components based upon the role model, organizing the selected user interface components in the collaborative space, and rendering the collaborative space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark William Hubbard, Ross McKegney, Tack Tong, Qi Zhang, Ying Zou
  • Patent number: 8635118
    Abstract: The customer agent 9 transmits a search request 15a to a manager 4, which in turn transmits a search request 15b to a shop agent 5. The shop agent 5 transmits a product information service message 16a to the manager 4. The manager 4 transmits a product information service message 16b to the customer agent 9 and a product information service message 16c to a shop agent 17. Based on the thus monitored product information service message 16c, the shop agent 17 generates an associated information service message 18a and transmits it to the manager 4. The manager 4 then transmits an associated information service message 18b to the customer agent 9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yuichi Nakamura, Gaku Yamamoto, Yoshiaki Mima
  • Patent number: 8633082
    Abstract: A method of fabrication of an analog, asymmetric Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor-Field-Effect-Transistor (MOSFET) is provided. The method may comprise forming a first gate oriented in a first direction over an active region of a semiconductor substrate, forming a second gate extending perpendicular to the first gate over a second active region, using a dual-directional implant process to form a reduced-HALO doped area on a drain side of the first gate and also for a HALO doped area for the second gate, while the source side of the first gate is covered by a resist. Additionally, the method may comprise forming a HALO doped area on the source side of the first gate using a quad-directional implant process using the mask also used for HALO implants of other digital-logic devices on the substrate, while the drain side of the gate is blocked by a resist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sebastien Lasserre, John J. Pekarik
  • Patent number: 8635224
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include methods for identifying one or more clusters in a streaming graph, the method includes receiving a stream of edges and sampling the stream of edges to create a structural reservoir and support reservoir. The method also includes creating a sampled graph from the structural reservoir and identifying the one or more clusters in the sampled graph by grouping one or more connected vertices in the sampled graph.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ahmed S. Eldawy, Rohit M. Khandekar, Kun-Lung Wu
  • Patent number: 8633464
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a phase change memory device including a plurality of in via phase change memory cells includes forming pillar heaters formed of a conductive material along a contact surface of a substrate corresponding to each of an array of conductive contacts to be connected to access circuitry, forming a dielectric layer along exposed areas of the substrate surrounding the pillar heaters, forming an interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer above the dielectric layer, etching a via to the dielectric layer, each via corresponding to each of pillar heater such that an upper surface of each pillar heater is exposed within each via, recessing each pillar heater, depositing phase change material in each via on each recessed pillar heater, recessing the phase change material within each via, and forming a top electrode within the via on the phase change material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew J. Breitwisch, Roger W. Cheek, Eric A. Joseph, Chung H. Lam, Alejandro G. Schrott
  • Patent number: 8635328
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining time-varying thresholds for measured metrics are provided. With the method and apparatus, values of a given metric are captured over time. The behavior of the metric is analyzed to determine its seasonality. Correlated historical values of the metric and additional related metrics (cross-correlation) are used as inputs to a feed-forward back propagation neural network, in order to train the network to generalize the behavior of the metric. From this generalized behavior, point-by-point threshold values are calculated. The metric is monitored and the monitored values are compared with the threshold values to determine if the metric has violated its normal time-varying behavior. If so, an event is generated to notify an administrator of the error condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Carole Rhoads Corley, Mark Wallace Johnson
  • Patent number: 8634294
    Abstract: In various embodiments a traffic class manager is a resource within a virtualized computer systems trusted entity (e.g. a hypervisor, trusted partition, etc.) that maps requirements from a platform management and associated network capabilities onto an adapter (e.g. SR-IOV adapter, etc.) in order to appropriately allocate adapter and network resources to virtualized computer partitions. In various embodiments the traffic class manager defines network traffic classes that meet the objectives of a platform administrator based on the capabilities of the adapter and the network attached to the adapter ports. Once the traffic classes are defined, in various embodiments, the traffic class manager enforces the assignment of a traffic class to a virtual interface queue pair within a partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel G. Eisenhauer, Charles S. Graham, Carol T. Machuca, Jeffrey W. Palm, Renato J. Recio
  • Patent number: 8635603
    Abstract: A debugger debugs processes that execute shared instructions so a breakpoint set for one process will not cause a breakpoint to occur in the other processes. A breakpoint is set by recording the original instruction at the desired location and writing a trap instruction to the shared instructions at that location. When a process encounters the breakpoint, the process passes control to the debugger for breakpoint processing if the breakpoint was set at that location for that process. If the trap was not set at that location for that process, the cacheline containing the trap is copied to a small scratchpad memory, and the virtual memory mappings are changed to translate the virtual address of the cacheline to the scratchpad. The original instruction is then written to replace the trap instruction in the scratchpad, so the process can execute the instructions in the scratchpad thereby avoiding the trap instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Michael Gooding, Richard Michael Shok
  • Patent number: 8631570
    Abstract: Methods of forming through wafer vias (TWVs) and standard contacts in two separate processes to prevent copper first metal layer puddling and shorts are presented. In one embodiment, a method may include forming a TWV into a substrate and a first dielectric layer over the substrate; forming a second dielectric layer over the substrate and the TWV; forming, through the second dielectric layer, at least one contact to the TWV and at least one contact to other structures over the substrate; and forming a first metal wiring layer over the second dielectric layer, the first metal wiring layer contacting at least one of the contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Peter J. Lindgren, Edmund J. Sprogis, Anthony K. Stamper
  • Patent number: 8635179
    Abstract: Irregular food manufacturing detection by using conversion pattern in one aspect generates one or more rules associated with amount of resources used to manufacture a food product, collects data associated with a selected manufacturing process of the food product at a selected manufacturer and determines whether the collected data complies with the generated one or more rules. Irregularity may be identified if the collected data does not comply with the generated one or more rules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rong Zeng Cao, Wei Ding, Xiang Yang He, Shun Jiang, Juhnyoung Lee, Feng Li, Tie Liu, Chun Hua Tian, Feng Chun Wang, Hao Zhang
  • Patent number: 8635488
    Abstract: A method and circuit for implementing an enhanced availability personality card for a chassis computer system, and a design structure on which the subject circuit resides are provided. The personality card includes a first erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) and a second EPROM, each EPROM storing Vital Product Data (VPD) and a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor sensing temperature. A primary bidirectional bus and a redundant bidirectional bus are respectively connected between the first EPROM and the first temperature sensor and the second EPROM and the second temperature sensor, and a pair of chassis management modules. Each chassis management module includes a switch connected to both the primary bidirectional bus and the redundant bidirectional bus providing redundant paths, enabling continued function with failure of any critical personality card component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jerry D. Ackaret, Justin P. Bandholz, Brian E. Bigelow, Joseph E. Bolan, Kevin M. Cash, David L. Cowell, Martin J. Crippen, Christopher L. Durham, Jeffery M. Franke, James E. Hughes, David J. Jensen, John K. Langgood, Bay Van Nguyen, James A. O'Connor, Derek Robertson, John M. Sheplock, Wilson E. Smith
  • Patent number: 8635673
    Abstract: Dynamic application adaptation in software-as-a-service platform, in one aspect, may receive an access permission associated with a published shared data management data object in the software-as-a-service platform having shared data management and a plurality of applications deployed, look up one or more rules associated with one or more features of an application deployed on the software-as-a-service platform, based on the received access permission, and activate or deactivate said one or more features associated with said plurality of applications based on said one or more rules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rangachari Anand, Stacy F. Hobson, Juhnyoung Lee, Jeaha Yang
  • Patent number: 8635620
    Abstract: A hardware device for concurrently processing a fixed set of predetermined tasks associated with an algorithm which includes a number of processes, some of the processes being dependent on binary decisions, includes a plurality of task units for processing data, making decisions and/or processing data and making decisions, including source task units and destination task units. A task interconnection logic means interconnect the task units for communicating actions from a source task unit to a destination task unit. Each of the task units includes a processor for executing only a particular single task of the fixed set of predetermined tasks associated with the algorithm in response to a received request action, and a status manager for handling the actions from the source task units and building the actions to be sent to the destination task units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Alain Benayoun, Jean-Francois Le Pennec, Patrick Michel, Claude Pin
  • Patent number: 8635602
    Abstract: A method includes determining grammar for output of an information-flow downgrader in a software program. The software program directs the output of the information-flow downgrader to a sink. The method includes determining whether the grammar of the output conforms to one or more predetermined specifications of the sink. The method includes, in response to a determination the grammar of the output conforms to the one or more predetermined specifications of the sink, determining the information-flow downgrader is verified for the sink, wherein determining grammar, determining whether the grammar, and determining the information-flow downgrader are performed via static analysis of the software program. Apparatus and computer program products are also disclosed. An apparatus includes a user interface providing a result of whether or not output of an information-flow downgrader in the software program conforms to one or more predetermined specifications of a sink in the software program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yinnon Avraham Haviv, Roee Hay, Marco Pistoia, Adi Sharabani, Takaaki Tateishi, Omer Tripp, Omri Weisman
  • Patent number: 8633077
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a transistor with uniaxial stress channels includes depositing an insulating layer onto a substrate, defining bars within the insulating layer, recessing a channel into the substrate, growing a first semiconducting material in the channel, defining a gate stack over the bars and semiconducting material, defining source and drain recesses and embedding a second semiconducting material into the source and drain recesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ming Cai, Dechao Guo, Liyang Song, Chun-Chen Yeh
  • Patent number: 8635294
    Abstract: An emergency response system, method of responding to emergencies and a computer program product therefor. Networked provider computers are distributed over a geographical area that includes multiple regions with at least one providing computing capability to each region and each region receiving emergency response resources during emergencies from an emergency response computer. During any local emergency the area emergency response computer provides a local response and notifies other emergency response computers for other regions that are potentially affected by the emergency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Victor Fernandes Cavalcante, Ricardo Guimaraes Herrmann, Kiran Mantripragada, Marco Aurelio Stelmar Netto, Lucas Correia Villa Real, Cleidson Ronald Botelho De Souza
  • Patent number: 8634787
    Abstract: Provision of gigabit-rate data transmission over wireless radio links, using carrier frequencies in the millimeter-wave range (>30 GHz). More specifically, a circuit for detection of amplitude-shift keyed (ASK) or other amplitude modulations (AM) which can be easily incorporated into an integrated circuit receiver system is described, making the receiver capable of supporting both complex IQ modulation schemes and simpler, non-coherent on-off or multiple-level keying signals. Several novel radio architectures are also described which, with the addition of a frequency discriminator network, have the capability of handling frequency shift keyed (FSK) or other frequency modulations (FM), as well as AM and complex IQ modulation schemes. These radio architectures support this wide variety of modulations by efficiently sharing detector hardware components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Troy J. Beukema, Scott K. Reynolds
  • Patent number: 8633071
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure and method of manufacturing is provided. The method of manufacturing includes forming shallow trench isolation (STI) in a substrate and providing a first material and a second material on the substrate. The first material and the second material are mixed into the substrate by a thermal anneal process to form a first island and second island at an nFET region and a pFET region, respectively. A layer of different material is formed on the first island and the second island. The STI relaxes and facilitates the relaxation of the first island and the second island. The first material may be deposited or grown Ge material and the second material may deposited or grown Si:C or C. A strained Si layer is formed on at least one of the first island and the second island.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Duresti Chidambarrao, Omer H. Dokumaci, Oleg G. Gluschenkov
  • Patent number: 8632002
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a means for verifying that a person using a bank card at a point-of-sale merchant location is in fact a person authorized to use the bank card. In one embodiment of the invention, verification may involve communicating with the mobile device 103 associated with the person authorized to use the bank card. The person authorized to use the bank card may be required to send verification data to the bank card verification system via the mobile device to confirm a purchase. The bank card verification system may not authorize the purchase if the proper verification data is not received from the mobile device. In another embodiment, the bank card verification system may be configured to determine a proximity of the mobile device to the merchant point-of-sale location to verify the purchase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David C. Boutcher, Raymond K. Harney, Steven J. Munroe, Jeffrey J. Scheel