IBM Patent Applications

IBM patent applications that are pending before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20120254122
    Abstract: A method for providing rolling continuous data protection of source data is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes enabling a user to select source data and establish a first interval when point-in-time copies of the source data are generated. The method further enables the user to specify a first number of point-in-time copies to retain at the first interval. The method further enables the user to specify a second number of point-in-time copies to retain at a second interval, wherein the second interval is a (n?2) multiple of the first interval. The method further enables the user to specify a third number of point-in-time copies to retain at a third interval, wherein the third interval is a (n?2) multiple of the second interval. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Theresa M. Brown, Lokesh M. Gupta, Carol S. Mellgren, Gail A. Spear
  • Publication number: 20120254547
    Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for managing metadata for data in a copy relationship copied from a source storage to a target storage. Information is maintained on a copy relationship of source data in the source storage and target data in the target storage. The source data is copied from the source storage to the cache to copy to target data in the target storage indicated in the copy relationship. Target metadata is generated for the target data comprising the source data copied to the cache. An access request to requested target data comprising the target data in the cache is processed and access is provided to the requested target data in the cache. A determination is made as to whether the requested target data in the cache has been destaged to the target storage. The target metadata for the requested target data in the target storage is discarded in response to determining that the requested target data in the cache has not been destaged to the target storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Theresa M. Brown, Lokesh M. Gupta, Suguang Li, Mark L. Lipets, Carol S. Mellgren, Kenneth W. Todd
  • Publication number: 20120253139
    Abstract: Method, system, and computer program product for personalized medical content recommendation are provided. The method may include: having a patient medical profile; having a concept or relationship relating to the patient medical profile; obtaining medical content relevant to the concept or relationship; determining a score of the concept or relationship to the patient medical profile; enhancing the score with a context score based on the values of attributes of the concept or relationship in the patient medical profile; enhancing the score with an additional knowledge score based on knowledge of the concept or relationship additional to the medical content; recommending medical content with respect to a patient medical profile based on the enhanced scores.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2011
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yonatan Maman, Yossi Mesika, Haggai Roitman
  • Publication number: 20120248567
    Abstract: A structure. The structure includes: a substrate, a first electrode in the substrate, first dielectric layer above both the substrate and the first electrode, a second dielectric layer above the first dielectric layer, and a fuse element buried in the first dielectric layer. The first electrode includes a first electrically conductive material. A top surface of the first dielectric layer is further from a top surface of the first electrode than is any other surface of the first dielectric layer. The first dielectric layer includes a first dielectric material and a second dielectric material. A bottom surface of the second dielectric layer is in direct physical contact with the top surface of the first dielectric layer. The second dielectric layer includes the second dielectric material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Louis Lu-Chen Hsu, Jack Allan Mandelman, William Robert Tonti, Chih-Chao Yang
  • Publication number: 20120248508
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of forming a semiconductor structure. The method includes creating an opening inside a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer being formed on top of a substrate and the opening exposing a channel region of a transistor in the substrate; depositing a work-function layer lining the opening and covering the channel region; forming a gate conductor covering a first portion of the work-function layer, the first portion of the work-function layer being on top of the channel region; and removing a second portion of the work-function layer, the second portion of the work-function layer surrounding the first portion of the work-function layer, wherein the removal of the second portion of the work-function layer insulates the first portion of the work-function layer from rest of the work-function layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2011
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shom Ponoth, David V. Horak, Charles W. Koburger, III, Chih-Chao Yang
  • Publication number: 20120254871
    Abstract: A combinational computing apparatus and method. The combinational computing method includes the steps of: receiving a first setting relating to multiple groups of input data and a second setting relating to a combinatorial mode among multiple groups of input data, obtaining the data combination of the multiple groups of input data according to the first setting and the second setting, and performing a desired calculating operation on the data combination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yan Li, Haibo Lin, Liu Tao, Yudong Yang
  • Publication number: 20120246238
    Abstract: A method includes receiving a message from a user device, determining whether the message includes a tag, identifying at least one interaction the user device performed with an application responsive to determining that the message includes the tag, calculating a difference between a time the message was received and a time associated with the at least one identified interaction, determining whether the difference between the time the message was received and the time associated with the at least one identified interaction is within a threshold value, and associating the tag with the application associated with the at least one interaction responsive to determining that the difference between the time the message was received and the time associated with the at least one identified interaction is within the threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark Bailey, James E. Christensen, Jason B. Ellis, Robert G. Farrell
  • Publication number: 20120241878
    Abstract: A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) for a magnetic random access memory (MRAM) includes a magnetic free layer having a variable magnetization direction; an iron (Fe) dusting layer formed on the free layer; an insulating tunnel barrier formed on the dusting layer; and a magnetic fixed layer having an invariable magnetization direction, disposed adjacent the tunnel barrier such that the tunnel barrier is located between the free layer and the fixed layer; wherein the free layer and the fixed layer have perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and are magnetically coupled through the tunnel barrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Guohan Hu, Janusz J. Nowak, Philip L. Trouilloud, Daniel C. Worledge
  • Publication number: 20120243688
    Abstract: A computer system having at least first and second documents, a plurality of decryption keys, and a plurality of data segments stored therein is provided. Each of the plurality of data segments is decryptable by a selected one of the decryption keys. The decryption keys include a first set of decryption keys associated with the first document and not associated with the second document, a second set of decryption keys associated with the second document and not associated with the first document, and a third set of decryption keys associated with the first document and the second document. The first document is deleted, and in response, the first set of decryption keys is rendered unusable, and the second set of decryption keys and the third set of decryption keys are not rendered unusable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Michael HIRSCH
  • Publication number: 20120246219
    Abstract: In general, embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for caching potentially repetitive data in a publication-subscription (pub/sub) environment. Specifically, in a typical embodiment, when a message is received on a broker system from a publisher system, the broker system analyzes the message for potentially repetitive data. Such data can be determined from historical messages (e.g., determining that a certain set of data appeared in multiple messages and is thus flagged in a database or the like), a set of rules (e.g., if data set “Y” appears, flag it as potentially repetitive), etc. Regardless, once such a set of data has been identified, the set of data will be cached, and a unique identifier/tag corresponding thereto will be sent to the publisher system and to applicable subscribers. Thereafter, any subsequent message including the same data will contain the unique identifier in place of the cached data (i.e., an abbreviated message).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kulvir S. Bhogal, Martin J. Gale, Rick A. Hamilton, II, Andrew R. Jones, Brian M. O'Connell
  • Publication number: 20120246654
    Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for allocating threads for execution of a parallel region of code. A request for allocation of worker threads to execute the parallel region of code is received from a master thread. Cached thread allocation information identifying prior thread allocations that have been performed for the master thread are accessed. Worker threads are allocated to the master thread based on the cached thread allocation information. The parallel region of code is executed using the allocated worker threads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Alexandre E. Eichenberger, John K.P. O'Brien
  • Publication number: 20120245218
    Abstract: A composition comprises a surface modified nanoparticle comprising a core comprising a material selected from the group consisting of organic materials, organometallic materials, inorganic materials, metals, metal oxides, and combinations thereof; and a surface branch covalently linked to the core having the general formula (3):
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuki Fukushima, James L. Hedrick, Alshakim Nelson, Daniel P. Sanders
  • Publication number: 20120241944
    Abstract: A multi-chip electronic package and methods of manufacture are provided. The structure includes a lid encapsulating at least one chip mounted on a chip carrier; at least one seal shim fixed between the lid and the chip carrier, the at least one seal shim forming a gap between pistons of the lid and respective ones of the chips; and thermal interface material within the gap and contacting the pistons of the lid and respective ones of the chips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Martin M. BEAUMIER, Steven P. OSTRANDER, Kamal K. SIKKA, Hilton T. TOY, Jeffrey A. ZITZ
  • Publication number: 20120246234
    Abstract: Described is a method for administering an online conference. The method includes receiving an electronic communication from a conference participant. A group is determined to be associated with the conference participant. An action is performed on the conference participant based on the group association.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Louis Kaminsky, Malcolm William Kilmer, David M. Ogle
  • Publication number: 20120245967
    Abstract: An approach for preventing unauthorized card transactions is presented. An authorization record including an authorized geographic location and an authorized period of time is received from a travel reservation system (TRS) and stored to dynamically update a profile table that stores other authorization records. The authorization record identifies an itinerary specified by travel booking(s) purchased via the TRS using a debit or credit card. The itinerary specifies that the cardholder is scheduled to be in the authorized geographic location for the authorized period of time. In response to receiving a request for an authorization of a card transaction, a location and date associated with the card transaction are retrieved from the request. The card transaction is rejected based on a determination that the retrieved location is not within authorized geographic locations included in the stored authorization records that have authorized time periods that include the retrieved date.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jean-Claude Dispensa, Philippe Gregoire, Dominique Picard
  • Publication number: 20120245896
    Abstract: A method, system, and/or computer-readable medium analyzes problems in a software factory. Factory metrics that describe resources and operations within the software factory are collected and analyzed to detect problems that might have occurred during an execution of a work packet within the software factory. If the detected problems exceed one or more threshold criteria, then a detailed analysis of the detected problems is performed by matching each detected problem to one or more specific root causes through an analysis of the factory process building blocks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: FAUSTO BERNARDINI, JARIR K. CHAAR, YI-MIN CHEE, JOSEPH P. HUCHEL, THOMAS A. JOBSON, JR., DANIEL V. OPPENHEIM, KRISHNA C. RATAKONDA
  • Publication number: 20120246187
    Abstract: Managing a contact list in a collaboration system, by detecting if a contact has been offline for at least a predefined period of time and/or detecting if a target identifier is being entered into a contact list of a first user of a first collaboration system, where the contact is identified by a target identifier in a contact list of a first user of a first collaboration system, searching a collaboration system directory to find a replacement identifier associated with a second user of the first collaboration system, where the second user meets a predefined peer criterion with respect to the first user, and where the replacement identifier a) is different from a target identifier, and b) meets a predefined similarity criterion with respect to the target identifier, and replacing the target identifier with the replacement identifier in the contact list of the first user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: VLADIMIR GAMALEY, GILI NACHUM, GIL PERZY
  • Publication number: 20120246447
    Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an approach is provided in which a thread is selected from multiple active threads, along with a corresponding weighting value. Computational logic determines whether one of the multiple threads is dispatching an instruction and, if so, computes a dispatch weighting value using the selected weighting value and a dispatch factor that indicates a weighting adjustment of the selected weighting value. In turn, a resource utilization value of the selected thread is computed using the dispatch weighting value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James Wilson Bishop, Michael J. Genden, Steven Bradford Herndon, Philip Lee Vitale
  • Publication number: 20120240977
    Abstract: Systems of utilizing energetic radiation in an enclosed space is disclosed. For example, an embodiment of a system of utilizing energetic radiation in an enclosed space includes: one or more photovoltaic cells, positioned at one or more predetermined positions in the enclosed space, adapted to convert radiation in the enclosed space into electric power; and an electric circuit to utilize the electric power to perform a function associated with the enclosed space. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Mordechai Nisenson
  • Publication number: 20120243173
    Abstract: Individually cooling one or more computers in a rack of computers in a data center including an air intake chamber, the air intake chamber having a first opening at a bottom end for receiving air from beneath the data center through perforated tiles in the floor of the data center and a plurality of openings at a top end for providing air into a plurality of flexible air channels; and a plurality of flexible air channels, each air channel having a first end opening into the air intake chamber and having an opening at a second end and having a connector to connect the second end of the flexible air chamber to a particular position in the rack corresponding to the location of a particular computer in the rack.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Matthew R. ARCHIBALD, Jerrod K. BUTERBAUGH
  • Publication number: 20120246517
    Abstract: A first virtual I/O server (VIOS) provides a cluster aware (CA) operating system (OS) executing on a processor resource of the first VIOS to register the first VIOS within a VIOS cluster. The first VIOS comprises a first field/failure data capture (FFDC) module that executes within the first VIOS and performs the functions of: receiving from an event listener a signal indicating that an FFFDC event/condition has been detected by the first VIOS; and automatically transmitting FFDC data to the shared storage repository for storage of the FFDC data within the shared storage repository. The FFDC module further performs the functions of: transmitting to one or more second VIOSes within the VIOS cluster, one or more messages to inform the one or more second VIOSes of an occurrence of the FFDC event/condition that was detected by the first VIOS.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: IBM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Carl Duane Bender, Veena Ganti, Maria deLourdes Garza, Neal Richard Marion, James A. Pafumi, Jacob Jason Rosales, Morgan Jeffrey Rosas, Vasu Vallabhaneni
  • Publication number: 20120246256
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for administering an epoch initiated for remote memory access that include: initiating, by an origin application messaging module on an origin compute node, one or more data transfers to a target compute node for the epoch; initiating, by the origin application messaging module after initiating the data transfers, a closing stage for the epoch, including rejecting any new data transfers after initiating the closing stage for the epoch; determining, by the origin application messaging module, whether the data transfers have completed; and closing, by the origin application messaging module, the epoch if the data transfers have completed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael A. Blocksome, Douglas R. Miller
  • Publication number: 20120246558
    Abstract: A system for social bookmarking of a resource provided through a Web application that doesn't follow the representational state transfer architectural style (REST). When processing a request for a social bookmarking operation, the system searches for a URL and potentially other resource information within the document object model of a currently loaded Web page. If such resource information is found, it is used to process the requested social bookmarking operation. Otherwise, if such resource information is not found in the document object model, the system uses the URL stored in the location bar of the Web browser to process the requested social bookmarking operation. The system includes semantic information in the DOM of a Web page that is used to identify subsets of content within the Web page that can be socially bookmarked. The semantic information may be stored in what is generally referred to as “microformatting”.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: David A. Brooks, Alexander Kordun
  • Publication number: 20120246281
    Abstract: The present invention is a method, system, and computer program product enabling multiple versions/releases of a J2EE application to be served to clients from a single application server. One or more JNDI proxies are situated between each client and the application server. The JNDI proxies allow a same public “service name” to be utilized by different clients to access different programs/services on the application server. The JNDI proxies do this by translating the service name into a non-public “alias name” on behalf of the client. The alias name is a private name that the service provider who administers the application server understands and uses to locate the specific version of programs/services that the clients need.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Sook C. Chua
  • Publication number: 20120244842
    Abstract: A method for administering a communication session includes initiating a session between a server and a user device, the user device associated with a user phone number, associating the user phone number and a first session state phone number with a state of the session, and sending a first message associated with the state of the session from the server to the user device, the first message sent from the first session state phone number to the user phone number.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark Bailey, James E. Christensen, Jason B. Ellis, Robert G. Farrell
  • Publication number: 20120246570
    Abstract: A mobile device includes a processor that executes a portal application to implement a plurality of portlet modules; and a user interface that allows a user to establish a trigger for reducing power consumption in the mobile device. The processor is configured to pause operations in a number of the portlet modules in the portal application in response to the trigger occurring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Lisa Seacat DeLuca, Dana Lea Price
  • Publication number: 20120246204
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for reducing garbage collection pause time. According to example embodiments, a garbage collection cycle is initiated on a set of objects that have been dynamically allocated in a memory. An identification is made of new persistent objects and reachable non-persistent objects while ignoring old persistent objects that have been identified as persistent in previous garbage collection cycles. The new persistent objects are associated as members of a set of persistent objects that includes the old persistent objects. The persistence information for the set of persistent objects is preserved for use during subsequent garbage collection cycles. All reachable non-persistent objects and all persistent objects in the set of persistent objects are marked for memory reclamation phase processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Vinod Nalla, Harish K. Panda, Pranavaditya Kannojoo, Bipin N. Patil
  • Publication number: 20120246648
    Abstract: A method of managing a portal application includes, in a device comprising at least one processor that executes a portal application, establishing a trigger for preserving resources for the device; determining in the device that the trigger has occurred; and pausing operations of a portlet module within the portal application executed by the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Lisa Seacat DeLuca, Dana Lea Price
  • Publication number: 20120246649
    Abstract: Synchronizing access to resources in a hybrid computing environment that includes a host computer, a plurality of accelerators, the host computer and the accelerators adapted to one another for data communications by a system level message passing module, where synchronizing access to resources includes providing in a registry, to processes executing on the accelerators and the host computer, a key associated with a resource, the key having a value; attempting, by a process, to access the resource including determining whether a current value of the key represents an unlocked state for the resource; if the current value represents an unlocked state, attempting to lock access to the resource including setting the value to a unique identification of the process; determining whether the current value is the unique identification of the process; if the current value is the unique identification accessing the resource by the process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: James E. Carey, Jeffrey M. Ceason, Philip J. Sanders, Gordon G. Stewart
  • Publication number: 20120245897
    Abstract: Techniques for monitoring a set of one or more event counters of application execution are provided. The techniques include constructing a virtual performance monitoring counter (VPMC) layer as a unified abstraction of a physical performance monitoring counter (PMC) architecture, and incorporating one or more programming interfaces (PIs) in connection with the virtual performance monitoring counter, wherein the one or more programming interfaces facilitate simultaneous access and data monitoring across a set of one or more event counters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Pradip Bose, Alper Buyuktosunoglu, Canturk Isci, Jeff Kephart, Xiaoqiao Meng, Ruhi Sarikaya
  • Publication number: 20120246642
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product provides effective management and deployment of image files within a Virtual Input/Output (I/O) Server (VIOS) cluster. An Image Management (IM) utility utilizes a discovery process to establish connections with objects in order to manage these objects. Following discovery of an ICP client, the IM utility enables creation of a virtual server partition and initiates the importing of a captured image to a VIOS cluster Storage Pool (SP). The IM utility creates logical units (LUs) within the Image Management Fileset (IMF) for each file within the captured image. The IM utility maps the LUs to the VIOS Cluster SP using unique image file handles. The IM utility configures the new storage that comprises the created LUs. The IM utility copies image files to the appropriate storage device/LU. When import/copy of the image is completed, the IM utility activates the virtual server partition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: IBM Corporation
    Inventors: James A. Pafumi, George James Romano, Jacob Jason Rosales, Morgan Jeffrey Rosas, Vasu Vallabhaneni
  • Publication number: 20120242699
    Abstract: A method, system and compute program product for modifying sporting event participant decorations displayed on a fiber optic “Turf TV” playing surface. A utility calculates a direction of movement of a player or object in proximity to the playing surface, which is configured to display images, during a live sporting event. The utility adds a graphical aura to a real-time graphical image displayed in proximity to the player on the playing surface. The utility animates the aura in response to wind and/or noise in proximity to the playing surface. The utility modifies the aura based on pre-defined custom attributes, penalties, errors, and/or player status. If the player moves, the utility adds a graphical player trail to the image. The utility also adds a graphical object trail that includes previous locations of an object. The object trail may also include spin and a visual appearance corresponding to an object height.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Travis M. Grigsby, Steven M. Miller, Lisa A. Seacat
  • Publication number: 20120246508
    Abstract: A method is presented for continuously providing a high precision system clock associated with a processing core, wherein the system clock includes a host clock register that is incremented via a high precision oscillator, the method includes: providing a firmware clock register, incrementing the firmware clock register based on the host clock register being incremented, monitoring for failures of the host clock register, and during a failure of the host clock register continuously incrementing the firmware clock register by means of timing signals of the processing core, and upon receipt of a request to provide a clock value, providing the content of the host clock register if no failure was detected, or if failure was detected, providing the content of the firmware clock register.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eberhard ENGLER, Guenter GERWIG, Frank LEHNERT, Klaus MEISSNER, Joachim von BUTTLAR
  • Publication number: 20120246008
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for enhancing computer interaction challenge-response tests (e.g., Completely Automatic Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart, or CAPTCHA). Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for introducing advertising in such challenge-response tests, such that users are presented with opportunities to learn about or reinforce brands. In a typical embodiment, when a user attempts to access content (e.g., web content), the user will be presented with a CAPTCHA test. The CAPTCHA test typically includes an advertisement (e.g., logo, label, etc.) and an associated question for the user to answer. Along these lines, the advertisement is generally selected based on the user's demographics (e.g., interests, gender, age, etc.). If the user successfully responds to the question and/or responds within a certain amount of time, a reward can be determined (e.g.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Rick A. Hamilton, II, Mauro Marzorati, Brian M. O'Connell, Clifford A. Pickover, Keith R. Walker
  • Publication number: 20120241916
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for minimizing breakage of wafers during or after a wafer thinning process. A method of forming a rounded edge to the portion of a wafer remaining after surface grinding process is provided. The method comprises providing a semiconductor wafer having an edge and forming a recess in the edge of the wafer using any suitable mechanical or chemical process. The method further comprises forming a substantially continuous curved shape for at least the edge of the wafer located above the recess. Advantageously, the shape of the wafer is formed prior to the backside grind process to prevent problems caused by the otherwise presence of a sharp edge during the backside grind process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Timothy Harrison Daubenspeck, Jeffrey P. Gambino, Christopher David Muzzy, Wolfgang Sauter, Timothy Dooling Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20120245738
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for minimizing aggregate power from HVAC cooling and IT equipment in a data center. The mechanism selects a high HVAC set point for low-utilization and selects a low HVAC set point for high utilization. For each cooling zone in a data center, the mechanism monitors the average utilization of equipment in the cooling zone and selects the appropriate HVAC set point based on utilization. The mechanism may determine efficiency to determine whether to adjust universal HVAC set points or the HVAC set points for each given cooling zone. That is, the mechanism may dynamically adjust HVAC set points for optimal efficiency. Alternatively, the mechanism may go beyond binary control and compute actual data center efficiency metrics to decide on intermediate set points.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Malcolm S. Allen-Ware, John B. Carter, Hendrik F. Hamann, Wei Huang, Thomas W. Keller, JR., Juan C. Rubio
  • Publication number: 20120246647
    Abstract: Software is managed in a virtual desktop environment by discovering virtual appliances contained in the virtual desktop environment, and for each virtual appliance discovering the virtual machines belonging to the virtual appliance. Software is further managed by discovering the standalone virtual machines comprised in the virtual desktop environment, and for each discovered virtual machine, introspecting each virtual machine to detect non-virtual applications and virtualized applications running in the virtual machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Giuseppe CIANO, Luigi PICHETTI
  • Publication number: 20120244843
    Abstract: A method includes receiving a request from a user device for a service, initializing the service, initializing a user preference based on a parameter associated with the service and a preference probability value, the preference probability value including a probability that a user would prefer a particular value as a preference based on values selected by other users, and sending data to the user device according to the user preference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tawanna R. Dillahunt, Jason B. Ellis, Robert G. Farrell
  • Publication number: 20120246098
    Abstract: Applications of machine learning techniques such as Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and author-topic models (ATM) to the problems of mining of user roles to specify access control policies from entitlement as well as logs which contain record of the usage of these entitlements are provided. In one aspect, a method for performing role mining given a plurality of users and a plurality of permissions is provided. The method includes the following steps. At least one generative machine learning technique, e.g., LDA, is used to obtain a probability distribution ? for user-to-role assignments and a probability distribution ? for role-to-permission assignments. The probability distribution ? for user-to-role assignments and the probability distribution ? for role-to-permission assignments are used to produce a final set of roles, including user-to-role assignments and role-to-permission assignments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Suresh N. Chari, Ian Michael Molloy, Youngja Park
  • Publication number: 20120246188
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an addition of an identifier to a contact list can be detected. The identifier can identify an entity in a first collaboration system. Data can be searched to find a different identifier that identifies the entity in at least a second collaboration system. The different identifier can be added to the contact list.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Vladimir Gamaley, Gili Nachum, Gil Perzy
  • Publication number: 20120246456
    Abstract: A method includes tagging, by a processor executing a first operating system kernel, a region of a volatile memory coupled to the processor, and initiating a boot of a second operating system kernel while preserving in the volatile memory contents stored therein. Following the boot of the second operating system kernel, a set of parameters referencing the tagged region is retrieved from the volatile memory, and the tagged region is then used, based on the retrieved set of parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dan ALONI, Maor BEN-DAYAN
  • Publication number: 20120246406
    Abstract: A processing system includes a memory and a first core configured to process applications. The first core includes a first cache. The processing system includes a mechanism configured to capture a sequence of addresses of the application that miss the first cache in the first core and to place the sequence of addresses in a storage array; and a second core configured to process at least one software algorithm. The at least one software algorithm utilizes the sequence of addresses from the storage array to generate a sequence of prefetch addresses. The second core issues prefetch requests for the sequence of the prefetch addresses to the memory to obtain prefetched data and the prefetched data is provided to the first core if requested.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gordon Bernard Bell, Gordon Taylor Davis, Jeffrey Haskell Derby, Anil Krishna, Srinivasan Ramani, Ken Vu, Steve Woolet
  • Publication number: 20120246606
    Abstract: A computer-readable storage storing instructions for a processor. Execution of the instructions causes loading unit timing data descriptive of an upper hierarchy. Execution of the instructions cause the loading of a unit timing path, and the loading of macro timing data into the memory. Execution of the instructions further cause the replacement of at least a portion of the unit timing report with the macro timing data, and computation of arrival times, slacks, and slews. Execution of the instructions also cause computation of path statistics in accordance with the arrival times, slacks and slews, and generation of a end point report for the unit timing path, including path statistics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ulrich KRAUCH, Kurt LIND, Alexander WOERNER
  • Publication number: 20120246638
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for reassigning virtual machines to resources in a computing environment. Monitoring data is collected about virtual machine request history and resource usage in a form of time series for measured indicators. Forecasted time series are computed for the measured indicators over a time window by utilizing time series forecasting. A new assignment is computed by executing a snapshot based assignment algorithm on the forecasted time series. The new assignment is used for reassignment of virtual machines on the resources in the computing environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ting He, Kang-won Lee, Petros Zerfos
  • Publication number: 20120245304
    Abstract: A one pot method of preparing cyclic carbonyl compounds comprising an active pendant pentafluorophenyl carbonate group is disclosed. The cyclic carbonyl compounds can be polymerized by ring opening methods to form ROP polymers comprising repeat units comprising a side chain pentafluorophenyl carbonate group. Using a suitable nucleophile, the pendant pentafluorophenyl carbonate group can be selectively transformed into a variety of other functional groups before or after the ring opening polymerization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicants: CENTRAL GLASS CO., LTD., INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaki Fujiwara, James L. Hedrick, Daniel P. Sanders, Manabu Yasumoto
  • Publication number: 20120246714
    Abstract: An approach is provided by detecting password entries by a user of a system with each of the password entries corresponding to a password entered when invoking a password enabled application on the system. A password strength is calculated corresponding to each of the detected password entries. A strongest password is identified based on the password strength calculations. A device lock request is received from the user of the system, with the device lock request being received at a user interface, such as a GUI control. The system is set into a locked state. The locked state prevents data stored on the information handling system from being accessed while the information handling system is in the locked state. The system is subsequently unlocked by entry of the identified strongest password by the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Jason Szecheong Ma
  • Publication number: 20120246186
    Abstract: A method of creating and maintaining debug points in an integrated development environment (IDE) includes receiving a first query at a computing device coupled to the IDE, the first query identifying one or more actions; searching the source code with the computing device to locate locations where the one or more actions occur; forming an initial result set that includes locations of the one or more actions; receiving a desired behavior action for some or all of the locations; associating the initial result set and the desired behavior actions to form a first mapping; and storing the mapping and the first query as a first dynamic query based debug point map.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sean P. Kennedy, Peter A. Nicholls, David A. Salinas, Jonathan E.P. Tzanakakis
  • Publication number: 20120246322
    Abstract: A method is implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium having programming instructions. The programming instructions are operable to manage workload for cloud computing by transferring workload to at least one mobile device using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sandeep R. PATIL, Sri RAMANATHAN, Susan L. SYLVIA, Matthew B. TREVATHAN
  • Publication number: 20120245904
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention is a method and apparatus for waveform-based digital gate modeling for timing analysis. One embodiment of a method for modeling a gate of an integrated circuit chip includes building a transform matrix that indexes each input waveform/output waveform pair in a gate library to a plurality of different capacitive loads, obtaining an input waveform and a capacitive load associated with the gate, and, mapping the input waveform and the capacitive load to an output waveform for the gate, in accordance with the transform matrix.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: SOROUSH ABBASPOUR, Peter Feldmann, Safar Hatami
  • Publication number: 20120246494
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for generating device fingerprints and authenticating devices uses initial states of internal storage cells after each of a number multiple power cycles for each of a number of device temperatures to generate a device fingerprint. The device fingerprint may include pairs of expected values for each of the internal storage cells and a corresponding probability that the storage cell will assume the expected value. Storage cells that have expected values varying over the multiple temperatures may be excluded from the fingerprint. A device is authenticated by a similarity algorithm that uses a match of the expected values from a known fingerprint with power-up values from an unknown device, weighting the comparisons by the probability for each cell to compute a similarity measure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fadi H. Gebara, Joonsoo Kim, Jeremy D. Schaub, Volker Strumpen