Patents Examined by Harold E. Dodd, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6868420
    Abstract: A method traverses a bi-tree stored in a memory to locate application specific data stored in the memory and associated with the bi-tree. The bi-tree comprises a spatial partitioning of an N-dimensional space into a hierarchy of cells. Starting from a root cell enclosing the N-dimensional space, each cell is successively and conditionally partitioned into 2N child cells along the cell's N mid-planes. Each cell of the bi-tree has associated characteristics comprising the application specific data and child cells are indexed directly from a parent cell. First, a set of locational codes, a cell of the bi-tree, and a termination condition are specified. Next, the characteristics of the cell are tested to see if they satisfy the termination condition. If the termination condition is not satisfied, an arithmetic operation on the set of locational codes is performed to directly index a next cell to be tested. Otherwise, the cell identifies a target cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald N. Perry, Sarah F. Frisken
  • Patent number: 6862599
    Abstract: Using a novel methodology for organizing information both in non-persistent and persistent computer storage devices, limitations common to traditional data storage models are eliminated. The invention combines two distinct—yet complementary—technologies, one for the organization of non-persistent storage and one for the organization of persistent storage. The invention allows records of unlimited dimensions containing data of any type and size, in any combination, to be constructed, maintained, and utilized in both non-persistent and persistent storage. In the persistent model, the invention also allows a user to define variable length frames, multiple hashing algorithms, and reuse of space caused by deleted records using an automatic gap consolidation algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Inventor: Kevin D. King
  • Patent number: 6859805
    Abstract: Methods and computer program products are disclosed for generating and viewing an electronic report having security features that allow for “virtual bursting” of the report for multiple users. A single report having multiple pages is generated such that each or some of the pages have security tags that are compared to a security identifier list of a particular user that acts as a security clearance for that user. Through this comparison, a subset of pages from the report is formed which makes up a “report” from the user's point of view that contains only data the user is allowed to see. This allows multiple users to view only authorized portions of a single report having page-level security determined by level breaks in the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: Actuate Corporation
    Inventors: Paul A. Rogers, Nicolas C. Nierenberg
  • Patent number: 6834290
    Abstract: The invention is a reorganization planning system having a reorganization planner, a database management system, and one or more database files. The reorganization planner communicates with the database management system and the one or more database files to develop a reorganization plan for reorganizing one or more objects of the database files. According to various embodiments, the reorganization planner also provides for in-place object reorganization and application of a benefit threshold. The benefit threshold limits the number of objects recommended for reorganization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2004
    Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Pugh, Eyal M. Aronoff, Ross Doering
  • Patent number: 6826573
    Abstract: A method of generating an issue pointer for issuing data structures from a queue, comprising generating a signal that indicates where one or more of the data structures within the queue that desire to issue are located within the queue. Then, checking the signal at a queue location pointed to by an issue pointer. Then, incrementing the position of the issue pointer if a data structure has not shifted into the queue location since the previous issue and if the issue pointer is pointing to the location having issued on the previous queue issue or holding the issue pointer position if a data structure has shifted into the location since the previous issue and if the issue pointer is pointing to the location having issued on the previous queue issue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: William G. Sicaras, Dean A. Mulla
  • Patent number: 6826562
    Abstract: An optimization technique for SQL queries, a program storage device storing the optimization program, and an apparatus for optimizing a query is provided. A query is analyzed to determine whether it includes subselect expressions that return exactly or at most one tuple. If so, the quantifier merger or elimination is performed, if possible, to allow query to perform more efficiently than that of the original query while providing same results. The query is then executed in the computer to efficiently retrieve data from the database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ting Yu Leung, Monica Sachiye Urata, Swati Vora
  • Patent number: 6826574
    Abstract: A method and system for generating and utilizing a profile of a user of a computer-based information handling system is disclosed. The information handling system is searched by a profiler for files stored thereon that have been edited by the user. A located file is searched for words contained in the file, and a list of words contained in the file is compiled and added to a profile database. Descriptive information to be matched is received and compared to words stored in a profile database. If one or more words in the profile database matches the descriptive information, a match is recorded, and a score is calculated and returned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: Gateway, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark Allan Colbath
  • Patent number: 6772153
    Abstract: A lock is implemented by assigning the lock to a thread that creates the associated object. The “owning thread” can thereafter acquire and release the lock without any atomic operations. If another thread attempts to acquire the lock, the non-owning thread sends a message to the owning thread, requesting permission to acquire the lock. At some point, the owning thread receives the message from the non-owning thread and changes the state of the lock such that future lock/unlock operations use atomic operations that support object sharing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David F. Bacon, Stephen Fink
  • Patent number: 6754663
    Abstract: A system for generating a traffic violation citation, which operates using at least one image data file including digitized video data. The image data file includes multiple images of an intersection during a red light violation. The image data file is, for example, derived from the output of one or more video cameras positioned to record respective views of an intersection being monitored for red light violations. The disclosed system provides a user with an interface including at least one image display window. The image display window is used to display portions of the image data file. Where the image data file includes multiple video clips, such clips may be displayed simultaneously in respective ones of multiple display windows. The system further includes a selection interface that permits a user to select at least one image from the image data file, for example a current image being displayed in an image display window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Nestor, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven I. Small, Randall T. Sybel, Greg D. Johnson, Lalitha R. Coimbatore
  • Patent number: 6751634
    Abstract: The invention describes a system for detecting partial changes to data-structures of interest. If an inter-related set of data items are to be used then it is of value to know that the data items are undergoing changes, and thus may not be self consistent, and/or have been tampered with and/or are not the most recent update. The invention uses GUIDS to track updates by assigning a GUID to a selected set of nodes or items belonging to an identified set, preferably arranged in a tree structure. A new GUID is generated whenever an update takes place. Methods are defined to test that the interrelated data items are valid, i.e., replicated in toto, by testing for changes in the GUID by traversing the interrelated data items and comparing GUIDs at each node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Steven G. Judd
  • Patent number: 6748372
    Abstract: The disclosure presents an apparatus, system, and method for file access for difficult domains, such as data broadcast, where the time to access a file can be considerable. The invention interposes a file access object between the client and the platform that is both scalable and interoperable. The invention decomposes file access into four (application visible) interfaces that scale between a most basic access (such as, for example, a simple load function) to the most expressive access (such as, a retrieve function).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: James T. Van Loo
  • Patent number: 6745204
    Abstract: A system for electronically, managing, finding, and/or visualizing biomolecular interactions is described. A computer-implemented system of the invention has a database having a plurality of records. Each record contains a reference biomolecular interaction defined by a chemical graph and descriptive information from an external database. The information correlates the biomolecular interactions to records in the external batabase. The system has a user interface allowing a user to selectively view information regarding a biomolecular interaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Mount Sinai Hospital
    Inventors: Christopher Hogue, Gary Bader
  • Patent number: 6735590
    Abstract: A record management system is provided for generating a multi-dimensional view for different measures. A set of records is retrieved in response to a set of queries. The records include dimension values and measure values, which are associated with the measures. The set of records is maintained in a master table. The record management system generates a record structure foundation, including a query map and a master table index. The record management system then employs the record structure foundation to generate a multi-dimensional layout mapping for the measures that are to be represented in the view. The record structure foundation and measure values in the master table are used to convert the layout mapping into the desired multi-dimensional view. The record management system includes data storage units for implementing the master table, query map, master table index, and layout mapping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Oracle Corporation
    Inventors: Randall Shoup, James Wolf
  • Patent number: 6725244
    Abstract: Improved techniques for allocating file descriptors are disclosed. According to one aspect, the file descriptors are stored in a tree-like data structure. The tree-like data structure is a data structure that includes a plurality of nodes arranged in the tree-like structure. The nodes have numeric values that are the file descriptors represented in a binary format. Each of the nodes also maintains an allocation count and an indication whether or not a particular node is available (i.e., unallocated). Preferably, the tree-like structure is an infix binary tree in which each node records the number of file descriptors within its right subtree (including itself) that are already allocated. The improved techniques allow file descriptors to be allocated much more efficiently than conventionally achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey S. Bonwick
  • Patent number: 6714952
    Abstract: Described is a technique for a backup and restoration of data in a network that includes a multi-lingual file system and a multi-lingual network file server. Multiple meta data files are associated with a single data file in the network. Provided are services for packaging the metadata as a single parameter of an application programming interface (API) for a particular data file being backed up or restored over a network. These techniques may be used in both full and incremental backups and restores of data over a network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Scott Dunham, Rulian Fiske, Hal Hansen, Sanjay Jain, Madhav Mutalik, Edgar St. Pierre, Puneet Lal, Uresh Vahalia
  • Patent number: 6708162
    Abstract: A search across multiple programs can be conducted, whether or not a particular program is active. After a search is conducted, search results can be displayed from programs that are in use and those that are not currently in use when the search is initiated. Upon selection of a search result, the program supporting the selected result can be launched if it is not already in use and can become the active program. Once the program supporting the selected result becomes active, the search result can be pre-populated within the search engine of the program. Therefore, search strategy across multiple programs is unified while sharing of search output data across multiple programs is facilitated. This sharing of data makes information across multiple separate programs more readily accessible. Also, a consistent user interface for searching across multiple programs is presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce Alan Morgan, Maria Blees, David S. Kosbie
  • Patent number: 6701327
    Abstract: A method for providing a data set relating to a network by merging a first data set relating to the network at a first time and a second data set relating to the network at a s second, later, time, said first data set comprising data acquired by interrogation of the network and other data, and said second data set comprising data acquired by interrogation of the network, said method comprising: comparing the data in the first data set with the second data set, and updating the first data set to include additional data present in the second data to set which is not present in the first data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: 3Com Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Robert Jones, Simon Peter Valentine, Lee Anthony Walker, Russell Kennett Bulmer
  • Patent number: 6691134
    Abstract: A technique is disclosed for providing image artifact to medical diagnostic institutions and systems. The information and images is created and stored on machine readable media. A user may enter a problem query at a user interface at the diagnostic institution or system and search a database of information located at a centralized service facility. A list of solutions and images having characteristic artifacts is displayed at the diagnostic institution. The user may then select and display a desired image or solution from the user interface. The particular solution may include textual and exemplary images descriptions of the solution. Moreover, additional links may be provided to access other related sources of information. The information stored on the machine readable media may be easily solutions to existing case problems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: GE Medical Technology Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Deborah Ann Babula, Ianne Mae Howards Koritzinsky, Karamjeet Singh
  • Patent number: 6684231
    Abstract: Systems and methods for performing an on-demand determination of a correct set of volumes to be exported are described. A disk platter is defined to be the unit of volume migration. Volumes are added to the platter based on whether or not the volume coexists on a disk containing a volume to be exported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Luis Felipe Cabrera, Catharine van Ingen, Norbert P. Kusters
  • Patent number: 6684221
    Abstract: A system and method to access and update a thesaurus of clinical terms employed in conjunction with a clinical study can be used to classify and map the clinical terms to related terms. A study term extracted from raw clinical data is presented to determine a corresponding match in the thesaurus of clinical terms. A table of relations is maintained to associate each clinical term with one or more related clinical terms in the thesaurus. A clinical term is mapped to one or more derived terms as indicated by the relations. The derived terms are processed to select a preferred term from the derived terms. An omission manager is operable to find a near matching candidate term if the clinical term is not found in the thesaurus. A plurality of different clinical terms can therefore be classified as corresponding to a common clinical term as indicated by the relations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventor: Kim Rejndrup