Patents Examined by Jean Bolte Fleurantin
  • Patent number: 6308182
    Abstract: A part of a program code of a program being processed can be deleted or replaced without stopping the program. A class data monitor unit monitors the utilization of class data stored in a class data storage unit for each piece of added class data. A class data process unit deletes or replaces a part of a program during the execution of the program by deleting or replacing the class data based on the utilization of the class data monitored by the class data monitor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Takashi Nishigaya, Ichiro Iida
  • Patent number: 6304883
    Abstract: A file managing apparatus of a switching system includes: a flash memory for storing files used in the switching system: an SRAM for storing the files, which are frequently changed and used, among the files stored in the flash memory; and a central processing unit for storing data in a predetermined area of the SRAM when data related with the files stored in the SRAM is processed, and then reading the stored data periodically, to back up the read data in the flash memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jung-Gi Kim
  • Patent number: 6304880
    Abstract: An automated reclamation scheduling system and method are taught for managing storage reclamation on a virtual tape server. Where reclamation-off times are set by a user, an automated administrator may override the settings depending on the number of scratch tapes that are available. The fewer scratch tapes that remain available, the more frequently storage reclamation will be performed in the reclamation schedule set by the automated administrator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Gregory Tad Kishi
  • Patent number: 6295533
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for answering queries concerning information stored in a set of collections. Each collection includes a structured entity, and each structured entity includes a field. A query is received that specifies a subset of the set of collections and a logical constraint between fields that includes a requirement that a first field match a second field. The probability that the first field matches the second field is determined automatically based upon the contents of the fields. A collection of lists is generated in response to the query, where each list includes members of the subset of collections specified in the query, and where each list has an estimate of the probability that the members of the list satisfies the logical constraint specified in the query.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: AT&T Corp.
    Inventor: William W. Cohen
  • Patent number: 6295534
    Abstract: An apparatus for maintaining an ordered list which can store any type and number of data items. The ordered list can be implemented in hardware so as to enable fast, efficient maintenance of an ordered list of data. The data to be stored in the list is stored as a plurality of data cells each comprising any number of bits. The ordered list permits data to be read from, written to and deleted from the list. Data is written to the list using a push operation and data is deleted from the listing using a pop operation. A controller, processor or other source, provides the cell address information for each read, push and pop operation. The ordered list comprises a plurality of index units with each index unit comprising a 3 to 1 multiplexor whose output is connected to a data cell comprising a register or suitable data storage device. The mux selects data to its output from either (1) input cell data (2) the data cell in the previous index unit or (3) the data cell in the next index unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: 3Com Corporation
    Inventor: Eytan Mann
  • Patent number: 6286016
    Abstract: A system that performs real-time garbage collection by dynamically expanding and contracting the heap is provided. This system performs real-time garbage collection in that the system guarantees garbage collection will not take more time than expected. The system dynamically expands and contracts the heap to correspond to the actual memory space used by live objects. This dynamic resizing of the heap has the advantages of expanding when the amount of objects increases and contracting to free memory space for use by other procedures when the amount of objects decreases. Keeping the heap as small as possible frees resources for other processes and increases the locality of reference for the application. This dynamic resizing also ensures that the new memory space will not run out of memory before all of the live objects from the old memory space are copied, even if all of the live objects in the old memory space survive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Heller, Christine H. Flood
  • Patent number: 6286005
    Abstract: The most preferred embodiment of the present invention is a computer-based decision support system that includes three main components: a database mining engine (DME); an advertising optimization mechanism; and a customized user interface that provides access to the various features of the invention. The user interface, in conjunction with the DME, provides a unique and innovative way to store, retrieve and manipulate data from existing databases containing media-related audience access data, which describe the access habits and preferences of the media audience. By using a database with a simplified storage and retrieval protocol, the data contained therein can be effectively manipulated in real time. This means that previously complex and lengthy information retrieval and analysis activities can be accomplished in very short periods of time (typically seconds instead of minutes or even hours).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Cannon Holdings, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Mark E. Cannon
  • Patent number: 6282542
    Abstract: In an internet access system which includes a satellite link, a distributed proxy server (68) is provided which reduces a delay associated with the retrieval of inline objects of web pages. The distributed proxy server (68) includes an access point component (70) and a satellite gateway component (72). The access point component (70) runs on the client (browser) side of the satellite link and communicates with web browsers (20A-20N). The satellite gateway component (72) runs on the internet side of the satellite link and communicates with web servers (26). As a web page is retrieved over the satellite link, the satellite gateway component (72) parses the base file component of the web page to identify any references to inline objects of the web page, and prefetches each such inline object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Tachyon, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce L. Carneal, Jeremy Guralnick, Ram A. Fish
  • Patent number: 6279002
    Abstract: The present invention describes a system and process for measuring the performance of programs by means of messages, in particular with distributed programs. A corresponding area for performance and/or time entries is added to the message which is to be processed. At each processing stage of the message, a performance and/or time marker is deposited in this area. The performance and/or time marker consists essentially of the identifier of the computer, the identifier of the particular processing stage, a description of the particular processing stage, and performance data and/or a value of the computer time. All the performance and time markers are written into a file for later evaluation, so that data is available at the same time. Thanks to the integrated processing of performance data with application data, the performance analysis, e.g. of response times of definable processing procedures, in particular with distributed networks, is considerably simplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Norbert Lenz, Wolfgang Schawer
  • Patent number: 6275830
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for paging data in a computer system is provided. A set of data associated with a program unit is divided into pages such that no item of the set of data spans more than one page. The size of one page may vary from the size of another. When the program unit is compiled, metadata is generated that indicates the division of items into pages. At load time, a page mapping is generated based on the metadata. The page mapping is used to locate a item that belongs to the set of data. Other parts of the program unit, such as byte code, can contain references to items in the constant pool. Each reference specifies the number of the page in which the corresponding item will be stored at runtime, and the offset of that item within the page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: Oracle Corporation
    Inventors: Kannan Muthukkaruppan, Murali Vemulapati, Shirish Puranik
  • Patent number: 6275831
    Abstract: A synchronization system providing multi-client synchronization is described. By storing the data that is actually being synchronized (i.e., storing the actual physical body of a memo, for instance) inside an extra database, “Grand Unification Database” (GUD), (or by specially-designated client data set) under control of a central or core synchronization engine, rather than transferring such data on a point-to-point basis, the system of the present invention provides a repository of information that is available at all times and does not require that any other synchronization client (e.g., PIM client or hand-held device) be connected. The GUD provides a super-set of the other client data sets. Therefore, if the user now includes an additional client, such as a server computer storing user information, the synchronization system has all the information necessary for synchronizing the new client, regardless of whether any of the other clients are currently available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: Starfish Software, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric O. Bodnar, Chris LaRue, Bryan Dube, Shekhar Kirani, Sethuraman Suresh
  • Patent number: 6256637
    Abstract: A virtual machine computer includes multiple threads and can support multiple simultaneous workspaces. Within each workspace, multiple threads are able to access objects simultaneously. Threads are orthogonal to workspaces so that threads are not locked to particular workspaces, workspaces are not locked to particular threads, and the sizes of the workspaces are configurable to the requirements of the transactions within the workspaces. Such a virtual machine may be utilized in a variety of applications including transactional database applications in which multiple users have access to information (e.g., objects) in one or more shared databases. Such applications typically require that data transactions involving the objects in the shared database be performed reliably so as to maintain the integrity of the objects, which are sometimes called persistent objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: Gemstone Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Ramachandran Venkatesh, Allen J. Otis, Robert F. Bretl
  • Patent number: 6240428
    Abstract: An object, such as a relational database table, is partitioned into a plurality of subsets. Selected subsets, e.g. partitions, of the object are exported into a dump file, identifying each exported subset of data by writing a marker in the dump file. Selected subsets are imported from the dump file, by determining whether the marker in the dump file corresponds to the selected subsets, then conditionally importing the data associated with the marker. Objects are repartitioned by exporting the some of the subsets, reconfiguring the object, and importing the exported subsets back into the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Oracle Corporation
    Inventors: Sofia Yeung, Chung Chang
  • Patent number: 6236986
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for extracting information from a database, which comprises a plurality of data records, each data record comprising at least two data elements, each data element being defined by a data element type and a data element value. First, the data records are read into the primary memory of a computer, so that all processing of the data may be done off-line. Then, the data element values are binary-coded and stored in one or more tables. When the selection of at least one data element value is detected, all binary-coded data element values are examined to obtain all data records implied by selection. Due to the binary-coding, these data records are found very quickly. Finally the data element values implied by the selection is kept track of in a status set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Qliktech International AB
    Inventors: Staffan Gestrelius, Håkan Fransson, Björn Berg
  • Patent number: 6237005
    Abstract: A web server computer system includes a dispatcher program that processes transaction request messages received from a web browser. The dispatcher program includes a combination of persistent and transient interpreters that are used to process the transaction. The persistent interpreters are maintained in memory for an indefinite period of time and across multiple transactions. One type of persistent interpreter is a master interpreter that is used to coordinate the processing activity. A second type of persistent interpreter is a pristine interpreter that provides relevant context for any application programs required to process the transaction. A transient interpreter is maintained in memory for a finite duration, such as across a single transaction. One type of transient interpreter is a transaction interpreter that is used to process the transaction request message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventor: David Michael Griffin
  • Patent number: 6230153
    Abstract: A method and apparatus that allows association rules defining URL-URL relationships, and URL-URL relationships that are strongly influenced by a web site's topology, to be identified and respectively qualified. Superfluous association rules may be separated from non-topology affected association rules and discounted as desired. The invention may be implemented in conjunction with a probalistic generative method used to model a web site and simulate the behavior of a visitor traversing the site. The invention further allows randomized web site visitor behavior to be separated into “interesting” and “uninteresting” behavior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Steven Kenneth Howard, David Charles Martin, Mark Earl Paul Plutowski
  • Patent number: 6226639
    Abstract: A system and method for joining a build table to a probe table in response to a query for data includes over partitioning the build table into “N” build partitions using a uniform hash function and writing the build partitions into main memory of a database computer. When the main memory becomes full, one or more partitions is selected as a victim partition to be written to disk storage, and the process continues until all build table rows or tuples have either been written into main memory or spilled to disk. Then, a packing algorithm is used to initially designate never-spilled partitions as “winners” and spilled partitions as “losers”, and then to randomly select one or more winners for prospective swapping with one or more losers. The I/O savings associated with each prospective swap is determined and if any savings would be realized, the winners are designated as losers the losers are designated as winners. The swap determination can be made multiple times, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce Gilbert Lindsay, Sridhar Rajagopalan, Eugene Jon Shekita
  • Patent number: 6226631
    Abstract: An document image that is the source of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) output is displayed so that a user can select a region of the displayed document image. When the region is selected, text of the OCR output corresponding to the selected region is submitted as an input to a search engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Claritech Corporation
    Inventor: David A. Evans
  • Patent number: 6226650
    Abstract: The present invention provides a “data centric” approach to updating databases on computer systems of an intermittently connected database system. In this approach, the storage and processing complexity of the database server are de-coupled from the number of clients to be supported, thereby, improving the scalability of the server. Instead of focusing on the data required by individual clients, this method tracks changes to data subsets pertaining to groups of clients. Thus, the server need only track and record changes to these subsets of data, instead of tracking changes for individual clients. Clients download the subsets, which contain the data relevant to the group, and merges data or deletes superfluous data from the subsets. Since the server is tracking a limited set of data subsets related to groups of clients instead of the actual number of the clients, the overall scalability of the system is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Synchrologic, Inc.
    Inventors: Sameer S. Mahajan, Michael J. Donahoo, Shamkant B. Navathe, Mostafa H. Ammar, Frank H. McGeough, Sanjoy Malik
  • Patent number: 6223178
    Abstract: One or more searchable repositories of bookmark sets are stored in a computer system, each bookmark set can be downloaded to a client browser as a unit. Each bookmark set contains a set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and is associated with related information such as a set of keywords, one or more topics and user specific information. The bookmark set is downloadable as a unit to the client browser. When a search query from a client containing a set of keywords is received, the stored bookmark sets are searched for one or more bookmark sets associated with at least one keyword matching a keyword from the search query. A list of bookmark sets which satisfy the query, i.e. are associated with matching keywords, are returned to the client browser. Responsive to a request for downloading a selected bookmark set, the selected bookmark is served to the client. The selected bookmark set is received and used by the client browser to access the set of URLs in the selected bookmark set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Maria Azua Himmel, Herman Rodriguez, Jeffrey Scott LaBaw