Patents Examined by Jean R. Homere
  • Patent number: 6915252
    Abstract: In a computer-aided design environment, a method for ensuring consistency of design rule application among a plurality of CAD tool programs contemplates the use of a global design rule definition file containing one or more global variables each having a specific design rule characteristic assigned thereto. The values of the global variables are passed to CAD tool programs within the environment directly or indirectly through a technology file which contains a subset of the design rules. Each time a CAD tool session is initialized, the current set of design rules are updated through the use of the technology file and the global design rule definition file. Subsequent modifications or changes of the design rules requires only changing the global design rule definition file to ensure synchronization of design rule application among the various CAD tools in the environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Mu-Jing Li
  • Patent number: 6915251
    Abstract: A memory device design is provided. The memory device includes a memory core having a depth that defines a plurality of words, and a word width that is defined by multiple pairs of a global bitline and a global complementary bitline. The memory device further includes a core cell having a bitline and a complementary bitline, and a flipped core cell that has a flipped bitline and a flipped complementary bitline. The multiple pairs of the global bitline and the global complementary bitline have a plurality of core cells that are defined by alternating ones of the core cell and the flipped core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Artisan Components, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott T. Becker
  • Patent number: 6895372
    Abstract: A method and system for visualizing circuit operation. In the method device activity is obtained based on one or more of measured or simulated activity. The device activity is expressed in a representation, and the expressed activity is represented in a visual form. One suitable form of activity is the simulated version of the PICA slow motion movie. The invention may apply to other simulated design data vies as well, such as switch level simulation, current density simulation, and power density simulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel R. Knebel, Mark A. Lavin, Jamie Moreno, Stanislav Polonsky, Pia N. Sanda, Steven H. Voldman
  • Patent number: 6882997
    Abstract: The method termed WaveCluster for mining spatial data. WaveCluster considers spatial data as a multidimensional signals and applies wavelet transforms, a signal-processing technique, to convert the spatial data into the frequency domain. The wavelet transforms produce a transformed space where natural clusters in the data become more distinguishable. The method quantizes a feature space to determine cells of the feature space, assigns objects to the cells, applies a wavelet transform on the quantized feature space to obtain a transformed feature space, finds connected clusters in sub bands at different levels of the transformed feature space, assigns labels to the cells, creates a look-up table, and maps the objects to the clusters. The method can manage spatial data in a two-dimensional feature space. The method also is applicable to a feature space that is made up of an image taken by a satellite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: The Research Foundation of SUNY at Buffalo
    Inventors: Aidong Zhang, Gholamhosein Sheikholeslami, Surojit Chatterjee
  • Patent number: 6876956
    Abstract: Thin-shell finite-element analysis based on the use of subdivision surfaces: (1) describing the geometry of a shell in its undeformed configuration, and (2) generating smooth interpolated displacement fields possessing bounded energy. No nodal rotations are used in the interpolation. The interpolation scheme induced by subdivision is nonlocal, i.e., the displacement field over one element depends on the nodal displacements of the element nodes and all nodes of immediately neighboring elements. However, the use of subdivision surfaces ensures that all local displacement fields thus constructed combine conformingly to define one single limit surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Fehmi Cirak, Michael Ortiz, Peter Schroeder
  • Patent number: 6876959
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for designing, monitoring or evaluating the growth of a subterranean hydraulic fracturing procedure is disclosed. The method uses techniques of analysis that are both accurate and efficient in reducing computing resources needed to process data. A computer generated method of estimation is used to determine the dimensions and shape of the hydraulic fracture. The estimate facilitates subsequent changes in fracturing parameter selection and design to maximize well performance and production. A rigorous method of evaluation is disclosed for a multi-layered or laminated petroleum reservoir. Material balance of hydraulically pumped fluids and proppant is maintained. In addition, the energy balance between the hydraulic fracture tip and the surrounding reservoir host rock is conserved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony P. Peirce, Eduard Siebrits
  • Patent number: 6874062
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for locating, within a set of ordered items, N contiguous items having a desired attribute. The system utilizes a hierarchical bitmap structure. At the lowest level, a bitmap is provided, wherein each bit in the bitmap corresponds to a respective search item. The bit has a state indicative of a state of the search item. This lowest level bitmap is divided into segments. A higher-level bitmap is created, with each bit in this higher-level bitmap being associated with one of the segments and being assigned a state that describes a collective state of the search items associated with the segment. The higher-level bitmap may be sub-divided and the process repeated to create a hierarchical bitmap structure having any number of levels. The bitmap structure may be recursively searched to locate N contiguous ordered search items having a desired attribute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: Unisys Corporation
    Inventor: Richard A. Goldberg
  • Patent number: 6873946
    Abstract: A method for presenting a graphic user interface (GUI) facilitating generation of selected ones of a Euler grid and a Navier-Stokes grid from a single set of predetermined parameters includes step for defining the geometry of a vehicle to be tested, defining the environment in which the vehicle is to tested, generating the selected ones of the Euler grid and the Navier-Stokes grid responsive the set of predetermined parameters generated in two defining steps, and post-processing the output of the generating step. Computer readable instructions for permitting a general purpose computer to instantiate a graphic user interface (GUI) generating selected ones of a Euler grid and a Navier-Stokes grid from a single set of predetermined parameters and a storage medium storing the computer readable instructions are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: David F. Robinson
  • Patent number: 6868371
    Abstract: A spatially-resolved spectrometer is used to measure streaking in molded sample plastic parts produced using a molding tool with various mold inserts which produce certain desired topological surface features upon these sample plastic parts. The measurements from one or more of these sample plastic parts are then provided to a computerized device which appropriately filters the data and calculates overall data shape, average peak and valley shift, and a quality number indicative of data slopes. These calculations are then used to determine an optimum set of ingredients and processing conditions to be used for the full-scale plastic part production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sandra Freedman Feldman, Andrew Joseph Poslinski, Harsha Mysore Hatti, Craig Alan Cantello, James Louis Cifarelli, Kena Kimi Yokoyama, Grigoriy Aleksandrovich Shmigol, Hua Wang, James Paul Barren, Arthur Joseph Osborn
  • Patent number: 6862559
    Abstract: A method for computing a diversity measure H(m) for combinatorial structures involves identifying all M possible substructures having m elements from among the n elements of the combinatorial structure. The number of the substructures that are similar to each such substructure is determined, and the frequency of each distinct substructure is calculated using the number of similar substructures and the total number of substructures M. The method uses the frequency of each distinct substructure to compute an entropy corresponding to m. By the same process described above, and entropy corresponding to m+1 is computed. The entropy corresponding to m+1 is subtracted from the entropy corresponding to m to produce the diversity measure H(m). In the preferred embodiment, similar substructures are determined by being identical or isomorphic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Tad Hogg
  • Patent number: 6859769
    Abstract: The present invention provides a graphical user interface and software architecture that empowers the user to create new vectors, axes, points, coordinate systems, and other elements, and combinations thereof. The explicit means of creating coordinate systems and primitives are carried out via user input, imported data from files, or any other means of supplying numerical data to computer programs. In addition to geometrical relationships, coordinate system definitions can describe rates of change in the primitives, thus providing additional ways to create vectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: Analytical Graphics, Inc.
    Inventor: Sergei Tanygin
  • Patent number: 6850876
    Abstract: A cell-based binning method (“Data Driven” binning method) allows the inclusion of all molecules, generates a high percentage of occupied cells, and provides adequate division of the molecules in the low-dimensional subspaces (typically all one-dimension (1-D), two-dimension (2-D), and three-dimension (3-D) subspaces). A chemical space coverage criterion (“Uniform Cell Coverage (UCC)” criterion) measures the uniformity of coverage of the molecules selected. A fast exchange design algorithm (“fast exchange UCC” algorithm) that minimizes the number of searches of the candidate points while maximizing the number of exchanges during each pass through the candidate points. This method is many times faster than previous exchange algorithms and generates designs with good coverage properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Smithkline Beecham Corporation
    Inventors: Raymond L. H. Lam, William J. Welch, Sidney Stanley Young
  • Patent number: 6847384
    Abstract: A mechanism for translating objects between applications that use different formats is described. As described, a source object is generated using a source application. The source object is then translated to a target object in a target application. The target application having a format that is not supported by the source application. A first modification, which is not supported by the source application, is then performed to the target object. A second modification is also performed to the source object in the source application. Based on the modifications, the target object in the target application is revised to reflect the second modification to the source object without removing the first modification to the target object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2005
    Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: Stewart Sabadell, John Hutchinson, Nikolai Sander
  • Patent number: 6847922
    Abstract: A computer assisted method is disclosed for making an optimized layout of a manufacturing cell to be used, for example, to locate, hold and process workpieces, such as in robotic welding of an assembly of stamped sheet metal parts. The items to be processed and employed in the cell are identified by physical structure and kinematic characteristics and given an initial location to start the process. Further movements of the parts toward attraction points and away from repelling points are evaluated on the computer by an optimization program to arrive at an optimized cell layout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2005
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Charles W. Wampler, II
  • Patent number: 6845370
    Abstract: An agent based system assists in preparing an individual for an upcoming meeting by helping him/her retrieve relevant information about the meeting from various sources based on preexisting information in the system. The system obtains input text in character form indicative of the target meeting from a calendar program that includes the time of the meeting. As the time of the meeting approaches, the calendar program is queried to obtain the text of the target event and that information is utilized as input to the agent system. Then, the agent system parses the input meeting text to extract its various components such as title, body, participants, location, time etc. The system also performs pattern matching to identify particular meeting fields in a meeting text. This information is utilized to query various sources of information on the web and obtain relevant stories about the current meeting to send back to the calendaring system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Assignee: Accenture LLP
    Inventors: Chad Burkey, Denise Ho
  • Patent number: 6842726
    Abstract: A method of determining RF coverage area in a point-to-multi-point RF transmission system and creating model maps showing serviceable business addresses within a given region. The method includes selecting a standard design signal strength level required to provide suitable service; obtaining field measurements of received signal strength from base stations at various points in the region under investigation; creating a model map of received signal strength having a signal strength level greater than the system standard signal strength level and excluding areas whose field strength measurements do not indicate suitable service; and creating a model map having a signal strength level smaller than the system standard signal strength level. The method is capable of providing more than 90% accuracy, and prevents needless dispatching of installation crews to a customer premise that is outside the effective RF coverage of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Scharosch, Kurt Swanson
  • Patent number: 6842725
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for modelling fluid flows in a fractured multilayer porous medium by accounting for the real geometry of the fracture network and the local exchanges between the porous matrix and the fractures at each node of the network, thus allowing simulation of the interactions between the pressure and flow rate variations in a well running across the medium. The method essentially comprises discretizing the fractured medium by means of a mesh pattern, with fracture meshes centered on nodes at the various intersections of the fractures with each node being associated with a matrix volume, and determination of the flows between each fracture mesh and the associated matrix volume in a pseudosteady state. The method can be applied in hydrocarbon production well testing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: Institut Francais du Petrole
    Inventor: Sylvain Sarda
  • Patent number: 6836757
    Abstract: Emulation communications via a test access port and boundary-scan architecture providing serial access to a serial connection of a plurality of registers disposed in a plurality of modules. One of the modules is selected for communication. Nonselected modules are made nonresponsive to data on the serial connection. The external emulation hardware supplies a serial signal having a first logic state for a number of cycles greater in number than a number of bits of the serial connection of registers to the test access port. The emulation hardware supplies a start bit having an opposite logic state. The selected module detects the start bit and stores the next predetermined number of data bits. These bits could be data bits to be stored in a program visible data register or bits interpreted as an instruction for execution by the module. The selected module may transmit return communications via the serial scan path using the same format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Gary L. Swoboda
  • Patent number: 6836755
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention is a method. The method includes extracting parameters of a set of domino logic circuits. The method also includes simulating each domino logic circuit of the set of domino logic circuits. Also, the method includes reporting results of the simulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Mark D. Nardin, Hans Greub, Sapumal Wijeratne
  • Patent number: 6834283
    Abstract: Words and word codes corresponding to the words are registered in advance. If an unregistered word appears when data are compressed, the code of the leading character of the word is divided into a plurality of parts in a specific size, a predetermined additional code is added to generate a code of the same length as the word code. Thus, the compressed data can be treated as fixed length codes. When the compressed data are decompressed, the code of an unregistered character is identified using this additional code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2004
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Noriko Satoh