Patents Examined by Richard Pantoliano, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7500251
    Abstract: A second program which uses the function of a first program is corrected in accordance with correction of the first program. A program management method of changing the second program in accordance with change of the first program is provided. Interface definition information indicating an interface of the first program is monitored. When change of the interface definition information is detected, the change of the interface definition information is notified to the second program which uses the function provided by the first program. The notification is received to change the second program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Sugihara, Atsushi Otake, Nobuyoshi Sakai
  • Patent number: 7415714
    Abstract: The invention relates to the field of source code development and in particular a method and system for generating a tutorial application from one or more selected source code elements. The invention provides for a user to select one or source code elements and one or more data elements to be tagged to one or more source code elements. The selected source code elements are tagged using a mark-up language and a tutorial application is generated displaying the tagged selected source code elements and the data elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Gary Douglas Chapman
  • Patent number: 7401340
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that supports cross-component references in an object-oriented programming system. During operation, the system makes a first attempt to obtain a name for a referenced object through a cross-component reference between a referencing object and the referenced object. This first attempt involves attempting to obtain the name for the referenced object from the referenced object, which involves attempting access the referenced object through an identifier for the referenced object within the cross-component reference. If this first attempt fails, the system makes a second attempt to obtain the name for the referenced object, which involves obtaining a pathname for the referenced object from the cross-component reference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventor: John W. Leigh
  • Patent number: 7386858
    Abstract: A palmtop computer system that incorporates mechanical buttons that combine the task of turning the palmtop computer system on and starting a particular application program. Furthermore, the same mechanical button can be used to navigate the application program to find the information that is most likely needed by the user. Additionally, external devices can be coupled to the palmtop computer system in a manner that allows the external hardware device to initiate specific application programs that cooperate with the external hardware device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Access Systems Americas, Inc.
    Inventors: Gavin Peacock, Jeffrey C. Hawkins
  • Patent number: 7383555
    Abstract: An I/O adapter sharing mechanism in a logically partitioned computer system allows sharing a network I/O adapter between logical partitions in an efficient manner. A first logical partition owns (or controls) the I/O adapter, and a second logical partition desires to use (or share) the I/O adapter. An I/O adapter device driver that includes a hardware interface is provided in the first logical partition. A virtual device driver is provided in the second logical partition that provides a set of functions that is at least partially defined by querying the I/O adapter device driver in the first logical partition. The I/O adapter sharing mechanism includes a transfer mechanism that allows data to be transferred directly from the virtual device driver in the second logical partition to the I/O adapter without passing through the I/O adapter device driver in the first logical partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald Leroy Billau, Charles Scott Graham, Harvey Gene Kiel, Chetan Mehta, Lee Anton Sendelbach, Jaya Srikrishnan
  • Patent number: 7376957
    Abstract: A method for recovering and requeueing lost messages is disclosed. The lost messages are intended for delivery from a first computer program to a second computer program but are instead stranded in locations internal to the first program. The method extracts one or more of these stranded messages from the location internal to the first program, determines the original destination of each stranded message and delivers that message to the second program. Delivery of each message to the second program is facilitated by using message queues provided by middleware type software programs. The desired middleware program can be selected by the user of the method, and the method provides for the necessary formatting of each recovered message according to the selected middleware. Absent use of the present method, these stranded messages would not be routed to their original destinations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: AT&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc.
    Inventor: James E. Scurlock, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7363631
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for providing access to an event log file. An open distributed transaction processing system writes information to a current logical portion of the event log file in processing transactions. A first service is callable by a client to instruct the open distributed transaction processing system to cycle the event log file. In other embodiments, additional services are accessible to the client for manipulating the event log file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Unisys Corporation
    Inventors: Robert L. Bergerson, Scot S. Hall, Jacqueline M. Schrab, Susan A. Senger
  • Patent number: 7363632
    Abstract: A method for installing an external storage device (such as a hard drive) to a computer is disclosed. The external hard drive includes a driver storage formed integral to the external hard drive. The driver storage stores the device driver information. Upon connection to the computer, the external hard drive's driver storage imitates a known disk drive to the computer. The computer can then access the device driver information and install the external hard drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Synology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yin Hui Wong, Cheen Liao, Jia-Shiun Lee, Tu Dun Hong
  • Patent number: 7363630
    Abstract: An intelligent queue may be used to facilitate communication among a set business application programs. In one embodiment, the intelligent queue may interact with a variety of business application programs providing consistent service behaviors across a variety of data store products. The intelligent queue provides extended message storage, efficient journalling, interoperability with other intelligent queues, load balancing, once-only processing, as well as detailed message state information that tracks the status of each message from both the sender and the recipient's perspective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter C. Berkman, Gevik H. Nalbandian, Jerry A. Waldorf, Nathan K. Inada, Rangaswamy Srihari, Alexander Demetriades
  • Patent number: 7356824
    Abstract: A shared services hub is provided that allows a software application that is related to a given postal product, to access, translate, and communicate information related to a second postal service or module. A customer accessing the Postal Service website for a particular postal product, such as for example the Parcel Post or Global Express Mail, can then access further information. A communications link is established from the software application, through a shared services hub, to a software module. Information on the software module, such as for example, postage, shipping rules, or tracking information, is then translated and communicated through the software application in a compatible format. The shared services hub thus allows a plurality of information on software modules to be accessed through a plurality of product applications, regardless of communication protocols used by the software modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: United States Postal Service
    Inventors: Vantresa Stickler, Lonie Pento, Diane Ditzler
  • Patent number: 7350215
    Abstract: Data can be stored in a wide variety of formats, and it is recognized that not all terminals have the resources for storing the appropriate Application Program for processing and/or viewing the data as defined in a particular format. Systems and methods are described for dynamically processing a generic content expressed in a structured definition language. The systems and methods use an associated content handler having a set of instructions suitable for processing the content, such as XML content. The method comprises receiving a content envelope including the content and a reference to the associated content handler. The associated content handler is requested using the reference, the reference including a reference location for the content handler. Once obtained, the content is processed using the set of instructions of the content handler. The instructions can be expressed in script and/or code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Michael Shenfield, Viera Bibr, Bryan R. Goring
  • Patent number: 7343605
    Abstract: Applications to be connected, particularly MES (manufacturing execution system) applications, as well as the communications mechanisms are depicted in the object model of the framework (IF; IF meaning industrial framework) by using wrappers and/or adapters and, as a result, can be manipulated in a uniformly homogenous manner in the framework. The invention is advantageous in that the very heterogeneous structures of the applications are depicted on a common model and can be comfortably and easily used by a user by means of generic mechanisms. That is to say that the effort of programming is eliminated and, as a result, this communication can be easily projected by establishing a so-called connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Dirk Langkafel, Elmar Thurner
  • Patent number: 7343606
    Abstract: An application is built in accordance with a particular application framework. A component is incorporated into the application. When an asynchronous operation is to be performed, the component is configured to issue a standard function call in a manner that is independent of the particular application framework used to build the application. An asynchronous operations manager is configured to detect the particular application framework used to build the application, receive the standard function call, perform the asynchronous operation in accordance with a threading and concurrency model of the application framework, and cause a notification to be issued to the component in a manner that is in accordance with the threading and concurrency model when the asynchronous operation is complete. The asynchronous operations manager may determine the application framework by receiving a notification or function call from the application framework itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Greg D. Schechter, Yann Erik Christensen, Michael J. Marucheck, Dmitry Robsman
  • Patent number: 7331051
    Abstract: A method for installing a peripheral device to a computer is disclosed. The peripheral device includes a driver storage formed integral to the peripheral device. The driver storage stores the device driver information. Upon connection to the computer, the peripheral device's driver storage imitates a known disk drive to the computer. The computer can then access the device driver information and install the peripheral device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Synology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yin Hui Wong, Cheng Yu Tu, Cheen Liao
  • Patent number: 7328439
    Abstract: A first process executing in a computer system creates thread-level message hooks within a second process executing in the computer system. A copy of a global notification hook of the first process is created in the second process. The copy detects a triggering message passed to or from a thread of the second process and determines when and whether to activate a thread-level message hook within the second process; the thread-level message hook is configured to monitor subsequent messages passed to or from the thread of the second process and may take various actions in response to any such messages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Clark, Thomas C. Martyn
  • Patent number: 7308690
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for using a kernel exit routine, performed when a parent process exits, to efficiently remove zombie child processes. The kernel exit routine also re-parents active child processes to a standard system process, such as the init process. When the kernel exit routine re-parents the active child process to the init process, the child process is flagged indicating that the child's original parent process has already exited. A kernel routine, such as the swapper process, periodically cleans up flagged processes that have exited. In this manner, although active child processes are still re-parented to init, the init process is no longer burdened with the task of waiting on such processes when they exit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Larry Bert Brenner, Luke M. Browning
  • Patent number: 7308688
    Abstract: This invention is directed to a system and method for using a template that allows a user to define a specific message format for use in a shared memory queue in the inter-process communication environment. A shared segment of the size needed to hold the supplied number of elements and a queue header are created. The system then unmaps the queue from the user's address space. The queue contents are reset to initialize the state. The supplied element in the queue is Pushed. The element for the queue First-In/First-Out (FIFO) is Popped. An element from the queue may be returned, without affecting queue status. The element content in the queue is then updated. The queue is subsequently locked for exclusive access. The lock may be released, enabling changes to the queue. The system also provides the element count in the queue and the logical name of the inter-process communication queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ajit S. Sodhi
  • Patent number: 7302690
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer instructions for handling exception vectors by firmware. An exception vector is identified to form an identified exception vector when control is passed from an operating system to the firmware. The identified exception vector is saved to form a saved exception vector. The identified exception vector is then replaced with a substitute vector; and the saved exception vector is restored when control is returned to the operating system to form a restored exception vector. At that point, the restored exception vector is again used to perform error and debugging processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bradley Ryan Harrington, Stephen Dale Linam, James A. Lindeman
  • Patent number: 7296273
    Abstract: A computer program product and system for deleting objects used or managed by an application or application instance is disclosed. First program instructions identify the objects. Second program instructions write an executable program to delete the objects which were identified. There are wide variety of objects than can be deleted such as local queues, alias queues, remote queues, security objects, channel objects, process objects, etc. The first program instructions identify a queue object and determine whether the queue object contains a work item. If so, the second program instructions write into the executable program a command to clear the work item. A computer program product, system and method for deleting a queue object managed by an application or application instance is also disclosed. Channels used by other applications or other application instances to lock and access a queue defined by the queue object are identified. Then, the channels are stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Christopher N. Kline
  • Patent number: 7293272
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a computer accessible medium comprises a plurality of instructions which, when executed, parse at least a section of an input file to identify: (i) one or more driver information files, if at least one driver information file is listed in the section, and (ii) one or more first device drivers, if at least one device driver is listed in the section. If at least one driver information file is listed in the section, the plurality of instructions parse each of the one or more driver information files to identify: (i) one or more second device drivers, if at least one device driver is included in the driver information file, and (ii) one or more miniport drivers, if at least one miniport driver is included in the driver information file. The plurality of instructions select a selected device driver from the first device drivers, the second device drivers, and the miniport drivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Veritas Operating Corporation
    Inventors: Okan Okcu, Nicholas R. Graf