Patents by Inventor Alan BRYANT

Alan BRYANT has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11244010
    Abstract: In some examples, a system may use content classes to manage indexing of object data. A content class may include a set of one or more content properties. Each content property may include a name, an expression for extracting data, and an expression type. When object data is received, such as for indexing, the expression type of each content property may be compared with the data type of the received data. Based at least in part on determining that the expression type matches the data type, the system may extract a data value from the received data in accordance with the expression. The system may save the extracted data value to a data structure in association with the name of the content property, and may subsequently use the data value and the name of the content property when creating an index for the object data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI VANTARA LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin Isherwood, David Charubini, Alan Bryant
  • Patent number: 10853242
    Abstract: In some examples, a plurality of nodes may each host a respective logical database (LDB) that includes database data that references external resources stored in a storage system. Further, each node may maintain, for each external resource referenced by the respective LDB on that node, a reference count of a number of references in the respective LDB to each external resource and a timestamp associated with the reference count. In response to addition of a reference to a particular external resource in a particular LDB, a node that hosts the particular LDB may be programmed to increment the reference count and update the timestamp for the particular external resource. Similarly, in response to removal of the reference to the particular external resource in the particular LDB, the node hosting the particular LDB is programmed to decrement the reference count and update the timestamp for the particular external resource.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI VANTARA LLC
    Inventors: Alan Bryant, Marty Kulma, Walter Wohler, Robert Cooper
  • Publication number: 20180357333
    Abstract: In some examples, a system may use content classes to manage indexing of object data. A content class may include a set of one or more content properties. Each content property may include a name, an expression for extracting data, and an expression type. When object data is received, such as for indexing, the expression type of each content property may be compared with the data type of the received data. Based at least in part on determining that the expression type matches the data type, the system may extract a data value from the received data in accordance with the expression. The system may save the extracted data value to a data structure in association with the name of the content property, and may subsequently use the data value and the name of the content property when creating an index for the object data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Inventors: Benjamin ISHERWOOD, David CHARUBINI, Alan BRYANT
  • Publication number: 20170249246
    Abstract: In some examples, a plurality of nodes may each host a respective logical database (LDB) that includes database data that references external resources stored in a storage system. Further, each node may maintain, for each external resource referenced by the respective LDB on that node, a reference count of a number of references in the respective LDB to each external resource and a timestamp associated with the reference count. In response to addition of a reference to a particular external resource in a particular LDB, a node that hosts the particular LDB may be programmed to increment the reference count and update the timestamp for the particular external resource. Similarly, in response to removal of the reference to the particular external resource in the particular LDB, the node hosting the particular LDB is programmed to decrement the reference count and update the timestamp for the particular external resource.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Inventors: Alan BRYANT, Marty KULMA, Walter WOHLER, Robert COOPER
  • Patent number: 9223551
    Abstract: A graph is compiled that defines a data flow from input(s) to output(s) for images. The data flow includes one or more filters to be applied to the images. Compiling the graph includes forming an assemblage of kernel invocations for the data flow and forming a mapping between kernel invocations in code for the one or more filters and the assemblage of kernel invocations. For multiple ones of a number of frames of images, code in the one or more filters is executed, data is passed into the assemblage to indicate which execution path in the assemblage should be chosen from among a plurality of possible execution paths for one of the filters, wherein the data is determined using at least the mapping and the executing code, and kernel invocations in the indicated execution path are executed. Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: HERE GLOBAL B.V.
    Inventor: Alan Bryant Heirich
  • Patent number: 9154161
    Abstract: To calculate sequential CRCs, a CRC pipeline may be used to calculate the sequential CRCs for a block of data The CRC pipeline includes a plurality of stages, where, in each subsequent stage a CRC calculated from a previous stage is used to calculate an offset CRC. For example, using at least one CRC calculator and CRC shifter, a stage in the pipeline removes an effect of first portion of the data represented by a previously calculated CRC from the CRC and then adds an effect of a second portion of data neighboring the first portion in a received data block to yield an offset CRC. For example, a stage may change CRC(0:63) to CRC(32:95) by removing the effect of bytes 0:31 and adding the effect of bytes 64:95. At each stage, the byte offset may get smaller until all the sequential CRCs have been calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Alan Bryant, Oded Trainin, Gary Steven Singer
  • Publication number: 20150280741
    Abstract: To calculate sequential CRCs, a CRC pipeline may be used to calculate the sequential CRCs for a block of data The CRC pipeline includes a plurality of stages, where, in each subsequent stage a CRC calculated from a previous stage is used to calculate an offset CRC. For example, using at least one CRC calculator and CRC shifter, a stage in the pipeline removes an effect of first portion of the data represented by a previously calculated CRC from the CRC and then adds an effect of a second portion of data neighboring the first portion in a received data block to yield an offset CRC. For example, a stage may change CRC(0:63) to CRC(32:95) by removing the effect of bytes 0:31 and adding the effect of bytes 64:95. At each stage, the byte offset may get smaller until all the sequential CRCs have been calculated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2014
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Gregory Alan BRYANT, Oded TRAININ, Gary Steven SINGER
  • Patent number: 8387649
    Abstract: A drain for a pressure vessel includes a valve, a knob, a tube, a passageway, and a drain cup. The valve is coupled between an interior surface and an exterior surface of a tank. The knob is coupled to the valve for opening and closing the valve. The tube has a top end and a bottom end and is coupled to the valve at an interior surface of the tank at the top end and extends into a bottom of the tank at the bottom end. The passageway extends through the valve and has an opening coupled to the tube at a first end and an exit at a second end. The passageway is openable and closeable by the knob. The drain cup is associated with the exit of the passageway and is positioned on an exterior surface of the tank for collecting condensation from the interior of the tank. The valve is positioned at a height that is vertically higher than the bottom end of the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Campbell Hausfeld/Scott Fetzer Company
    Inventors: Berlie E. Parks, William Alan Bryant
  • Patent number: 8223149
    Abstract: Soft shadows in computer graphics images are created by rendering the scene from the camera viewpoint and at least one light viewpoint. The positions of scene fragments and light fragments in the scene are stored. For each scene fragment, a frustum is defined between the position of the scene fragment and the light source. Light fragments are evaluated with respect to the frustum to select light fragments blocking light between the light source and the scene fragment. A color or monochromatic shading value is determined for each scene fragment that indicates the amount of light blocked or transmitted by the light fragments. The shading values are then used to alter scene fragments accordingly. Computer graphics images with soft shadows can be created entirely by a graphics processing subsystem or by a graphics processing subsystem in conjunction with a central processing unit using a pipelined, deferred shading approach.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Louis Frederic Bavoil, Alan Bryant Heirich
  • Patent number: 8146329
    Abstract: A surgical cable packaging system and method are provided including, in one aspect, a cable holder having an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper and lower portions may have cooperating structures configured to be coupled together to form an interior space in which the cable is coiled. The cable holder may have an opening through which the cable extends to allow the cable to be removed from the interior space. In another aspect, a method of inserting a surgical cable into a cable holder comprising wrapping the cable around a body portion of a fixture and sliding the cable into an interior space of the cable holder in a coiled configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Pioneer Surgical Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Alan Bryant, Elizabeth E. Nelson, Tim K. Matulewicz
  • Publication number: 20110209776
    Abstract: A drain for a pressure vessel includes a valve, a knob, a tube, a passageway, and a drain cup. The valve is coupled between an interior surface and an exterior surface of a tank. The knob is coupled to the valve for opening and closing the valve. The tube has a top end and a bottom end and is coupled to the valve at an interior surface of the tank at the top end and extends into a bottom of the tank at the bottom end. The passageway extends through the valve and has an opening coupled to the tube at a first end and an exit at a second end. The passageway is openable and closeable by the knob. The drain cup is associated with the exit of the passageway and is positioned on an exterior surface of the tank for collecting condensation from the interior of the tank. The valve is positioned at a height that is vertically higher than the bottom end of the tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Inventors: Berlie E. Parks, William Alan Bryant
  • Publication number: 20100326860
    Abstract: A surgical cable packaging system and method are provided including, in one aspect, a cable holder having an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper and lower portions may have cooperating structures configured to be coupled together to form an interior space in which the cable is coiled. The cable holder may have an opening through which the cable extends to allow the cable to be removed from the interior space. In another aspect, a method of inserting a surgical cable into a cable holder comprising wrapping the cable around a body portion of a fixture and sliding the cable into an interior space of the cable holder in a coiled configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Inventors: Mark Alan Bryant, Elizabeth E. Nelson, Tim K. Matulewicz
  • Publication number: 20100238172
    Abstract: Soft shadows in computer graphics images are created by rendering the scene from the camera viewpoint and at least one light viewpoint. The positions of scene fragments and light fragments in the scene are stored. For each scene fragment, a frustum is defined between the position of the scene fragment and the light source. Light fragments are evaluated with respect to the frustum to select light fragments blocking light between the light source and the scene fragment. A color or monochromatic shading value is determined for each scene fragment that indicates the amount of light blocked or transmitted by the light fragments. The shading values are then used to alter scene fragments accordingly. Computer graphics images with soft shadows can be created entirely by a graphics processing subsystem or by a graphics processing subsystem in conjunction with a central processing unit using a pipelined, deferred shading approach.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Louis Frederic Bavoil, Alan Bryant Heirich
  • Patent number: 7755626
    Abstract: Soft shadows in computer graphics images are created by rendering the scene from the camera viewpoint and at least one light viewpoint. The positions of scene fragments and light fragments in the scene are stored. For each scene fragment, a frustum is defined between the position of the scene fragment and the light source. Light fragments are evaluated with respect to the frustum to select light fragments blocking light between the light source and the scene fragment. A color or monochromatic shading value is determined for each scene fragment that indicates the amount of light blocked or transmitted by the light fragments. The shading values are then used to alter scene fragments accordingly. Computer graphics images with soft shadows can be created entirely by a graphics processing subsystem or by a graphics processing subsystem in conjunction with a central processing unit using a pipelined, deferred shading approach.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Louis Frederic Bavoil, Alan Bryant Heirich
  • Publication number: 20090219288
    Abstract: A development application leverages the programmability of shader execution units in the graphics processing subsystem to make graphics processing subsystem state data accessible to applications executed outside the graphics processing subsystem. The development application modifies shaders to include state output instructions adapted to direct a shader execution unit to copy graphics processing subsystem state data to a location in the computer system that is accessible to applications executed outside of the graphics processing subsystem. Following the execution of the state output instructions, the shader execution unit can be halted or can continue executing the shader. The development application can modify the shader to include state restoration instructions adapted to direct the shader execution unit to set state data of the graphics processing subsystem to previous or new values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2009
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Alan Bryant HEIRICH
  • Patent number: 7548244
    Abstract: A development application leverages the programmability of shader execution units in the graphics processing subsystem to make graphics processing subsystem state data accessible to applications executed outside the graphics processing subsystem. The development application modifies shaders to include state output instructions adapted to direct a shader execution unit to copy graphics processing subsystem state data to a location in the computer system that is accessible to applications executed outside of the graphics processing subsystem. Following the execution of the state output instructions, the shader execution unit can be halted or can continue executing the shader. The development application can modify the shader to include state restoration instructions adapted to direct the shader execution unit to set state data of the graphics processing subsystem to previous or new values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Alan Bryant Heirich
  • Patent number: 7289119
    Abstract: Different rendering techniques are selected for portions of a scene based on statistical estimates of the portions' rendering costs. A scene is partitioned into a bounding volume hierarchy. Each bounding volume includes a statistical model of the spatial distribution of geometric primitives within the bounding volume. An image to be rendered is partitioned into screen regions and each screen region is associated with one or more bounding volumes and their statistical models. The associated statistical models of a screen region are evaluated to estimate the rendering cost, such as the probable number of geometric primitives per pixel, for the screen region. Based on the rendering cost, the screen region is assigned to a dense geometry renderer, such as a ray tracing renderer, or a sparse geometry renderer, such as a rasterization renderer. Rendered screen regions are combined to form a rendered image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Bryant Heirich, Axel Mamode
  • Patent number: 7049027
    Abstract: A battery housing for use with a night vision device. The housing is arranged to carry a single, easily replaceable battery and is carried by an electronic device such as a night vision device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Harrison Lewis Buchanan, Jr., Mark Alan Bryant, Nathan Ray Schlotthober, Raymond Aquero, Lapthe Chau Flora, John Carl Nelson, James Hoge Bowen
  • Publication number: 20040151963
    Abstract: A battery housing for use with a night vision device. The housing is arranged to carry a single, easily replaceable battery and is carried by an electronic device such as a night vision device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Inventors: Harrison Lewis Buchanan, Mark Alan Bryant, Nathan Ray Schlotthober, Raymond Aquero, Lapthe Chau Flora, John Carl Nelson, James Hoge Bowen
  • Patent number: 6081373
    Abstract: A light transmitting device for use in a viewing apparatus or optical device, particularly a night vision device. The device is composed of a material which is capable of transmitting light from a remote source. Light from a visible indicator such as an LED is transferred through at least one outer flat to an inner flat of the device. The inner flat provides a signal to the user that the power supply is low. An additional outer flat and inner flat provides a signal to the user that the infrared illuminator is in operation. A projection formed along the outer periphery of the device prevents rotation and aids in assembling the device in a viewing apparatus. With the light transmitting device, there is no need for a separate device attached to the housing of an optical device for indicating power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Alan Bryant, Paul Thomas Schweitzer, James Hoge Bowen, Roger Douglas Whiddon