Patents by Inventor Alex Dicks
Alex Dicks 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).
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Publication number: 20240119162Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for managing a storage array in a storage system, the storage array comprising a first and second data blocks comprising: receiving a set of cryptographic values from the storage array, the set comprising a first value associated with the first data block, and a second value associated with the second data block; analysing the set of cryptographic values to determine a set of associations, the set of associations comprising a first association between the first data block and the second data block, storing the set of associations; and in response to determining the set of associations, performing a storage management operation on at least one of the first data block and the second data block.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 6, 2022Publication date: April 11, 2024Inventors: Eric John Bartlett, Dominic Tomkins, MILES MULHOLLAND, Alex Dicks
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Patent number: 11893256Abstract: Method and system for partitioning of deduplication domains in storage systems. The method includes constructing a data structure having multiple nodes representing data chunks and edges between the nodes representing a weighting of deduplication references between the data chunks, and performing clustering of the nodes of the data structure to split the nodes into clusters of tightly related nodes based on the weightings of the edges. The data chunks represented by a cluster of nodes are migrated to a deduplication domain to restrict deduplication to between only the data chunks in the deduplication domain.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2020Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Miles Mulholland, Alex Dicks, Dominic Tomkins, Eric John Bartlett
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Publication number: 20230409922Abstract: A method, computer program, and computer system are provided for optimizing storage usage of evolutionary algorithms. One or more instance generations associated with an evolutionary algorithm are executed. Data corresponding to inputs and outputs associated with each of the executed instance generations is identified. One or more survivor generations are determined from among the instance generations based on analyzing a fitness associated with the instance generations. The data corresponding to inputs and outputs associated with the determined survivor generations is prioritized.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 21, 2022Publication date: December 21, 2023Inventors: MILES MULHOLLAND, Eric John Bartlett, Alex Dicks, Dominic Tomkins
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Publication number: 20230385250Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for full allocation volume to deduplication volume migration in a storage system. The method includes moving a physical allocation of stored data associated with a full allocation volume into a virtual address range in a deduplication domain and setting up the deduplication metadata to be a passthrough. The method then performs a background deduplication process on the virtual address range once populated with the physical allocations using a drive query hash interface to perform hash calculations on physical drives at which the data is stored.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 26, 2022Publication date: November 30, 2023Inventors: Dominic Tomkins, MILES MULHOLLAND, Eric John Bartlett, Alex Dicks
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Patent number: 11797208Abstract: A method, computer system, and a computer program product for providing backend deduplication awareness at a virtualizing layer is disclosed. The present invention may include receiving a deduplication information from a backend storage controller associated with performing an input/output (IO) operation to a physical address of a disk. The present invention may include translating the physical address to a logical address to apply to a plurality of storage extents in a virtualizing layer. The present invention may include constructing a graph including corresponding nodes representing the plurality of storage extents and including corresponding deduplication edge weights representing a plurality of deduplications between the plurality of storage extents. The present invention may include identifying at least one subgraph within the constructed graph, wherein the identified at least one subgraph represents a storage extent cluster that is suitable for garbage collection as a cluster.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2021Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Miles Mulholland, Eric John Bartlett, Dominic Tomkins, Alex Dicks
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Publication number: 20230089939Abstract: A method, computer system, and a computer program product for providing backend deduplication awareness at a virtualizing layer is disclosed. The present invention may include receiving a deduplication information from a backend storage controller associated with performing an input/output (IO) operation to a physical address of a disk. The present invention may include translating the physical address to a logical address to apply to a plurality of storage extents in a virtualizing layer. The present invention may include constructing a graph including corresponding nodes representing the plurality of storage extents and including corresponding deduplication edge weights representing a plurality of deduplications between the plurality of storage extents. The present invention may include identifying at least one subgraph within the constructed graph, wherein the identified at least one subgraph represents a storage extent cluster that is suitable for garbage collection as a cluster.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2021Publication date: March 23, 2023Inventors: MILES MULHOLLAND, Eric John Bartlett, Dominic Tomkins, Alex Dicks
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Patent number: 11429495Abstract: A data recovery method recovers corrupted data after a disaster event in a storage facility operating with deduplication in which copies of data are maintained between volumes through a copy services relationship. The deduplication operates with referencing domains, each having a source grain containing a reference pointing to a location where data is stored and referrers pointing to the source. The data recovery method identifies any source that is pointing to data which is corrupt and then establishes whether a copy services relationship exists between the referencing domain of the source with corrupted data and another referencing domain, in which case the other referencing domain will have a copy of the corrupted data. Provided that the copy is valid, it is written across to replace the corrupted data. The method allows corrupted source data to be recovered without having to perform a full resync or restore.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2020Date of Patent: August 30, 2022Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Dominic Tomkins, Eric John Bartlett, Miles Mulholland, Alex Dicks
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Patent number: 11269527Abstract: Concepts for remote storage of data are presented. Once such concept is a system comprising: a primary storage controller; and a secondary storage controller of a remote data storage system. The primary storage controller is configured to determine a service characteristic of data storage to or data retrieval from the remote data storage system and to communicate service performance signals to the secondary storage controller based on the determined service characteristic. The secondary storage controller is configured to receive service performance signals from the primary storage controller, to compare the received service performance signals with a service requirement so as to determine a service comparison result, and to control data storage to or data retrieval from the remote data storage system based on the service comparison result.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2019Date of Patent: March 8, 2022Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Miles Mulholland, Alex Dicks, Dominic Tomkins, Eric John Bartlett
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Patent number: 11226743Abstract: Method and system are provided for managing capacity in a storage system using copy services. The method is a computer-implemented method that predicts an imminent event due to a constrained resource and identifies one or more copy service relationship that will mitigate the imminent event. The method orchestrates a partial or full invalidation of a copy service relationship to reclaim some of the constrained resource to prevent the imminent event, including updating the copy service relationship metadata to indicate the invalidation.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2019Date of Patent: January 18, 2022Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Dominic Tomkins, Miles Mulholland, Eric John Bartlett, Alex Dicks
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Patent number: 11223854Abstract: The problem is solved by a method for broadcasting a broadcast signal, comprising generating an information signal having in time a first content up to a certain time and a second content after this time. The information signal is broadcast as a broadcast signal via a first communication link. At least one first feature is being provided with respect to the second content, for example an advertisement. The second content is detected in the information signal using the at least one first feature. On detection of the second content in the information signal at least one second feature is extracted from the first content in the information signal preceding the second content. The at least one second feature is sent to a user device using a second communication link, different from the first communication link, the second communication link being faster than the first communication link.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2019Date of Patent: January 11, 2022Assignee: TELETRAX B.V.Inventors: Alex Dick Terpstra, Jaap Andre Haitsma, Martijn Maas
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Publication number: 20210286687Abstract: A data recovery method recovers corrupted data after a disaster event in a storage facility operating with deduplication in which copies of data are maintained between volumes through a copy services relationship. The deduplication operates with referencing domains, each having a source grain containing a reference pointing to a location where data is stored and referrers pointing to the source. The data recovery method identifies any source that is pointing to data which is corrupt and then establishes whether a copy services relationship exists between the referencing domain of the source with corrupted data and another referencing domain, in which case the other referencing domain will have a copy of the corrupted data. Provided that the copy is valid, it is written across to replace the corrupted data. The method allows corrupted source data to be recovered without having to perform a full resync or restore.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2020Publication date: September 16, 2021Inventors: Dominic Tomkins, Eric John Bartlett, Miles Mulholland, Alex Dicks
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Publication number: 20210286534Abstract: Method and system for partitioning of deduplication domains in storage systems. The method includes constructing a data structure having multiple nodes representing data chunks and edges between the nodes representing a weighting of deduplication references between the data chunks, and performing clustering of the nodes of the data structure to split the nodes into clusters of tightly related nodes based on the weightings of the edges. The data chunks represented by a cluster of nodes are migrated to a deduplication domain to restrict deduplication to between only the data chunks in the deduplication domain.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 11, 2020Publication date: September 16, 2021Inventors: Miles Mulholland, Alex Dicks, Dominic Tomkins, Eric John Bartlett
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Publication number: 20210064247Abstract: Method and system are provided for managing capacity in a storage system using copy services. The method is a computer-implemented method that predicts an imminent event due to a constrained resource and identifies one or more copy service relationship that will mitigate the imminent event. The method orchestrates a partial or full invalidation of a copy service relationship to reclaim some of the constrained resource to prevent the imminent event, including updating the copy service relationship metadata to indicate the invalidation.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2019Publication date: March 4, 2021Inventors: Dominic Tomkins, Miles Mulholland, Eric John Bartlett, Alex Dicks
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Publication number: 20210042049Abstract: Concepts for remote storage of data are presented. Once such concept is a system comprising: a primary storage controller; and a secondary storage controller of a remote data storage system. The primary storage controller is configured to determine a service characteristic of data storage to or data retrieval from the remote data storage system and to communicate service performance signals to the secondary storage controller based on the determined service characteristic. The secondary storage controller is configured to receive service performance signals from the primary storage controller, to compare the received service performance signals with a service requirement so as to determine a service comparison result, and to control data storage to or data retrieval from the remote data storage system based on the service comparison result.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2019Publication date: February 11, 2021Inventors: Miles Mulholland, Alex Dicks, Dominic Tomkins, Eric John Bartlett
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Publication number: 20200336774Abstract: The problem is solved by a method for broadcasting a broadcast signal, comprising generating an information signal having in time a first content up to a certain time and a second content after this time. The information signal is broadcast as a broadcast signal via a first communication link. At least one first feature is being provided with respect to the second content, for example an advertisement. The second content is detected in the information signal using the at least one first feature. On detection of the second content in the information signal at least one second feature is extracted from the first content in the information signal preceding the second content. The at least one second feature is sent to a user device using a second communication link, different from the first communication link, the second communication link being faster than the first communication link.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2019Publication date: October 22, 2020Inventors: Alex Dick TERPSTRA, Jaap Andre HAITSMA, Martijn MAAS
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Publication number: 20170324700Abstract: A computer-implemented method of automatically adding an identifier related to a content item to a communication in a multi-user communication network such as a social network. The method comprising obtaining a robust fingerprint of the content item, retrieving the identifier from a database using the robust fingerprint, and adding the identifier formatted in a format suitable for the multi-user communication network to the communication. Preferably the robust fingerprint relates to a particular timepoint in the content item and the identifier relates to an aspect of the content item at the particular timepoint. Also a system and computer program product.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 15, 2017Publication date: November 9, 2017Inventor: Alex Dick Terpstra
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Publication number: 20150019653Abstract: A computer-implemented method of automatically adding an identifier related to a content item to a communication in a multi-user communication network such as a social network. The method comprising obtaining a robust fingerprint of the content item, retrieving the identifier from a database using the robust fingerprint, and adding the identifier formatted in a format suitable for the multi-user communication network to the communication. Preferably the robust fingerprint relates to a particular timepoint in the content item and the identifier relates to an aspect of the content item at the particular timepoint. Also a system and computer program product.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 15, 2013Publication date: January 15, 2015Applicant: CIVOLUTION B.V.Inventor: Alex Dick Terpstra
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Publication number: 20140196071Abstract: A device for rendering content from a first source comprising a first input for receiving the content from the first source, a second input for receiving a substitution content item from a second source, a substitution module for substituting a segment of the content with the substitution content item, and rendering means for rendering the content wherein the segment is substituted with the substitution content item. The rendering device has monitoring module for monitoring the reception of the segment, and controlling the substitution module dependent on whether the segment is being received, such that the substitution module ceases the substitution upon failure to receive the segment.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2012Publication date: July 10, 2014Applicant: CIVOLUTION B.V.Inventors: Alex Dick Terpstra, Martijn Maas, Mehmet Utku Celik, Jaap Andre Haitsma
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Publication number: 20140059591Abstract: The problem is solved by a method for broadcasting a broadcast signal, comprising generating an information signal having in time a first content up to a certain time and a second content after this time. The information signal is broadcast as a broadcast signal via a first communication link At least one first feature is being provided with respect to the second content, for example an advertisement. The second content is detected in the information signal using the at least one first feature. On detection of the second content in the information signal at least one second feature is extracted from the first content in the information signal preceding the second content.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 21, 2012Publication date: February 27, 2014Applicant: CIVOLUTION B.V.Inventors: Alex Dick Terpstra, Jaap André Haitsma, Martijn Maas