Patents by Inventor Benjamin R. Grimes

Benjamin R. Grimes 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).

  • System using an OS inaccessible interrupt handler to reset the OS when a device driver failed to set a register bit indicating OS hang condition
    Patent number: 6505298
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for providing a reset after an operating system (OS) hang condition in a computer system, the computer system including an interrupt handler not accessible by the OS. The method includes determining if an interrupt has been generated by a watchdog timer; monitoring for an OS hang condition by the interrupt handler if the interrupt has been generated and after it is known that the OS is operating; and resetting the OS if a device driver within the OS has not set a bit in a register, the bit for indicating that the OS is operating. The method and system in accordance with the present invention uses existing hardware and software within a computer system to reset the OS. The present invention uses a method by which a critical hardware watchdog periodically wakes a critical interrupt handler of the computer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher D. Cerbini, Scott N. Dunham, Benjamin R. Grimes, Edward S. Suffern