Patents by Inventor Daniel Charles Birkestrand
Daniel Charles Birkestrand 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: 8135795Abstract: Method, apparatus and article of manufacture for on-demand access to computerized resources. A resource-time value includes a resource-identifying component and a usage limit component. The resource-identifying component specifies a given type of a resource and the usage limit component defines a maximum allowable usage value of the resource on the basis of time and quantity. Upon verifying the resource-time value, a quantity of the resource is enabled. The enabled resources may then be placed into service for specified time periods, wherein the quantity of resources placed into service and the time periods are delimited by the usage limit component.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2003Date of Patent: March 13, 2012Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Randall Lane Grimm, David Otto Lewis, Terry Lyle Schardt
-
Patent number: 8074223Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, determine whether an amount of usage of a resource, which is used under a temporary usage plan, exceeds a threshold. If that determination is true, a quantity of the resource is calculated and that quantity is converted from the temporary usage plan to a permanent usage plan, without further charge to the customer. In another embodiment, a different resource may be converted to the permanent usage plan than the resource that was temporarily used. In various embodiments, the calculation of the quantity is made based on an attribute of the computer that uses the resource or based on an activation code received from the provider of the resource. In various embodiments, the amount of the usage is either a time amount of use or a monetary amount charged for the resource under the temporary usage plan.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2005Date of Patent: December 6, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventor: Daniel Charles Birkestrand
-
Patent number: 8074225Abstract: A capacity manager provides temporary resources on demand in a manner that assures the temporary resources may be recovered when the specified resource-time expires. Access to minimum resource specifications corresponding to the logical partitions is controlled to prevent the sum of all minimum resource specifications from exceeding the base resources on the system. By assuring the sum of minimum resource specifications for all logical partitions is satisfied by the base resources on the system, the temporary resources may always be recovered when required.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2008Date of Patent: December 6, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Terry Lyle Schardt
-
Patent number: 7958218Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method for determining unreturned standby resource usage. Unreturned standby resource data is monitored and stored separately from other standby resource data for billing and other accounting purposes.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2008Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Randall Lane Grimm, David Otto Lewis, Terry Lyle Schardt
-
Patent number: 7627506Abstract: An apparatus and method provides the capability of metering temporary capacity on demand in a computer system. A resource-time is specified, such as processor-days. The actual usage of the resource is monitored, and the customer is charged for only the actual usage of the resource. In this manner a customer may purchase a specified resource-time, and is only charged for the time that the resource is actually used. The preferred embodiments extend to metering temporary capacity on demand in a logically partitioned computer system. If a resource is shared, the actual usage of the resource is monitored, and the customer is only billed for actual usage that exceeds a predetermined non-zero threshold.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2003Date of Patent: December 1, 2009Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Randall Lane Grimm, David Otto Lewis, Terry Lyle Schardt
-
Patent number: 7594231Abstract: A capacity manager provides temporary resources on demand in a manner that assures the temporary resources may be recovered when the specified resource-time expires. Access to minimum resource specifications corresponding to the logical partitions is controlled to prevent the sum of all minimum resource specifications from exceeding the base resources on the system. By assuring the sum of minimum resource specifications for all logical partitions is satisfied by the base resources on the system, the temporary resources may always be recovered when required.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2003Date of Patent: September 22, 2009Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Terry Lyle Schardt
-
Patent number: 7574507Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method for determining unreturned standby resource usage. Unreturned standby resource data is monitored and stored separately from other standby resource data for billing and other accounting purposes.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2007Date of Patent: August 11, 2009Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Randall Lane Grimm, David Otto Lewis, Terry Lyle Schardt
-
Publication number: 20080244609Abstract: A capacity manager provides temporary resources on demand in a manner that assures the temporary resources may be recovered when the specified resource-time expires. Access to minimum resource specifications corresponding to the logical partitions is controlled to prevent the sum of all minimum resource specifications from exceeding the base resources on the system. By assuring the sum of minimum resource specifications for all logical partitions is satisfied by the base resources on the system, the temporary resources may always be recovered when required.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2008Publication date: October 2, 2008Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Terry Lyle Schardt
-
Publication number: 20080228644Abstract: An apparatus and method provides the capability of metering temporary capacity on demand in a computer system. A resource-time is specified, such as processor-days. The actual usage of the resource is monitored, and the customer is charged for only the actual usage of the resource. In this manner a customer may purchase a specified resource-time, and is only charged for the time that the resource is actually used. The preferred embodiments extend to metering temporary capacity on demand in a logically partitioned computer system. If a resource is shared, the actual usage of the resource is monitored, and the customer is only billed for actual usage that exceeds a predetermined non-zero threshold.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2008Publication date: September 18, 2008Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Randall Lane Grimm, David Otto Lewis, Terry Lyle Schardt
-
Patent number: 7395334Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method for determining unreturned standby resource usage. Unreturned standby resource data is monitored and stored separately from other standby resource data for billing and other accounting purposes.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2003Date of Patent: July 1, 2008Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Randall Lane Grimm, David Otto Lewis, Terry Lyle Schardt
-
Publication number: 20040236852Abstract: Method, apparatus and article of manufacture for on-demand access to computerized resources. A resource-time value includes a resource-identifying component and a usage limit component. The resource-identifying component specifies a given type of a resource and the usage limit component defines a maximum allowable usage value of the resource on the basis of time and quantity. Upon verifying the resource-time value, a quantity of the resource is enabled. The enabled resources may then be placed into service for specified time periods, wherein the quantity of resources placed into service and the time periods are delimited by the usage limit component.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 3, 2003Publication date: November 25, 2004Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Randall Lane Grimm, David Otto Lewis, Terry Lyle Schardt
-
Publication number: 20040215569Abstract: Method, apparatus and article of manufacture for ensuring the uniqueness and non-alterability of vital product data (VPD) of computerized apparatus. To protect the vital product data from undesired alterations, the data is stored in a secure, write-protected location. A copy (or copies) of the VPD may also be stored elsewhere to facilitate recovery in the event the primary copy is lost, corrupted or invalid.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2003Publication date: October 28, 2004Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Salim Ahmed Agha, Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Stephen Mark Igel, David Otto Lewis
-
Publication number: 20040215774Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method for determining unreturned standby resource usage. Unreturned standby resource data is monitored and stored separately from other standby resource data for billing and other accounting purposes.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 25, 2003Publication date: October 28, 2004Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Randall Lane Grimm, David Otto Lewis, Terry Lyle Schardt
-
Publication number: 20040199473Abstract: Method, apparatus and article of manufacture for on-demand access to computerized resources. A resource-time value includes a resource-identifying component and a usage limit component. The resource-identifying component specifies a given type of a resource and the usage limit component defines a maximum allowable usage value of the resource on the basis of time and quantity. Upon verifying the resource-time value, a quantity of the resource is enabled. The enabled resources may then be placed into service for specified time periods, wherein the quantity of resources placed into service and the time periods are delimited by the usage limit component.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 3, 2003Publication date: October 7, 2004Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel Charles Birkestrand, Randall Lane Grimm, David Otto Lewis, Terry Lyle Schardt