Patents by Inventor Douglas Smith

Douglas Smith 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: 8549360
    Abstract: Generation of diagnostic information of a computer-implemented system is made early so that the data is closer to the causation of errors or for performance analysis. At least one selected activity of the system is monitored from initiation of the activity, and the monitoring is for successful completion. Early collection of diagnostic information is provided by comparing the time of the activity without successful completion to an initial trigger, where the initial trigger is less than the time period for a time-out for the activity. If the time of the activity without successful completion exceeds the initial trigger, diagnostic information is collected and an initial dump of the diagnostic information is taken. In one example, a notification that the dump of diagnostic information has been taken is directed to the host or diagnostic terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joel Leslie Masser, David Charles Reed, Max Douglas Smith
  • Patent number: 8539184
    Abstract: A method to dynamically adjust the amount of free space in a storage group is disclosed herein. In certain embodiments, such a method may include monitoring the amount of free space in an active storage group. The method may further include maintaining an overflow storage group containing unused volumes. When the free space in the active storage group falls below a lower threshold value, the method may automatically move a volume from the overflow storage group to the active storage group. Conversely, when the free space in the active storage group exceeds an upper threshold value, the method may automatically transfer data from a volume in the active storage group to other volumes in the active storage group, and move the volume from the active storage group to the overflow storage group. A corresponding computer program product and apparatus are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kyle Barret Dudgeon, Dustin A. Helak, David Charles Reed, Esteban Rios, Max Douglas Smith
  • Publication number: 20130237190
    Abstract: A method and apparatus provides for user authentication. In an example, the method and apparatus includes receiving a selected signal strength for smart card emulation authentication. The method and apparatus also includes receiving a signal from a portable wireless device radio transceiver. The method also includes measuring the signal strength of the signal. The method and apparatus also includes, if the signal is at or above the selected signal strength, transmitting one or more signals to the portable radio device radio transceiver requesting user authentication, and if the signal is not at or above a selected signal strength, refusing a request to authenticate by the portable radio device radio transceiver. The method and apparatus also includes receiving one or more authentication response signals from the portable radio device in response to the request for user authentication, the one or more response signals including at least authentication information unique to a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: ENTRUST, INC.
    Inventors: Clayton Douglas Smith, Lindsay Martin Kent
  • Publication number: 20130228296
    Abstract: A window security screen and latch assembly are disclosed. The window security screen includes a screen frame, an infill attached to the screen frame and a latch assembly attached to the screen frame. The latch assembly includes a latch housing, a locking pin extending through the latch housing and through a side of the screen frame to establish a locked position, and a latch release disposed within the latch housing. The latch release is biased to prevent the locking pin from moving from the locked position in the absence of an external force applied to the latch release, the locking pin being movable between the locked position and an unlocked position when the external force is applied to the latch release.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: HARMONY PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventors: Douglas SMITH, Scott BEVERIDGE, Christopher GEESEY
  • Patent number: 8527551
    Abstract: A data structure maintained in a computational device stores how many control areas splits have occurred to store a data set, wherein each control area split causes an addition of a single new control area. A command is received to add a new data record to the data set. A determination is made as to whether adding the new data record to the data set will result in a threshold for control area splits to be exceeded. In response to determining that adding the new data record to the data set will result in the threshold for control area splits to be exceeded, creating at least two new control areas in addition to continuing to use one existing control area for storing the data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas Lee Lehr, Franklin Emmert McCune, David Charles Reed, Max Douglas Smith
  • Patent number: 8516233
    Abstract: A method dynamically determines the contents of a Boot Logical Volume from within a System Management Service menu. Responsive to receiving the scan request, a system dynamically scans a root volume group to identify special files associated with the various base operating systems stored on the boot logical volumes of the root volume group. The system then maps the files to a specific operating systems version, and presents a list of the available operating systems on the various boot logical volumes to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Mark Douglas Smith
  • Patent number: 8516009
    Abstract: A data structure maintained in a computational device stores how many control areas splits have occurred to store a data set, wherein each control area split causes an addition of a single new control area. A command is received to add a new data record to the data set. A determination is made as to whether adding the new data record to the data set will result in a threshold for control area splits to be exceeded. In response to determining that adding the new data record to the data set will result in the threshold for control area splits to be exceeded, creating at least two new control areas in addition to continuing to use one existing control area for storing the data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas Lee Lehr, Franklin Emmert McCune, David Charles Reed, Max Douglas Smith
  • Patent number: 8514108
    Abstract: According to an exemplary embodiment, a serializer includes upper and lower shift registers configured to perform a load function where parallel input data is loaded from a parallel input bus and a shift function where the parallel input data is shifted to an output register. The upper shift register is configured to perform the load function while the lower shift register performs the shift function, and the lower shift register is configured to perform the load function while the upper shift register performs the shift function. An output register is configured to alternately receive the parallel input data from the upper shift register and the parallel input data from the lower shift register. The upper and lower shift registers and the output register can comprise scan flip-flops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Hua-Feng Chen, Karthik Chandrasekharan, Ramamurthy Gorti, Gregory Djaja, Douglas Smith
  • Patent number: 8516010
    Abstract: A data structure maintained in a computational device stores how many control areas splits have occurred to store a data set, wherein each control area split causes an addition of a single new control area. A command is received to add a new data record to the data set. A determination is made as to whether adding the new data record to the data set will result in a threshold for control area splits to be exceeded. In response to determining that adding the new data record to the data set will result in the threshold for control area splits to be exceeded, creating at least two new control areas in addition to continuing to use one existing control area for storing the data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas Lee Lehr, Franklin Emmert McCune, David Charles Reed, Max Douglas Smith
  • Patent number: 8495029
    Abstract: A plurality of catalogs are maintained, and wherein each catalog of the plurality of catalogs includes data sets and attributes of the data sets. An indication that a new data set is to be defined is received. A selected catalog is determined from the plurality of catalogs, wherein the selected catalog is suitable for including the new data set and attributes of the new data set. An entry that indicates a data set name corresponding to the new data set and an index to the selected catalog is inserted in a group table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas Lee Lehr, Franklin Emmert McCune, David Charles Reed, Max Douglas Smith
  • Patent number: 8453123
    Abstract: Method, system, and computer program product embodiments of a time-based trace facility for facilitating software debugging without interfering with the run-time behavior, performance or resource usage of the traced software are provided. The trace facility resides in a different address space than the target address space and uses different time-slices of CPU resources to execute the instructions in the address spaces. The trace facility uses a cross-memory mode to read the state data from the target address space in accordance with a time schedule. The trace facility writes the state data to a trace area, which may be located in either the target or trace address spaces or external storage. With this approach, the trace facility can read a large amount of state data frequently to construct the type of historical record needed to analysis run-time behavior, performance and resource usage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joel Leslie Masser, David Charles Reed, Max Douglas Smith
  • Patent number: 8447940
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for performing a backup operation in a computing environment is provided. A dataset corresponding to a backup copy is examined to determine if the dataset has changed from a previous backup operation. If the dataset has not changed, a backup inventory registry is consulted to determine a current version of a backup copy. The current version is one of a plurality of available versions. The backup operation is performed using the current version of the backup copy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David Charles Reed, Max Douglas Smith, Thaiese Nicole Trader, Robin Lea Ursery
  • Patent number: 8443228
    Abstract: A central hub is coupled to a plurality of computational devices. The central hub stores a data structure that grants locks for accessing common data stored at the central hub, wherein the common data is shared by the plurality of computational devices. Each computational device maintains locally those locks that are held by the computational device in the data structure stored at the central hub. In response to a failure of the data structure stored at the central hub, a selected computational device of the plurality of computational devices is determined to be a manager system. Other computational devices besides the manager system communicate to the manager system all locks held by the other computational devices in the data structure stored at the central hub. The data structure and the common data are generated and stored at the manager system. Transactions are performed with respect to the data structure stored at the manager system, until the data structure stored at the central hub is operational.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas Lee Lehr, Franklin Emmert McCune, David Charles Reed, Max Douglas Smith
  • Patent number: 8429091
    Abstract: Systems and methods for the display and navigation of a social network or set forth. According to one embodiment a method comprising identifying a first profile in a social network, identifying associated profiles associated with the first profile, ranking the associated profiles, wherein ranking is not based exclusively on a degree of separation, and outputting the associated profiles based at least in part on the ranking is set forth. According to another embodiment a method comprising identifying a user profile, identifying a member profile, determining an association path for the user profile and the member profile, and outputting the association path is set forth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Orkut Buyukkokten, Adam Douglas Smith
  • Patent number: 8423505
    Abstract: A method for reorganizing a catalog to improve I/O performance includes initially placing a shared lock on a source catalog. The method then makes a point-in-time copy of the source catalog to generate a target catalog. Once the target catalog is generated, the method reorganizes the contents of the target catalog. Optionally, while reorganizing the contents of the target catalog, the method temporarily releases the shared lock on the source catalog and mirrors I/O intended for the source catalog to a buffer. The buffered I/O may then be used to update the target catalog to bring it current with the source catalog. When the target catalog is reorganized and up-to-date, the method upgrades the shared lock on the source catalog to an exclusive lock, overwrites the source catalog with the target catalog, and releases the exclusive lock. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also disclosed and claimed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Philip R. Chauvet, David Charles Reed, Michael Robert Scott, Max Douglas Smith
  • Patent number: 8408407
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a railcar coupler knuckle, said method includes providing a cope mold portion and a drag mold portion. The cope and drag mold portions have internal walls that define at least in part perimeter boundaries of a coupler knuckle mold cavity. At least one chill core is positioned within one of the cope mold portion and the drag mold portion. The cope and drag mold portions are closed, with the at least one core therebetween, and the closed cope and drag mold portions and the chill core define a parting line. The mold cavity is filled with a molten metal, which solidifies after filling to form a casting. The casting includes a pulling face portion defined by the chill core, and a central section of the pulling face portion does not contain the parting line and requires no finish grinding upon its formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Bedloe Industries LLC
    Inventors: F. Andrew Nibouar, Douglas Smith, Jerry R. Smerecky
  • Patent number: 8381185
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for analyzing code paths. In one embodiment, a starting point for one or more code paths within a listing of code is specified. The starting point may include code from which one or more code paths flow. An ending point is also specified for one or more code paths within the code, wherein the ending point includes code that is reachable via one or more of the code paths flowing from the starting point. Each code path flowing from the starting point to the ending point is determined by analyzing the listing of code without execution of the code. Information about the determined code paths is provided to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Neil Everett Bohling, Douglas Lee Lehr, David Charles Reed, Max Douglas Smith
  • Publication number: 20130041303
    Abstract: A junctional and truncal tourniquet and a hip-girdling pelvic sling device for maintaining a desired amount of tension surrounding a person's hips and pelvis to securely support and stabilize a pelvis that has been fractured and for securing a pressure applying device to a person so that blood vessel-occluding pressure can be applied. Areas of mating types of fastener material such as mating hook-bearing fastener material and loop pile fastener material are arranged on the device to enable a strap to be secured at various effective lengths to provide a wide range of adjustability. The device may include inflatable bladders, stays, and a chin support and may be wrapped around a patient's neck as a cervical support collar, or around the torso to occlude blood vessels proximal to an injury on a limb.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2012
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: The Seaburg Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Lance David Hopman, Lane Michael Johnson, Stephen C. Melia, Mark Douglas Smith, Adrian Abram Polliack
  • Patent number: 8370405
    Abstract: A method for identifying records of variable length within a data block containing corrupted data is disclosed herein. In certain embodiments, such a method may include scanning backward from an end of a data block containing variable-length records. The backward scan may proceed, one record at a time, to identify a first span of good (i.e., non-corrupt) records. The method may further include scanning forward from a front of the data block, also proceeding one record at a time, to identify a second span of good records. The method may include identifying a problem region by identifying data that resides between the first span and the second span. The method may also include creating a new record between the first span and the second span that contains the problem region. A corresponding computer program product, apparatus, and system are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Vincent Malinowski, David Charles Reed, Jeffrey Thomas Sheridan, Max Douglas Smith
  • Publication number: 20130010669
    Abstract: A method for multicast load balancing in a wireless network having a plurality of access points. The method includes setting a maximum Internet protocol multicast bandwidth for the access points, receiving an admissions control request from a client at one of the access points, and determining whether the admissions control request from the client is for an admitted or unadmitted multicast stream at the access point. The access point is responsive to the admissions control request for the admitted multicast stream by servicing the admitted multicast stream and to the admissions control request for the unadmitted multicast stream by servicing the unadmitted multicast stream where the bandwidth required for the unadmitted multicast stream, plus that portion of the access point bandwidth currently used for all existing downlink multicast streams, does not exceed the maximum internet protocol multicast bandwidth for the access point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Inventors: Robert C. MEIER, Stuart Norman, Douglas A. Smith, Nancy Cam Winget