Patents by Inventor Eldee Stephens

Eldee Stephens 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).

  • Publication number: 20130191703
    Abstract: Dynamic graduated memory device protection in redundant array of independent memory (RAIM) systems that include a plurality of memory devices is provided. A first severity level of a first failing memory device in the plurality of memory devices is determined. The first failing memory device is associated with an identifier used to communicate a location of the first failing memory device to an error correction code (ECC). A second severity level of a second failing memory device in the plurality of memory devices is determined. It is determined that the second severity level is higher than the first severity level. The identifier from the first failing memory device is removed based on determining that the second severity level is higher than the first severity level. The identifier is applied to the second failing memory device based on determining that the second severity level is higher than the first severity level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Patrick J. Meaney, William J. Clarke, Eldee Stephens, Judy S. Johnson
  • Patent number: 8484529
    Abstract: Error correction and detection in a redundant memory system that includes a memory controller; a plurality of memory channels in communication with the memory controller, the memory channels including a plurality of memory devices; a cyclical redundancy code (CRC) mechanism for detecting that one of the memory channels has failed, and for marking the memory channel as a failing memory channel; and an error correction code (ECC) mechanism. The ECC is configured for ignoring the marked memory channel and for detecting and correcting additional memory device failures on memory devices located on one or more of the other memory channels, thereby allowing the memory system to continue to run unimpaired in the presence of the memory channel failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Luiz C. Alves, Luis A. Lastras-Montano, Patrick J. Meaney, Eldee Stephens, Lisa C. Gower
  • Patent number: 8271932
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for verifying a RAIM/ECC design using a hierarchical injection scheme that includes selecting marks for generating an error mask, selecting a fixed bit mask based on the selected marks, determining whether to inject errors into at least one of a marked channel and at least one marked chip of a channel; and randomly injecting errors into the at least one of the marked channel and the at least one marked chip when determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Dean G. Bair, Patrick J. Meaney, Luis A. Lastras-Montano, Alia D. Shah, Eldee Stephens
  • Publication number: 20120198309
    Abstract: Correcting memory device (chip) and memory channel failures in the presence of known memory device failures. A memory channel failure is located and corrected, or alternatively up to c chip failures are corrected and up to d chip failures are detected in the presence of up to u chips that are marked as suspect. A first stage of decoding is performed that results in recovering an estimate of correctable errors affecting the data or in declaring an uncorrectable error state. When an uncorrectable error state is declared, a second stage of decoding is performed to attempt to correct u erasures and a channel error in M iterations where the channel location is changed in each iteration. A correctable error is declared in response to exactly one of the M iterations being successful.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2011
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Luiz C. Alves, Luis A. Lastras-Montano, Patrick J. Meaney, Eldee Stephens, Barry M. Trager
  • Publication number: 20120173936
    Abstract: Marking memory chips as faulty when a fault is detected in data from the memory chip. Upon detecting that a plurality of memory chips are faulty, determining which of a plurality of memory channels contains the faulty memory chips. Marking one of a plurality of memory channels as failing in response to determining that the number of failing memory chips has exceeded a threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Judy S. Johnson, Luis A. Lastras-Montano, Patrick J. Meaney, Eldee Stephens
  • Publication number: 20110320869
    Abstract: Providing homogeneous recovery in a redundant memory system that includes a memory controller, a plurality of memory channels in communication with the memory controller, an error detection code mechanism configured for detecting a failing memory channel, and an error recovery mechanism. The error recovery mechanism is configured for receiving notification of the failing memory channel, for blocking off new operations from starting on the memory channels, for completing any pending operations on the memory channels, for performing a recovery operation on the memory channels and for starting the new operations on at least a first subset of the memory channels. The memory system is capable of operating with the first subset of the memory channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kevin C. Gower, Lisa C. Gower, Luis A. Lastras-Montano, Patrick J. Meaney, Vesselina K. Papazova, Eldee Stephens
  • Publication number: 20110320914
    Abstract: Error correction and detection in a redundant memory system that includes a memory controller; a plurality of memory channels in communication with the memory controller, the memory channels including a plurality of memory devices; a cyclical redundancy code (CRC) mechanism for detecting that one of the memory channels has failed, and for marking the memory channel as a failing memory channel; and an error correction code (ECC) mechanism. The ECC is configured for ignoring the marked memory channel and for detecting and correcting additional memory device failures on memory devices located on one or more of the other memory channels, thereby allowing the memory system to continue to run unimpaired in the presence of the memory channel failure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Luiz C. Alves, Kevin C. Gower, Lisa C. Gower, Luis A. Lastras-Montano, Patrick J. Meaney, Eldee Stephens
  • Publication number: 20110320918
    Abstract: Error correction and detection in a redundant memory system including a a computer implemented method that includes receiving data including error correction code (ECC) bits, the receiving from a plurality of channels, each channel comprising a plurality of memory devices at memory device locations. The method also includes computing syndromes of the data; receiving a channel identifier of one of the channels; and removing a contribution of data received on the channel from the computed syndromes, the removing resulting in channel adjusted syndromes. The channel adjusted syndromes are decoded resulting in channel adjusted memory device locations of failing memory devices, the channel adjusted memory device locations corresponding to memory device locations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Luis C. Alves, Luis A. Lastras-Montano, Patrick J. Meaney, Eldee Stephens, Barry M. Trager
  • Publication number: 20110320872
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for verifying a RAIM/ECC design using a hierarchical injection scheme that includes selecting marks for generating an error mask, selecting a fixed bit mask based on the selected marks, determining whether to inject errors into at least one of a marked channel and at least one marked chip of a channel; and randomly injecting errors into the at least one of the marked channel and the at least one marked chip when determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dean G. Bair, Patrick J. Meaney, Luis A. Lastras-Montano, Alia D. Shah, Eldee Stephens
  • Publication number: 20110320864
    Abstract: Providing heterogeneous recovery in a redundant memory system that includes a memory controller, a plurality of memory channels in communication with the memory controller, an error detection code mechanism configured for detecting a failing memory channel, and an error recovery mechanism. The error recovery mechanism is configured for receiving notification of the failing memory channel, for performing a recovery operation on the failing memory channel while other memory channels are performing normal system operations, for bringing the recovered channel back into operational mode with the other memory channels for store operations, for continuing to mark the recovered channel to guard against stale data, for removing any stale data after the recovery operation is complete, and for removing the mark on the recovered channel to allow the normal system operations with all of the memory channels, the removing in response to the removing any stale data being complete.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kevin C. Gower, Lisa C. Gower, Luis A. Lastras-Montano, Patrick J. Meaney, Vesselina K. Papazova, Eldee Stephens