Patents by Inventor F. Foster
F. Foster 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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Patent number: 11923004Abstract: A system and method of storing and reading digital data, including providing a nanopore polymer memory (NPM) device having at least one memory cell comprising at least two addition chambers each arranged to add a unique chemical construct (or codes) to a polymer (or DNA) string when the polymer enters the respective addition chamber, the data comprising a series of codes; successively steering the polymer from deblock chambers through the nanopore into the addition chambers to add codes to the polymer to create the digital data pattern on the polymer; and accurately controlling the bit rate of the polymer using a servo controller. The device may have loading chamber(s) to load (or remove) the polymer into/from the deblock chambers through at least one “micro-hole”. The cell may be part of a memory system that stores and retrieves “raw” data and allows for remote retrieval and conversion. The cell may store multi-bit data having a plurality of states for the codes.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2023Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: IRIDIA, INC.Inventors: Paul F. Predki, John Stuart Foster
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Patent number: 11087270Abstract: A limited number of items are identified as high-theft items and RFID tags are added to only units of high-theft items. At periodic times during a day, a mobile scanner is taken to each area of a store that contains high-theft items and the mobile scanner is used to read signals from the RFID tags of only the units of high-theft items and thereby generate a periodic inventory count of the high-theft items. The periodic inventory counts for each high-theft item are then electronically stored.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2015Date of Patent: August 10, 2021Assignee: Target Brands, Inc.Inventor: Robert F. Foster
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Patent number: 10002004Abstract: In a stream computing application shutdown, a shutdown message is received by a source operator of the stream computing application. In response, the source operator stops acquiring data from external sources, sends any cached data to an output queue of the source operator, sends the shutdown message to the output queue of the source operator, and sends the cached data and shutdown message to an input queue of another operator in the stream computing application. The source operator then terminates. In response to receiving the shutdown message, the other operator completes the processing of data in its input queue and sends any outputs from the processing of the data in its input queue to one or more output destinations. The other operator then terminates. In this manner, a stream computing application may be shut down while ensuring that any already inputted data is processed to completion, thus avoiding data loss.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2016Date of Patent: June 19, 2018Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventor: Kevin F. Foster
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Publication number: 20170344382Abstract: In a stream computing application shutdown, a shutdown message is received by a source operator of the stream computing application. In response, the source operator stops acquiring data from external sources, sends any cached data to an output queue of the source operator, sends the shutdown message to the output queue of the source operator, and sends the cached data and shutdown message to an input queue of another operator in the stream computing application. The source operator then terminates. In response to receiving the shutdown message, the other operator completes the processing of data in its input queue and sends any outputs from the processing of the data in its input queue to one or more output destinations. The other operator then terminates. In this manner, a stream computing application may be shut down while ensuring that any already inputted data is processed to completion, thus avoiding data loss.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 26, 2016Publication date: November 30, 2017Inventor: Kevin F. FOSTER
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Patent number: 9665626Abstract: A method for sorting and merging data from at least two sources may include providing a multi-state merge of queues from a first input queue and a second input queue to a merged output, responsive to states of the first and second input queues, setting the state of the first input queue; preventing merging of the first input queue with the non-empty second input queue while the state of the first input queue is empty waiting; and merging the first input queue with the non-empty second input queue responsive to the state of the first input queue being active or ignore, or the wait duration time being exceeded, or in response to a startup command.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2016Date of Patent: May 30, 2017Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventor: Kevin F. Foster
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Patent number: 9606732Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product to verify serialization of storage frames within an address space via multi-threaded programs is described. The method includes dynamically scaling a number of units of work based on a number of available processors, each of the units of work configured to execute actions, and dynamically scaling an amount and page size of virtual storage accessed by each of the units of work based on a total available memory. The method also includes obtaining, at each of the units of work, different types of storage pages and accessing storage pages corresponding with the respective different types of virtual storage pages associated with the different frame sizes and attributes and performing a respective action, and verifying, for each of the units of work performing the respective action, a state and data content of the storage pages.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2014Date of Patent: March 28, 2017Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Alfred F. Foster, Charles E. Mari, Robert Miller, Jr., Harris M. Morgenstern, Thomas F. Rankin, Elpida Tzortzatos
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Publication number: 20160371619Abstract: A system includes a counting subsystem that maintains a count of visitors currently in a location having aisles and an alert subsystem that monitors the count and that issues an alert to employees in the location in response to the count exceeding a threshold, wherein the alert instructs employees to remove obstacles from the aisles.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 17, 2015Publication date: December 22, 2016Inventor: Robert F. Foster
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Patent number: 9519430Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product to verify management of real storage via multi-threaded thrashers in multiple address spaces are described. The method includes dynamically scaling a number of units of work and a number of address spaces based on a number of available processors and dynamically scaling an amount and page size of storage pages representing virtual storage accessed by each of the number of units of work based on a total available memory. The method also includes obtaining, at each of the units of work, different types of storage frame sizes and attributes, accessing the storage pages corresponding with the respective different types of storage frame sizes and attributes and performing a respective function, and verifying, for each of the units of work performing the respective function, a location of the storage pages and content of the storage pages based on the respective function.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2014Date of Patent: December 13, 2016Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Alfred F. Foster, Robert Miller, Jr., Thomas F. Rankin
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Patent number: 9465736Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product to verify management of real storage via multi-threaded thrashers in multiple address spaces are described. The method includes dynamically scaling a number of units of work and a number of address spaces based on a number of available processors and dynamically scaling an amount and page size of storage pages representing virtual storage accessed by each of the number of units of work based on a total available memory. The method also includes obtaining, at each of the units of work, different types of storage frame sizes and attributes, accessing the storage pages corresponding with the respective different types of storage frame sizes and attributes and performing a respective function, and verifying, for each of the units of work performing the respective function, a location of the storage pages and content of the storage pages based on the respective function.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2016Date of Patent: October 11, 2016Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Alfred F. Foster, Robert Miller, Jr., Thomas F. Rankin
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Publication number: 20160203077Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product to verify management of real storage via multi-threaded thrashers in multiple address spaces are described. The method includes dynamically scaling a number of units of work and a number of address spaces based on a number of available processors and dynamically scaling an amount and page size of storage pages representing virtual storage accessed by each of the number of units of work based on a total available memory. The method also includes obtaining, at each of the units of work, different types of storage frame sizes and attributes, accessing the storage pages corresponding with the respective different types of storage frame sizes and attributes and performing a respective function, and verifying, for each of the units of work performing the respective function, a location of the storage pages and content of the storage pages based on the respective function.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2016Publication date: July 14, 2016Inventors: Alfred F. Foster, Robert Miller, JR., Thomas F. Rankin
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Publication number: 20150347037Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product to verify management of real storage via multi-threaded thrashers in multiple address spaces are described. The method includes dynamically scaling a number of units of work and a number of address spaces based on a number of available processors and dynamically scaling an amount and page size of storage pages representing virtual storage accessed by each of the number of units of work based on a total available memory. The method also includes obtaining, at each of the units of work, different types of storage frame sizes and attributes, accessing the storage pages corresponding with the respective different types of storage frame sizes and attributes and performing a respective function, and verifying, for each of the units of work performing the respective function, a location of the storage pages and content of the storage pages based on the respective function.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 28, 2014Publication date: December 3, 2015Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alfred F. Foster, Robert Miller, JR., Thomas F. Rankin
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Publication number: 20150347021Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product to verify serialization of storage frames within an address space via multi-threaded programs is described. The method includes dynamically scaling a number of units of work based on a number of available processors, each of the units of work configured to execute actions, and dynamically scaling an amount and page size of virtual storage accessed by each of the units of work based on a total available memory. The method also includes obtaining, at each of the units of work, different types of storage pages and accessing storage pages corresponding with the respective different types of virtual storage pages associated with the different frame sizes and attributes and performing a respective action, and verifying, for each of the units of work performing the respective action, a state and data content of the storage pages.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 28, 2014Publication date: December 3, 2015Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alfred F. Foster, Charles E. Mari, Robert Miller, JR., Harris M. Morgenstern, Thomas F. Rankin, Elpida Tzortzatos
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Patent number: 9185359Abstract: A status of each camera in a plurality of facilities is requested and is stored in memory. Cameras in different facilities are grouped and for each group, a measure of a quantity of cameras in the group that are not operational is determined based on the status stored for each camera. A user interface is generated that recommends moving all cameras in a group to a new location in each respective facility if the measure of the quantity of cameras that are not operational in the group exceeds a threshold.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2013Date of Patent: November 10, 2015Assignee: Target Brands, Inc.Inventors: Christopher Michael McGee, Robert F. Foster
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Patent number: 9171448Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes receiving a structure signal strength for a signal generated by a tag on a structure and receiving a product signal strength for a signal generated by a tag on a product. An indication that the product is positioned near the structure based on the received structure signal strength and the received product signal strength is then stored in memory.Type: GrantFiled: June 11, 2014Date of Patent: October 27, 2015Assignee: Target Brands, Inc.Inventor: Robert F. Foster
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Patent number: 9164915Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure include a method for reserving large pages in a large frame area (LFAREA) of a main memory. The method includes pre-scanning a plurality of storage increments and counting a number of available large pages that are online and issuing a message that indicates the number of available large pages. The method also includes receiving and parsing an LFAREA request including a target number of large pages to be reserved. The method further includes calculating an optimal number of large pages to be reserved, based upon the target number of available pages and a system limit. The method includes determining if the LFAREA request is valid and if the LFAREA request can be satisfied and scanning the plurality of the storage increments and reserving the optimal number of pages in the LFAREA.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2013Date of Patent: October 20, 2015Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alfred F. Foster, David Hom, Charles E. Mari, Matthew J. Mauriello, Robert Miller, Jr., Mariama Ndoye, Scott B. Tuttle, Elpida Tzortzatos
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Patent number: 9153109Abstract: A cover for a mobile device includes an engaging portion for engaging an exterior surface of the mobile device to secure the cover to the mobile device, a back protective panel for protecting a back surface of the mobile device and at least one wall extending from an interior side of the back protective panel and contacting the back surface of the mobile device. A theft-detection device capable of generating a signal in response to passing through a field is positioned on the interior side of the back protective panel such that a height of the theft-detection device is less than a height of the at least one wall.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 2014Date of Patent: October 6, 2015Assignee: TARGET BRANDS, INC.Inventors: Robert F. Foster, Lew Price, Stacy L. Abel
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Patent number: 9031872Abstract: A merchandising unit has a merchandise support unit supporting items for sale and an electronic sign. The electronic sign displays a price for correctly stocked items on the merchandise support unit, detects incorrectly stocked items on the merchandise support unit, retrieves a price for the incorrectly stocked items, and alters display information so that the price for the correctly stocked items and the price for the incorrectly stocked items are displayed.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2013Date of Patent: May 12, 2015Assignee: Target Brands, Inc.Inventor: Robert F. Foster
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Patent number: 8966220Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure include a method for optimizing large page processing. The method includes receiving an indication that a real memory includes a first page. The first page includes a plurality of smaller pages. The method also includes determining a page frame table entry associated with a first smaller page of the first page and storing data associated with the first page in the page frame table entry associated with the first smaller page. The page frame table entry associated with the first smaller page of the first page is a data repository for the plurality of smaller pages of the first page.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2013Date of Patent: February 24, 2015Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alfred F. Foster, David Horn, Charles E. Mari, Matthew J. Mauriello, Robert Miller, Jr., Mariama Ndoye, Scott B. Tuttle, Elpida Tzortzatos
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Patent number: 8936676Abstract: An aqueous liquid solution containing soluble salts of coloring metals—particularly manganese and ferric iron along with a sugar source and fulvic and/or humic acid can be readily applied to galvanized metal surfaces impart a natural color tone to such surfaces. In this manner the visibility manmade structures like fences and guardrails is quickly and easily reduced and readily blended into the natural background. The liquid solution can be readily sprayed on galvanized surfaces. When the ambient temperature is warm natural color will develop two-three weeks.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2011Date of Patent: January 20, 2015Assignee: Foster-Gardner, Inc.Inventors: Edward F. Foster, Thomas T. Yamashita, Brian M. Hardin
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Patent number: 8918617Abstract: Embodiments relate to methods, systems and computer program products for defragmenting storage class memory by comparing a utilization rate of the storage class memory to a threshold value. If the utilization rate of the storage class memory is greater than the threshold value, the potentially wasted storage space is then compared to the combined storage capacity of the unclaimed extents of the storage class memory. If the potentially wasted storage space is greater than the combined storage capacity of the unclaimed extents of the storage class memory, a determination is made whether a defragmentation was recently performed. Based on determining that the defragmentation was not recently performed, or that it was recently performed and was productive, performing a defragmentation of the storage class memory.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2012Date of Patent: December 23, 2014Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Christopher G. Brooker, Alfred F. Foster, Charles E. Mari, Robert Miller, Jr., Harris M. Morgenstern, Walter W. Otto, Steven M. Partlow, Thomas F. Rankin, Scott B. Tuttle, Elpida Tzortzatos