Patents by Inventor Gary Ross Ricard
Gary Ross Ricard 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: 8548984Abstract: Disclosed are an apparatus, method, and program product which each provide an enhanced database engine. Access to precise values is provided while permitting unfettered access to those who are not interested in precise values. This is accomplished via an enhanced database index and indexing method. The entries of the database index are normalized to exclude precision. Individuals interested in precision can then specify precision as part of their query through use of a PRECISE keyword. Results are then filtered to account for the specified precision.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2012Date of Patent: October 1, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Gary Ross Ricard, William Jon Schmidt
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Patent number: 8544065Abstract: A method and apparatus provide data security on a parallel computer system using virtual private networks. An access setup mechanism sets up access control data in the nodes that describes which virtual networks are protected and what applications have access to the protected private networks. When an application accesses data on a protected virtual network, a network access mechanism determines the data is protected and intercepts the data access. The network access mechanism in the kernel may also execute a rule depending on the kind of access that was attempted to the virtual network. Authorized access to the private networks can be made via a system call to the access control mechanism in the kernel. The access control mechanism enforces policy decisions on which data can be distributed through the system via an access control list or other security policies.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2008Date of Patent: September 24, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Charles Jens Archer, Amanda Peters, Gary Ross Ricard, Albert Sidelnik, Brian Edward Smith
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Patent number: 8407515Abstract: A method and apparatus for transparently handling recurring correctable errors and uncorrectable errors in a mirrored memory system prevents costly system shutdowns for correctable memory errors or system failures from uncorrectable memory errors. When a high number of correctable errors are detected for a given memory location, a memory relocation mechanism in the hypervisor moves the data associated with the memory location to an alternate physical memory location transparently to the partition such that the partition has no knowledge that the physical memory actualizing the memory location has been changed. When a correctable error occurs, the memory relocation mechanism uses data from a partner mirrored memory block as a data source for the memory block with the uncorrectable error and then relocates the data to a newly allocated memory block to replace the memory block with the uncorrectable error.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2008Date of Patent: March 26, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Peter Joseph Heyrman, Naresh Nayar, Gary Ross Ricard
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Patent number: 8255639Abstract: A method and apparatus for transparently handling recurring correctable errors to prevent costly system shutdowns for correctable memory errors or system failures from uncorrectable memory errors. When a high number of correctable errors are detected for a given memory location, the hypervisor moves the data associated with the memory location to an alternate physical memory location transparently to the partition such that the partition has no knowledge that the physical memory actualizing the memory location has been changed. Similarly, the hypervisor can move direct memory access (DMA) memory locations using an I/O translation table.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2008Date of Patent: August 28, 2012Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Peter Joseph Heyrman, Naresh Nayar, Gary Ross Ricard
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Publication number: 20120143846Abstract: Disclosed are an apparatus, method, and program product which each provide an enhanced database engine. Access to precise values is provided while permitting unfettered access to those who are not interested in precise values. This is accomplished via an enhanced database index and indexing method. The entries of the database index are normalized to exclude precision. Individuals interested in precision can then specify precision as part of their query through use of a PRECISE keyword. Results are then filtered to account for the specified precision.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2012Publication date: June 7, 2012Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Gary Ross Ricard, William Jon Schmidt
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Patent number: 8141089Abstract: A soft lock mechanism controls access by multiple processes to a shared resource to make simultaneous access an unlikely event, while not necessarily preventing simultaneous access. Preferably, the soft lock contains a next_free_time field, specifying when the soft lock will next be available, and a lock_duration, specifying a sufficiently long interval for most accesses to the resource to complete. The lock is obtained by comparing the current time to next_free_time. If the current time is later than next_free_time, then the lock is obtained immediately, and next_free_time is updated to the current time plus lock_duration. If the current time is before next_free_time, then next_free_time is incremented by lock_duration, and the requesting process waits until the old next_free_time to obtain the lock. No action is required to release the lock.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2007Date of Patent: March 20, 2012Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Michael J. Corrigan, Gary Ross Ricard, Timothy Joseph Torzewski
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Patent number: 8131709Abstract: Disclosed are an apparatus, method, and program product which each provide an enhanced database engine. Access to precise values is provided while permitting unfettered access to those who are not interested in precise values. This is accomplished via an enhanced database index and indexing method. The entries of the database index are normalized to exclude precision. Individuals interested in precision can then specify precision as part of their query through use of a PRECISE keyword. Results are then filtered to account for the specified precision.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2005Date of Patent: March 6, 2012Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Gary Ross Ricard, William Jon Schmidt
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Patent number: 8090704Abstract: An apparatus and method retrieves a database record from an in-memory database of a parallel computer system using a non-unique key. The parallel computer system performs a simultaneous search on each node of the computer system using the non-unique key and then utilizes a global combining network to combine the local results from the searches of each node to efficiently and quickly search the entire database.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2007Date of Patent: January 3, 2012Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Charles Jens Archer, Amanda Peters, Gary Ross Ricard, Albert Sidelnik, Brian Edward Smith
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Patent number: 7783627Abstract: An apparatus and method retrieves a database record from an in-memory database of a parallel computer system using a unique key. The parallel computer system performs a simultaneous search on each node of the computer system using the unique key and then utilizes a global combining network to combine the results from the searches of each node to efficiently and quickly search the entire database.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2007Date of Patent: August 24, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Charles Jens Archer, Amanda Peters, Gary Ross Ricard, Albert Sidelnik, Brian Edward Smith
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Publication number: 20090282210Abstract: A method and apparatus for transparently handling recurring correctable errors to prevent costly system shutdowns for correctable memory errors or system failures from uncorrectable memory errors. When a high number of correctable errors are detected for a given memory location, the hypervisor moves the data associated with the memory location to an alternate physical memory location transparently to the partition such that the partition has no knowledge that the physical memory actualizing the memory location has been changed. Similarly, the hypervisor can move direct memory access (DMA) memory locations using an I/O translation table.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2008Publication date: November 12, 2009Inventors: Peter Joseph Heyrman, Naresh Nayar, Gary Ross Ricard
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Publication number: 20090282300Abstract: A method and apparatus for transparently handling recurring correctable errors and uncorrectable errors in a mirrored memory system prevents costly system shutdowns for correctable memory errors or system failures from uncorrectable memory errors. When a high number of correctable errors are detected for a given memory location, a memory relocation mechanism in the hypervisor moves the data associated with the memory location to an alternate physical memory location transparently to the partition such that the partition has no knowledge that the physical memory actualizing the memory location has been changed. When a correctable error occurs, the memory relocation mechanism uses data from a partner mirrored memory block as a data source for the memory block with the uncorrectable error and then relocates the data to a newly allocated memory block to replace the memory block with the uncorrectable error.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2008Publication date: November 12, 2009Inventors: Peter Joseph Heyrman, Naresh Nayar, Gary Ross Ricard
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Publication number: 20090187984Abstract: A method and apparatus provide data security on a parallel computer system using virtual private networks. An access setup mechanism sets up access control data in the nodes that describes which virtual networks are protected and what applications have access to the protected private networks. When an application accesses data on a protected virtual network, a network access mechanism determines the data is protected and intercepts the data access. The network access mechanism in the kernel may also execute a rule depending on the kind of access that was attempted to the virtual network. Authorized access to the private networks can be made via a system call to the access control mechanism in the kernel. The access control mechanism enforces policy decisions on which data can be distributed through the system via an access control list or other security policies.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 23, 2008Publication date: July 23, 2009Inventors: Charles Jens Archer, Amanda Peters, Gary Ross Ricard, Albert Sidelnik, Brian Edward Smith
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Patent number: 7558547Abstract: A radio receiver includes a voice-only detection mechanism that detects when the current radio station is transmitting mostly voice, and that changes the function of the receiver depending on whether or not the current radio station is transmitting mostly voice. In a first embodiment, the radio receiver mutes its audio output when the voice-only detection mechanism detects a voice broadcast, or mutes its audio output when the voice-only detection mechanism detects a music broadcast. In a second embodiment, the radio receiver changes to a different radio station when a voice-only signal is detected, or when a music signal is detected. The second embodiment preferably includes a spectrum analyzer that can store a frequency spectrum “signature” of a radio signal, and a second tuner that scans the available radio stations for a signal that matches the stored signature.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2005Date of Patent: July 7, 2009Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Gary Ross Ricard, James William Bonalumi
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Publication number: 20090037377Abstract: An apparatus and method retrieves a database record from an in-memory database of a parallel computer system using a non-unique key. The parallel computer system performs a simultaneous search on each node of the computer system using the non-unique key and then utilizes a global combining network to combine the local results from the searches of each node to efficiently and quickly search the entire database.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 30, 2007Publication date: February 5, 2009Inventors: Charles Jens Archer, Amanda Peters, Gary Ross Ricard, Albert Sidelnik, Brian Edward Smith
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Publication number: 20090037376Abstract: An apparatus and method retrieves a database record from an in-memory database of a parallel computer system using a unique key. The parallel computer system performs a simultaneous search on each node of the computer system using the unique key and then utilizes a global combining network to combine the results from the searches of each node to efficiently and quickly search the entire database.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 30, 2007Publication date: February 5, 2009Inventors: Charles Jens Archer, Amanda Peters, Gary Ross Ricard, Albert Sidelnik, Brian Edward Smith
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Patent number: 7487065Abstract: Exemplary methods, systems, and products are described for executing an overall quantity of data processing within an overall processing period that include executing repeatedly through a series of iterations a portion of the overall quantity of data processing that can be completed in a set processing period, wherein each iteration includes the set processing period and a variable delay period and calculating the variable delay period for an iteration in dependence upon the set processing period, a portion of the overall quantity of data processing performed during the set processing period of the iteration, the overall quantity of data processing, and the overall processing period.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2004Date of Patent: February 3, 2009Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Troy David Armstrong, Naresh Nayar, Gary Ross Ricard
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Publication number: 20080268802Abstract: A radio receiver includes a voice-only detection mechanism that detects when the current radio station is transmitting mostly voice, and that changes the function of the receiver depending on whether or not the current radio station is transmitting mostly voice. In a first embodiment, the radio receiver mutes its audio output when the voice-only detection mechanism detects a voice broadcast, or mutes its audio output when the voice-only detection mechanism detects a music broadcast. In a second embodiment, the radio receiver changes to a different radio station when a voice-only signal is detected, or when a music signal is detected. The second embodiment preferably includes a spectrum analyzer that can store a frequency spectrum “signature” of a radio signal, and a second tuner that scans the available radio stations for a signal that matches the stored signature.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 15, 2008Publication date: October 30, 2008Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Gary Ross Ricard, James William Bonalumi
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Publication number: 20080172670Abstract: A soft lock mechanism controls access by multiple processes to a shared resource to make simultaneous access an unlikely event, while not necessarily preventing simultaneous access. Preferably, the soft lock contains a next_free_time field, specifying when the soft lock will next be available, and a lock_duration, specifying a sufficiently long interval for most accesses to the resource to complete. The lock is obtained by comparing the current time to next_free_time. If the current time is later than next_free_time, then the lock is obtained immediately, and next_free_time is updated to the current time plus lock_duration. If the current time is before next_free_time, then next_free_time is incremented by lock_duration, and the requesting process waits until the old next_free_time to obtain the lock. No action is required to release the lock.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 11, 2007Publication date: July 17, 2008Inventors: Michael J. Corrigan, Gary Ross Ricard, Timothy Joseph Torzewski
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Patent number: 7275180Abstract: Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for replacement of a failing processor of a multi-processor system running at least one operating system are provided. In contrast to the prior art, the replacement may be performed by system firmware without intervention by the operating system (i.e., the replacement may be transparent to the operating system). For some embodiments, the multi-processor system may be logically partitioned and the methods may be utilized to replace one or more shared or dedicated processors assigned to a logical partition, transparent to an operating system running on the partition.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2003Date of Patent: September 25, 2007Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: William Joseph Armstrong, Naresh Nayar, Gary Ross Ricard
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Patent number: 7209920Abstract: A flux indicator is utilized as a low-overhead consistency check for a shared resource such as a data structure, and provides a mechanism for determining both whether a data structure has or is currently in the process of being modified. In connection with attempts to modify the data structure, the flux indicator is updated from a first state to a second state prior to modifying the data structure, and thereafter updated to a third state after modifying the data structure, Copies of the flux indicator are then obtained both before and after attempting to obtain a copy of data from the data structure. The validity of the copy of the data is ensured when the first copy of the flux indicator does not indicate that the data structure is in the progress of being modified and the first and second copies of the flux indicator have the same state.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2003Date of Patent: April 24, 2007Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Chad Allen Olstad, David Finian Owen, Gary Ross Ricard