Patents by Inventor Glen A. Brent

Glen A. Brent 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: 5619713
    Abstract: A processor functioning as a coprocessor attached to a central processing complex provides efficient execution of the functions required for database processing: sorting, merging, joining, searching and manipulating fields in a host memory system. The specialized functional units: a memory interface and field extractor/assembler, a Predicate Evaluator, a combined sort/merge/join unit, a hasher, and a microcoded control processor, are all centered around a partitioned Working Store. Each functional unit is pipelined and optimized according to the function it performs, and executes its portion of the query efficiently. All functional units execute simultaneously under the control processor to achieve the desired results. Many different database functions can be performed by chaining simple operations together. The processor can effectively replace the CPU bound portions of complex database operations with functions that run at the maximum memory access rate improving performance on complex queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1997
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard I. Baum, Glen A. Brent, Donald H. Gibson, David B. Lindquist
  • Patent number: 5590362
    Abstract: A processor functioning as a coprocessor attached to a central processing complex provides efficient execution of the functions required for database processing: sorting, merging, joining, searching and manipulating fields in a host memory system. The specialized functional units: a memory interface and field extractor/assembler, a Predicate Evaluator, a combined sort/merge/join unit, a hasher, and a microcoded control processor, are all centered around a partitioned Working Store. Each functional unit is pipelined and optimized according to the function it performs, and executes its portion of the query efficiently. All functional units execute simultaneously under the control processor to achieve the desired results. Many different database functions can be performed by chaining simple operations together. The processor can effectively replace the CPU bound portions of complex database operations with functions that run at the maximum memory access rate improving performance on complex queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1996
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard I. Baum, Glen A. Brent, Donald H. Gibson, David B. Lindquist
  • Patent number: 5548769
    Abstract: A processor functioning as a coprocessor attached to a central processing complex provides efficient execution of the functions required for database processing: sorting, merging, joining, searching and manipulating fields in a host memory system. The specialized functional units: a memory interface and field extractor/assembler, a Predicate Evaluator, a combined sort/merge/join unit, a hasher, and a microcoded control processor, are all centered around a partitioned Working Store. Each functional unit is pipelined and optimized according to the function it performs, and executes its portion of the query efficiently. All functional units execute simultaneously under the control processor to achieve the desired results. Many different database functions can be performed by chaining simple operations together. The processor can effectively replace the CPU bound portions of complex database operations with functions that run at the maximum memory access rate improving performance on complex queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard I. Baum, Glen A. Brent, Donald H. Gibson, David B. Lindquist
  • Patent number: 5537603
    Abstract: A processor functioning as a coprocessor attached to a central processing complex provides efficient execution of the functions required for database processing: sorting, merging, joining, searching and manipulating fields in a host memory system. The specialized functional units: a memory interface and field extractor/assembler, a Predicate Evaluator, a combined sort/merge/join unit, a hasher, and a microcoded control processor, are all centered around a partitioned Working Store. Each functional unit is pipelined and optimized according to the function it performs, and executes its portion of the query efficiently. All functional units execute simultaneously under the control processor to achieve the desired results. Many different database functions can be performed by chaining simple operations together. The processor can effectively replace the CPU bound portions of complex database operations with functions that run at the maximum memory access rate improving performance on complex queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard I. Baum, Glen A. Brent, Donald H. Gibson, David B. Lindquist
  • Patent number: 5537604
    Abstract: A processor functioning as a coprocessor attached to a central processing complex provides efficient execution of the functions required for database processing: sorting, merging, joining, searching and manipulating fields in a host memory system. The specialized. functional units: a memory interface and field extractor/assembler, a Predicate Evaluator, a combined sort/merge/join unit, a hasher, and a microcoded control processor, are all centered around a partitioned Working Store. Each functional unit is pipelined and optimized according to the function it performs, and executes its portion of the query efficiently. All functional units execute simultaneously under the control processor to achieve the desired results. Many different database functions can be performed by chaining simple operations together. The processor can effectively replace the CPU bound portions of complex database operations with functions that run at the maximum memory access rate improving performance on complex queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard I. Baum, Glen A. Brent, Donald H. Gibson, David B. Lindquist
  • Patent number: 5537622
    Abstract: A processor functioning as a coprocessor attached to a central processing complex provides efficient execution of the functions required for database processing: sorting, merging, joining, searching and manipulating fields in a host memory system. The specialized functional units: a memory interface and field extractor/assembler, a Predicate Evaluator, a combined sort/merge/join unit, a hasher, and a microcoded control processor, are all centered around a partitioned Working Store. Each functional unit is pipelined and optimized according to the function it performs, and executes its portion of the query efficiently. All functional units execute simultaneously under the control processor to achieve the desired results. Many different database functions can be performed by chaining simple operations together. The processor can effectively replace the CPU bound portions of complex database operations with functions that run at the maximum memory access rate improving performance on complex queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard I. Baum, Glen A. Brent, Donald H. Gibson, David B. Lindquist
  • Patent number: 5530883
    Abstract: A processor functioning as a coprocessor attached to a central processing complex provides efficient execution of the functions required for database processing: sorting, merging, joining, searching and manipulating fields in a host memory system. The specialized functional units: a memory interface and field extractor/assembler, a Predicate Evaluator, a combined sort/merge/join unit, a hasher, and a microcoded control processor, are all centered around a partitioned Working Store. Each functional unit is pipelined and optimized according to the function it performs, and executes its portion of the query efficiently. All functional units execute simultaneously under the control processor to achieve the desired results. Many different database functions can be performed by chaining simple operations together. The processor can effectively replace the CPU bound portions of complex database operations with functions that run at the maximum memory access rate improving performance on complex queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1996
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard I. Baum, Glen A. Brent, Donald H. Gibson, David B. Lindquist
  • Patent number: 5495614
    Abstract: A control process which enables a non-supervisory "using program" (e.g. application programs) to directly interface one or more shared asynchronous hardware facilities in a computer system. Any using program may request the operating system (OS) to set up a "special environment" with an AHF during which the using program can directly issue requests to the AHF for its services. The OS sets up a session for the using program having the "special environment", which specifies restrictions on storage accesses by the AHF for accesses made on behalf of the using program--to insure system data integrity. These restrictions are not changeable by the using program. The "special environment" exists until the session is ended by the using program or by a terminating condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1996
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glen A. Brent, Thomas J. Dewkett, Casper A. Scalzi
  • Patent number: 5459864
    Abstract: Provides load balancing, recovery and reconfiguration control for a data move subsystem comprised of a plurality of interconnected and cooperating data move processors (DMPs). Each DMP processor has an associated queue for receiving queue elements (QEs) from central processing units of a data processing system which specify data move requirements of the data processing system. QEs can be transferred between queues of other DMPs or a common queue to achieve load balancing, recovery and reconfiguration control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1995
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glen A. Brent, Thomas J. Dewkett, Christine R. Panner, Casper A. Scalzi
  • Patent number: 5442802
    Abstract: Virtual addressing is available to a co-processor to asynchronously control the movement of multiple page units of data between different locations in the same or a different media, e.g. main store (MS) and expanded store (ES), or both may be in ES, or both may be in MS. The co-processor controls the asynchronous page movement in parallel with continuing execution of other instructions by the central processor (CP) which requested the page movement. Each page to be moved is specified by an MSB (Move Specification Block). A set of MSBs are addressed by a special type of channel control word (CCW) in a channel program containing one or more CCWs, some of which may address one or more sets of MSBs (one MSB set per CCW) to control the movement of any number of pages. The CPU executes a special ADM SSCH (start subchannel) instruction that passes the page move work to the co-processor to perform the requested page transfer involving one or more sets of MSBs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1995
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glen A. Brent, Thomas J. Dewkett, David B. Lindquist, Casper A. Scalzi
  • Patent number: 5388244
    Abstract: Logical erasure is done for a virtual page unit of storage in a virtual-page-initialization process (even though the data content of a backing page frame is not physically erased). Pre-initialization controls are associated with each virtual page by a pre-initialization field in each page table entry (PTE). The pre-initialization controls operate differently for fetches and stores within the address translation process. Both fetches and stores test for a pre-initialization state in an F field in the PTE to control if and when any backing page frame can be accessed. While the F field bit is set to its pre-initialization state, no erasure writing is done in any backing page frame for a fetch or full-page store operation. An optional form identifier (form#) field is associated with the pre-initialization state field. The form# field content identifies one of plural form functions or form page frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1995
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glen A. Brent, Casper A. Scalzi
  • Patent number: 5377337
    Abstract: Provides a software-to-software interface and a software-to-hardware interface between software users and a hardware ADM facility (ADMF) in a data processing system. Such software user presents only virtual addresses to the software-to-software interface in a MSB list. The user list defines virtual address spaces, including a "hiperspace", in a manner that represents physical backing media as different random-access electronic storages, such main storage (MS) and expanded storage (ES). The real data transfers are within or between the backing storages. The user list is transformed into an ADM operation block (AOB), which is assigned an ADM UCB in a UCB queue which is associated with an ADM subchannel. The software-to-hardware interface generates an ORB, containing the AOB address, as an operand of a SSCB instruction which is executed to queue the associated subchannel onto one of plural co-processor queues in the ADMF.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1994
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James Antognini, Glen A. Brent, Thomas E. Cook, Thomas J. Dewkett, Joseph C. Elliott, Francis E. Johnson, Casper A. Scalzi, Kenneth R. Veraska, Joseph A. Williams, Harry M. Yudenfriend
  • Patent number: 5307485
    Abstract: A system and method for merging a plurality of sorted lists using multiple processors having access to a common memory in which N sorted lists which may exceed the capacity of the common memory are merged in a parallel environment. Sorted lists from a storage device are loaded into common memory and are divided into a number of tasks equal to the number of available processors. The records assigned to each task are separately sorted, and used to form a single sorted list. A multi-processing environment takes advantage of its organization during the creation of the tasks, as well as during the actual sorting of the tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1994
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Frank G. Bordonaro, Glen A. Brent, Roger J. Edwards, Joel Goldman, David B. Lindquist, Kushal A. Patel, Peyton R. Williams, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5210870
    Abstract: A processor functioning as a coprocessor attached to a central processing complex provides efficient execution of the functions required for database processing: sorting, merging, joining, searching and manipulating fields in a host memory system. The specialized functional units: a memory interface and field extractor/assembler, a Predicate Evaluator, a combined sort/merge/join unit, a hasher, and a microcoded control processor, are all centered around a partitioned Working Store. Each functional unit is pipelined and optimized according to the function it performs, and executes its portion of the query efficiently. All functional units execute simultaneously under the control processor to achieve the desired results. Many different database functions can be performed by chaining simple operations together. The processor can effectively replace the CPU bound portions of complex database operations with functions that run at the maximum memory access rate improving performance on complex queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1993
    Assignee: International Business Machines
    Inventors: Richard I. Baum, Glen A. Brent, Donald H. Gibson, David B. Lindquist