Patents by Inventor Jeffrey Joel Walls

Jeffrey Joel Walls 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: 7430623
    Abstract: A system for buffering data received from a network comprises a network socket, a plurality of buffers, a buffer pointer pool, receive logic, and packet delivery logic. The buffer pointer pool has a plurality of entries respectively pointing to the buffers. The receive logic is configured to pull an entry from the pool and to perform a bulk read of the network socket. The entry points to one of the buffers, and the receive logic is further configured to store data from the bulk read to the one buffer based on the entry. The packet delivery logic is configured to read, based on the entry, the one buffer and to locate a missing packet sequence in response to a determination, by the packet delivery logic, that the one buffer is storing an incomplete packet sequence. The packet delivery logic is further configured to form a complete packet sequence based on the incomplete packet sequence and the missing packet sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T Hamilton
  • Patent number: 7425962
    Abstract: Illustrated and described embodiments are broadly directed to novel systems and methods for generating a composite video signal from a plurality of independent video signals. In accordance with one embodiment, a method is provided for swapping from a secondary frame buffer of one of the plurality of computers. This synchnonization is performed by embedding a validity code having a first value in an overscan line of the video signal before beginning the swap and embedding a validity code having a second in the overscan line of the video signal after the swap is complete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Byron Alan Alcorn, Donley Byron Hoffman, Jeffrey Joel Walls
  • Patent number: 7373408
    Abstract: A network communication apparatus comprises an application, a plurality of communication sessions, a transport manager, and buffer logic. The application is configured to initiate a session request specifying a set of receiving units and a transport protocol. The transport manager is configured to allocate at least one of the communication sessions to the application in response to the session request. The transport manager is further configured to provide a session identifier that identifies the allocated session. The transport manager configures, based on the session request, the allocated session to communicate with the specified set of receiving units via the specified protocol. The buffer logic is configured to store data produced by the application into the shared memory accessible to each of the communication sessions and to associate the stored data with the session identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T Hamilton
  • Patent number: 7319670
    Abstract: An apparatus for transmitting to a network comprises a queue, packetization logic, interface logic, and queue logic. The packetization logic is configured to packetize data into a plurality of data packets and to store, to the queue, entries pointing to the data packets. The interface logic is configured to read the entries from the queue. The interface logic, for each of the read entries, is configured to retrieve one of the packets pointed to by the read entry and to transmit the retrieved packet to a network socket. The queue logic is configured to limit, based on a number of retransmission requests detected by the queue logic, a number of entries that the packetization logic may store to the queue during a particular time period thereby controlling a transmission rate of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T Hamilton
  • Patent number: 7298755
    Abstract: An apparatus for communicating with a network comprises a data packet pipeline and a monitoring element. The data packet pipeline is configured to transfer data between a buffer and a network socket. The monitoring element is configured to provide an indication of an operational performance parameter for at least one component of the data packet pipeline thereby enabling an operational problem within the pipeline may be isolated based on the indication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T Hamilton
  • Patent number: 7233573
    Abstract: An apparatus for receiving data from a network comprises a network interface and logic. The network interface is configured to receive a sequence of data packets from a network. The logic is configured to detect when a data packet is missing from the sequence. The logic is configured to initiate at least one retransmission of the missing data packet via a first transport protocol. The logic is further configured to initiate another retransmission of the missing data packet via a second transport protocol in response to a determination that an attempt to access the missing data packet is imminent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T. Hamilton
  • Patent number: 6914607
    Abstract: A data buffering apparatus comprises a plurality of sessions and buffer logic. The plurality of session are respectively associated with session identifiers. Each of the sessions is configured to identify entries in a queue having the session's associated identifier and to pull, from the queue, the identified entries. Each of the sessions is further configured to retrieve data from the buffers pointed to by the identified entries that have the session's associated identifier. The buffer logic is configured to store a set of data to one of a plurality of buffers. The buffer logic is further configured to store, in the queue, for each expected retrieval of the set of data from the one buffer by the sessions, an entry that points to the one buffer and has a different session identifier associated with a different one of the sessions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T. Hamilton
  • Patent number: 6847366
    Abstract: A system for rendering graphical data utilizes a plurality of graphics pipelines, a first process, and a second process. Each of the plurality of graphics pipelines is configured to render graphical data. The first process is configured to receive three-dimensional (3D) graphics commands from a graphics application and to receive input commands from a user input device. The first process is configured to buffer the received 3D graphics commands and to execute the received input commands, and the first process, for each of the buffered 3D graphics commands, is configured to begin processing a newly received command upon buffering the 3D graphics command. The second process is configured to interface the buffered graphics commands with each of the plurality of pipelines, wherein execution of the user input command affects an object defined by the graphics application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2005
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Donley Byron Hoffman
  • Publication number: 20040160451
    Abstract: A data buffering apparatus comprises a plurality of sessions and buffer logic. The plurality of session are respectively associated with session identifiers. Each of the sessions is configured to identify entries in a queue having the session's associated identifier and to pull, from the queue, the identified entries. Each of the sessions is further configured to retrieve data from the buffers pointed to by the identified entries that have the session's associated identifier. The buffer logic is configured to store a set of data to one of a plurality of buffers. The buffer logic is further configured to store, in the queue, for each expected retrieval of the set of data from the one buffer by the sessions, an entry that points to the one buffer and has a different session identifier associated with a different one of the sessions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Publication date: August 19, 2004
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T. Hamilton
  • Publication number: 20040156378
    Abstract: A network communication apparatus comprises an application, a plurality of communication sessions, a transport manager, and buffer logic. The application is configured to initiate a session request specifying a set of receiving units and a transport protocol. The transport manager is configured to allocate at least one of the communication sessions to the application in response to the session request. The transport manager is further configured to provide a session identifier that identifies the allocated session. The transport manager configures, based on the session request, the allocated session to communicate with the specified set of receiving units via the specified protocol. The buffer logic is configured to store data produced by the application into the shared memory accessible to each of the communication sessions and to associate the stored data with the session identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T. Hamilton
  • Publication number: 20040156392
    Abstract: A transmitting apparatus comprises a plurality of communication sessions and a transport manager. The transport manager is configured to establish and manage network sockets for communicating between the transmitting apparatus and a network. The transport manager is configured to receive a plurality of session requests respectively corresponding with a plurality of applications that produce data, each of the session requests identifying a respective set of receiving units and a respective transport protocol. The transport manager is configured to select, in response to each one of the session requests, at least one of the sessions to service a corresponding one of the applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T. Hamilton
  • Publication number: 20040156366
    Abstract: An apparatus for receiving data from a network comprises a network interface and logic. The network interface is configured to receive a sequence of data packets from a network. The logic is configured to detect when a data packet is missing from the sequence. The logic is configured to initiate at least one retransmission of the missing data packet via a first transport protocol. The logic is further configured to initiate another retransmission of the missing data packet via a second transport protocol in response to a determination that an attempt to access the missing data packet is imminent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T. Hamilton
  • Publication number: 20040158754
    Abstract: An apparatus for communicating with a network comprises a queue and logic. The queue has at least one entry stored therein. The at least one entry respectively points to at least one data packet. The logic is configured to read the at least one entry from the queue and to retrieve the at least one data packet based on the at least one entry. The logic is configured to transition to a sleep state based on a determination that a new entry for reading, by the logic, from the queue is unavailable for a specified amount of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T. Hamilton
  • Publication number: 20040156363
    Abstract: An apparatus for communicating with a network comprises a data packet pipeline and a monitoring element. The data packet pipeline is configured to transfer data between a buffer and a network socket. The monitoring element is configured to provide an indication of an operational performance parameter for at least one component of the data packet pipeline thereby enabling an operational problem within the pipeline may be isolated based on the indication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T. Hamilton
  • Publication number: 20040156379
    Abstract: A system for buffering data received from a network comprises a network socket, a plurality of buffers, a buffer pointer pool, receive logic, and packet delivery logic. The buffer pointer pool has a plurality of entries respectively pointing to the buffers. The receive logic is configured to pull an entry from the pool and to perform a bulk read of the network socket. The entry points to one of the buffers, and the receive logic is further configured to store data from the bulk read to the one buffer based on the entry. The packet delivery logic is configured to read, based on the entry, the one buffer and to locate a missing packet sequence in response to a determination, by the packet delivery logic, that the one buffer is storing an incomplete packet sequence. The packet delivery logic is further configured to form a complete packet sequence based on the incomplete packet sequence and the missing packet sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T. Hamilton
  • Publication number: 20040156377
    Abstract: An apparatus for communicating with a network comprises a packet pointer pool, a queue, logic, and a network interface. The packet pointer pool has a plurality of entries that respectively point to different memory blocks. The logic is configured to pull one of the entries from the packet pointer pool. Such logic is configured to store a data packet in one of the memory blocks pointed to by the one entry and to insert the one entry into the queue. Logic is configured to pull the one entry from the queue and to retrieve the data packet from the one memory block based on the one entry. The network interface is configured to communicate the data packet with a network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T. Hamilton
  • Publication number: 20040156315
    Abstract: An apparatus for transmitting to a network comprises a queue, packetization logic, interface logic, and queue logic. The packetization logic is configured to packetize data into a plurality of data packets and to store, to the queue, entries pointing to the data packets. The interface logic is configured to read the entries from the queue. The interface logic, for each of the read entries, is configured to retrieve one of the packets pointed to by the read entry and to transmit the retrieved packet to a network socket. The queue logic is configured to limit, based on a number of retransmission requests detected by the queue logic, a number of entries that the packetization logic may store to the queue during a particular time period thereby controlling a transmission rate of the apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Michael T. Hamilton
  • Publication number: 20030236800
    Abstract: A dynamic recovery system comprises a plurality of render nodes each adapted to render data received from a master node. Each of the render nodes is further adapted to receive a render command from the master node indicating a portion of the data to be rendered by the corresponding render node. The system also comprises a control application coupled to each of the render nodes and adapted to automatically reallocate the portion of the data rendered by at least one of the render nodes among a remaining portion of the render nodes in response to an event corresponding to the at least one render node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2002
    Publication date: December 25, 2003
    Inventors: Courtney D. Goeltzenleuchter, Kenneth Scott Bower, Jeffrey Joel Walls
  • Publication number: 20030164831
    Abstract: A system for rendering graphical data utilizes a plurality of graphics pipelines, a first process, and a second process. Each of the plurality of graphics pipelines is configured to render graphical data. The first process is configured to receive three-dimensional (3D) graphics commands from a graphics application and to receive input commands from a user input device. The first process is configured to buffer the received 3D graphics commands and to execute the received input commands, and the first process, for each of the buffered 3D graphics commands, is configured to begin processing a newly received command upon buffering the 3D graphics command. The second process is configured to interface the buffered graphics commands with each of the plurality of pipelines, wherein execution of the user input command affects an object defined by the graphics application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Publication date: September 4, 2003
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joel Walls, Donley Byron Hoffman
  • Patent number: 6417849
    Abstract: Single Logical Screen and Direct Hardware Access in a 3D environment are combined by passing a single stream of protocol to the X Server, which in turn passes the information to multiple 3D rendering processes for display on individual screens (monitors). Multiple instances of a single daemon implement the rendering processes. The X Server communicates with an instance of the daemon functioning as a master daemon, which in turn controls the remaining instances functioning as slave daemons. All daemons communicate through common shared memory segments. This achieves both efficiency and performance, since duplicated distribution of commands and data is avoided. Each of the daemons is driven by the contents of the shared memory segments. To facilitate this, an X Client, the X Server and the daemons are all interconnected with separate control and data paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Kevin T. Lefebvre, Don B. Hoffman, Jeffrey Joel Walls, Derek J. Lukasik