Patents by Inventor Margaret Stearns

Margaret Stearns 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).

  • Signatures for facilitating hot upgrades of modular software components
    Patent number: 6880086
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for facilitating hot upgrades of software components within a telecommunications network device through the use of “signatures” generated by a signature generating program. After installation of a new software release within the network device, only those software components whose signatures do not match the signatures of corresponding and currently executing software components are upgraded. Signatures promote hot upgrades by identifying only those software components that need to be upgraded. Since signatures are automatically generated for each software component as part of putting together a new release a quick comparison of two signatures provides an accurate assurance that either the software component has changed or has not. Thus, signatures provide a quick, easy way to accurately determine the upgrade status of each software component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: CIENA Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph D. Kidder, Michael B. Mahler, Edward L. Perreault, Margaret Stearns, Jim Hurley
  • Signatures for facilitating hot upgrades of modular software components
    Publication number: 20040031030
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for facilitating hot upgrades of software components within a telecommunications network device through the use of “signatures” generated by a signature generating program. After installation of a new software release within the network device, only those software components whose signatures do not match the signatures of corresponding and currently executing software components are upgraded. Signatures promote hot upgrades by identifying only those software components that need to be upgraded. Since signatures are automatically generated for each software component as part of putting together a new release a quick comparison of two signatures provides an accurate assurance that either the software component has changed or has not. Thus, signatures provide a quick, easy way to accurately determine the upgrade status of each software component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Publication date: February 12, 2004
    Applicant: Equipe Communications Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph D. Kidder, Michael B. Mahler, Edward l. Perreault, Margaret Stearns, Jim Hurley