Patents by Inventor Michael A. Barton

Michael A. Barton 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).

  • Publication number: 20160269481
    Abstract: An improved scalable object storage system includes methods and systems allowing multiple clusters to work together. In one embodiment, there is a multi-cluster synchronization system between two or more clusters. Each cluster has a cluster-internal network, with object storage services and container services. The container services track and replicate metadata associated with the object storage service. An intercluster network connects the two clusters and performs a one-way synchronization of the objects and metadata associated with a particular container. This can be done either through the direct association of the container and object storage services, such as through a trust and federation relationship, or it can be opaque, so that the cross-cluster replication treats the remote repository as a black box and uses the external API to call and manipulate the files.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Inventors: Gregory Holt, Clay Gerrard, David Goetz, Michael Barton, Charles Thier
  • Patent number: 9441414
    Abstract: A sliding fenestration sash assembly includes a sliding sash and a frame having a first longitudinal member including at least one aperture. A pin is operatively connected to a handle and movable between an extended position and a retracted position. The pin is biased toward the first longitudinal member by a biasing member. The pin being biased into the aperture by the biasing member when the pin is aligned with the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: MILGARD MANUFACTURING INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Eric A. Baczuk, Travis James Dodge, Michael A. Barton
  • Patent number: 9422763
    Abstract: A tilt latch system that comprises an actuator movable from a first position to a second position; a lock-out member movable from a retracted position to an extended position upon movement of the actuator from the first position to the second position; and an engagement member movable from an engaged position to a disengaged position upon movement of the actuator from the first position to the second position is provided. The actuator and the engagement member are maintained in the second and disengaged positions, respectively, when the lock-out member is in the extended position. The actuator and the engagement member are automatically biased to the first position and the engaged position, respectively, upon movement of the lock-out member from the extended to the retracted position. The tilt latch system may further comprise a lock-out device and/or be optionally utilized in a modular configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: MILGARD MANUFACTURING INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Michael A. Barton, Gordon H. Liebel, Eric A. Baczuk
  • Publication number: 20160226931
    Abstract: An improved scalable object storage system includes methods and systems allowing multiple clusters to work together. Users working with a first cluster, or with a multi-cluster gateway, can ask for services and have the request or data transparently proxied to a second cluster. This gives transparent cross-cluster replication, as well as multi-cluster compute or storage farms based upon spot availability or various provisioning policies. Vendors providing a cloud storage “frontend” can provide multiple backends simultaneously. In one embodiment, a multi-cluster gateway can have a two, three, or higher-level ring that transparently matches an incoming request with the correct cluster. In the ring, a request is first mapped to an abstract “partition” based on a consistent hash function, and then one or more constrained mappings map the partition number to an actual resource. In another embodiment, the multi-cluster gateway is a dumb gateway, and the rings are located only at the cluster level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Applicant: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Lee Holt, Clay Gerrard, David Patrick Goetz, Michael Barton
  • Patent number: 9405781
    Abstract: An improved scalable object storage system includes methods and systems allowing multiple clusters to work together. Users working with a first cluster, or with a multi-cluster gateway, can ask for services and have the request or data transparently proxied to a second cluster. This gives transparent cross-cluster replication, as well as multi-cluster compute or storage farms based upon spot availability or various provisioning policies. Vendors providing a cloud storage “frontend” can provide multiple backends simultaneously. In one embodiment, a multi-cluster gateway can have a two, three, or higher-level ring that transparently matches an incoming request with the correct cluster. In the ring, a request is first mapped to an abstract “partition” based on a consistent hash function, and then one or more constrained mappings map the partition number to an actual resource. In another embodiment, the multi-cluster gateway is a dumb gateway, and the rings are located only at the cluster level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Lee Holt, Clay Gerrard, David Patrick Goetz, Michael Barton
  • Patent number: 9392334
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided to inform a user of a broadcast stream, which has multiple, concurrently received channels of program content, about recommendations of a subset of the content currently playing across the available channels or to be played within a selected future time period. The subset of content is selected based on user preferences and system data (e.g., program topic and channel affinities among the broadcast content and channels) to recommend a more diverse subset of content than would be discovered if only user preferences were employed to make the selection of recommended content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc.
    Inventors: Stuart Cox, Michael A. Barton
  • Publication number: 20160197996
    Abstract: Several different embodiments of a massively scalable object storage system are described. The object storage system is particularly useful for storage in a cloud computing installation whereby shared servers provide resources, software, and data to computers and other devices on demand. In several embodiments, the object storage system includes a ring implementation used to associate object storage commands with particular physical servers such that certain guarantees of consistency, availability, and performance can be met. In other embodiments, the object storage system includes a synchronization protocol used to order operations across a distributed system. In a third set of embodiments, the object storage system includes a metadata management system. In a fourth set of embodiments, the object storage system uses a structured information synchronization system. Features from each set of embodiments can be used to improve the performance and scalability of a cloud computing object storage system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Publication date: July 7, 2016
    Applicant: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gregory Holt
  • Patent number: 9374395
    Abstract: Several different embodiments of a segmented object storage system are described. The object storage system divides files into a number of object segments, each segment corresponding to a portion of the object, and stores each segment individually in the cloud storage system. The system also generates and stores a manifest file describing the relationship of the various segments to the original data file. Requests to retrieve the segmented file are fulfilled by consulting the manifest file and using the information from the manifest to reconstitute the original data file from the constituent segments. Modifying, appending to, or truncating the object is accomplished by manipulating individual segments and the manifest file. In further embodiments, manipulation of the individual object segments and/or the manifest is used to implement copy-on-write, snapshotting, software transactional memory, and peer-to-peer transmission of the large file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gregory Holt
  • Patent number: 9306988
    Abstract: A segmented object storage system is an object storage system that divides files into a number of object segments, each segment corresponding to a portion of an object, and stores each segment individually in the storage system. The system also generates and stores a manifest file describing the relationship of the various segments to the original data file. Requests to retrieve the segmented file are fulfilled by consulting the manifest file and using the information from the manifest to reconstitute the original data file from the constituent segments. Modifying, appending to, or truncating the object is accomplished by manipulating individual segments and the manifest file. Manipulation of the individual object segments and/or the manifest can be used to implement copy-on-write, snapshotting, software transactional memory, and peer-to-peer transmission of the large file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gregory Holt
  • Publication number: 20160070481
    Abstract: An example method for storing data includes providing a plurality of physical storage pools, each storage pool including a plurality of storage nodes coupled to a network. The method also includes mapping a partition of a plurality of partitions to a set of physical storage pools, where each physical storage pool of the set of physical storage pools is located in a different availability zone, and the storage nodes within an availability zone are subject to a correlated loss of access to stored data. The method further includes receiving a data management request over the network, the data management request being associated with a data object. The method also includes identifying a first partition of the plurality of partitions corresponding to the received data management request and manipulating the data object in the physical storage pools mapped to the first partition in accordance with the data management request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gregory Holt
  • Publication number: 20160057229
    Abstract: Several different embodiments of a segmented object storage system are described. The object storage system divides files into a number of object segments, each segment corresponding to a portion of the object, and stores each segment individually in the cloud storage system. The system also generates and stores a manifest file describing the relationship of the various segments to the original data file. Requests to retrieve the segmented file are fulfilled by consulting the manifest file and using the information from the manifest to reconstitute the original data file from the constituent segments. Modifying, appending to, or truncating the object is accomplished by manipulating individual segments and the manifest file. In further embodiments, manipulation of the individual object segments and/or the manifest is used to implement copy-on-write, snapshotting, software transactional memory, and peer-to-peer transmission of the large file.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gary Holt
  • Patent number: 9237193
    Abstract: Several different embodiments of a massively scalable object storage system are described. The object storage system is particularly useful for storage in a cloud computing installation whereby shared servers provide resources, software, and data to computers and other devices on demand. In several embodiments, the object storage system includes a ring implementation used to associate object storage commands with particular physical servers such that certain guarantees of consistency, availability, and performance can be met. In other embodiments, the object storage system includes a synchronization protocol used to order operations across a distributed system. In a third set of embodiments, the object storage system includes a metadata management system. In a fourth set of embodiments, the object storage system uses a structured information synchronization system. Features from each set of embodiments can be used to improve the performance and scalability of a cloud computing object storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gregory Holt
  • Patent number: 9231988
    Abstract: An intercluster repository synchronizer and method for synchronizing objects are disclosed. An example intercluster repository synchronizer includes an information processing system, including a processor, computer-readable medium, and network device. The intercluster repository synchronizer includes a structured information repository on the computer-readable medium. The structured information repository contains a plurality of records corresponding to a selected group of stored information objects. The intercluster repository synchronizer further includes a synchronization indicator that stores an address associated with a remote replication target. The intercluster repository synchronizer also includes a replicator, operable to send a message using the network device to the replication target responsive to changes in the structured information repository, and further operable to receive a message that a plurality of stored information objects have been duplicated at the remote replication target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Lee Holt, Clay Gerrard, David Patrick Goetz, Michael Barton, Charles B. Thier
  • Publication number: 20150373416
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided to inform a user of a broadcast stream, which has multiple, concurrently received channels of program content, about recommendations of a subset of the content currently playing across the available channels or to be played within a selected future time period. The subset of content is selected based on user preferences and system data (e.g., program topic and channel affinities among the broadcast content and channels) to recommend a more diverse subset of content than would be discovered if only user preferences were employed to make the selection of recommended content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Inventors: Stuart Cox, Michael A. Barton
  • Patent number: 9197483
    Abstract: Several different embodiments of a massively scalable object storage system are described. The object storage system is particularly useful for storage in a cloud computing installation whereby shared servers provide resources, software, and data to computers and other devices on demand. In several embodiments, the object storage system includes a ring implementation used to associate object storage commands with particular physical servers such that certain guarantees of consistency, availability, and performance can be met. In other embodiments, the object storage system includes a synchronization protocol used to order operations across a distributed system. In a third set of embodiments, the object storage system includes a metadata management system. In a fourth set of embodiments, the object storage system uses a structured information synchronization system. Features from each set of embodiments can be used to improve the performance and scalability of a cloud computing object storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gregory Holt
  • Publication number: 20150261801
    Abstract: Several different embodiments of a segmented object storage system are described. The object storage system divides files into a number of object segments, each segment corresponding to a portion of the object, and stores each segment individually in the cloud storage system. The system also generates and stores a manifest file describing the relationship of the various segments to the original data file. Requests to retrieve the segmented file are fulfilled by consulting the manifest file and using the information from the manifest to reconstitute the original data file from the constituent segments. Modifying, appending to, or truncating the object is accomplished by manipulating individual segments and the manifest file. In further embodiments, manipulation of the individual object segments and/or the manifest is used to implement copy-on-write, snapshotting, software transactional memory, and peer-to-peer transmission of the large file.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gregory Holt
  • Patent number: 9116629
    Abstract: An example method for storing data includes providing a plurality of physical storage pools, each storage pool including a plurality of storage nodes coupled to a network. The method also includes mapping a partition of a plurality of partitions to a set of physical storage pools, where each physical storage pool of the set of physical storage pools is located in a different availability zone, and the storage nodes within an availability zone are subject to a correlated loss of access to stored data. The method further includes receiving a data management request over the network, the data management request being associated with a data object. The method also includes identifying a first partition of the plurality of partitions corresponding to the received data management request and manipulating the data object in the physical storage pools mapped to the first partition in accordance with the data management request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gregory Holt
  • Publication number: 20150227606
    Abstract: Several different embodiments of a massively scalable object storage system are described. The object storage system is particularly useful for storage in a cloud computing installation whereby shared servers provide resources, software, and data to computers and other devices on demand. In several embodiments, the object storage system includes a ring implementation used to associate object storage commands with particular physical servers such that certain guarantees of consistency, availability, and performance can be met. In other embodiments, the object storage system includes a synchronization protocol used to order operations across a distributed system. In a third set of embodiments, the object storage system includes a metadata management system. In a fourth set of embodiments, the object storage system uses a structured information synchronization system. Features from each set of embodiments can be used to improve the performance and scalability of a cloud computing object storage system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Publication date: August 13, 2015
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gregory Holt
  • Publication number: 20150156136
    Abstract: An improved scalable object storage system allows multiple clusters to work together. In one embodiment, a trust and federation relationship is established between a first cluster and a second cluster. This is done by designating a first cluster as a trust root. The trust root receives contact from another cluster, and the two clusters exchange cryptographic credentials. The two clusters mutually authenticate each other based upon the credentials, and optionally relative to a third information service, and establish a service connection. Services from the remote cluster are registered as being available to the cluster designated as the trust root. Multi-cluster gateways can also be designated as the trust root, and joined clusters can be mutually untrusting. Two one-way trust and federation relationships can be set up to form a trusted bidirectional channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Inventors: Gregory Lee Holt, Clay Gerrard, David Patrick Goetz, Michael Barton
  • Patent number: 9021137
    Abstract: Several different embodiments of a massively scalable object storage system are described. The object storage system is particularly useful for storage in a cloud computing installation whereby shared servers provide resources, software, and data to computers and other devices on demand. In several embodiments, the object storage system includes a ring implementation used to associate object storage commands with particular physical servers such that certain guarantees of consistency, availability, and performance can be met. In other embodiments, the object storage system includes a synchronization protocol used to order operations across a distributed system. In a third set of embodiments, the object storage system includes a metadata management system. In a fourth set of embodiments, the object storage system uses a structured information synchronization system. Features from each set of embodiments can be used to improve the performance and scalability of a cloud computing object storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Rackspace US, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Barton, Will Reese, John A. Dickinson, Jay B. Payne, Charles B. Thier, Gregory Holt