Patents by Inventor Michael A. Ferris

Michael A. Ferris 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: 9674234
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to systems and methods for managing third-party application programming interfaces in a collaboration space. A collaboration space, such as a wiki site, can host a set of collaboration tools and resources, including, for example, content tools, communication tools, and other resources for the users of the space. The collaboration space can also incorporate and expose a set of application programming interfaces, such as command and data-passing structures to permit users to invoke third-party applications and/or services from within the wiki site or other collaboration space. The set of applications/services be hosted on a remote server or co-hosted on the collaboration server, and can include, for instance, database, spreadsheet, media content, or other applications or services. The invoked applications/services can return data to the requesting user via the collaboration space. Users can subscribe to different applications and/or services available via the collaboration space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, David P. Huff
  • Publication number: 20170104767
    Abstract: An example method of monitoring computing resources in a cloud computing environment may include receiving a request to subscribe to a monitoring service with respect to computing resources associated with a user account, the request specifying access information for a cloud computing system comprising a plurality of virtual machines associated with the computing resources. The method may further include monitoring, using the access information, the plurality of virtual machines. The method may further include identifying, in view of the monitoring, a virus-infected application running on a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines. The method may further include terminating the virus-infected application. The method may further include receiving, in view of the monitoring, resource usage data reflecting types and duration of usage of the computing resources. The method may further include generating, in view of the usage data, a report reflecting usage of the computing resources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Publication date: April 13, 2017
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, Gerry Edward Riveros
  • Patent number: 9606831
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to systems and methods for reclassifying a set of virtual machines in a cloud-based network. The systems and methods can analyze virtual machine data to determine performance metrics associated with the set of virtual machines, as well as target data to determine a set of target machines to which the set of virtual machines can be reassigned or reclassified. In embodiments, benefits of reassigning any of the set of virtual machines to any of the set of target virtual machines can be determined. Based on the benefits, the systems and methods can reassign or reclassify appropriate virtual machines to appropriate target virtual machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, Gerry Edward Riveros
  • Patent number: 9569875
    Abstract: Unordered list operations are used to create and modify ordered lists of components. Each list operation specifies an intention to change some aspect of an ordered list, such as the addition or removal of components or a change in the sequence of components. List operations are associated with intrinsic and extrinsic time-independent attributes. Multiple users can collaborate on an ordered list by specifying their own list operations. List operations are cumulative and do not destructively overwrite list operations from previous pipeline activities. An embodiment of the invention interprets list operations in a time independent manner using intrinsic and extrinsic list operation attributes. Because list operations are processed in a time-independent manner, multiple users may collaborate in any order on the creation of an ordered list, including simultaneously editing the ordered list, and still obtain consistent results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Pixar
    Inventors: Timothy S. Milliron, Sudeep Rangaswamy, Brad Andalman, Michael Ferris
  • Patent number: 9563479
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to brokering optimized resource supply costs in a host cloud-based network using predictive workloads. In aspects, a set of usage histories can store patterns for users in a host cloud-based network recording the consumption of processor, memory, storage, operating system, application, or other resources subscribed to by the user. The operator of the cloud management system hosting the workloads of one or more users can track the aggregate user histories reflecting those workloads, and analyze them in terms of different time periods over which demands for resources may intensity or relax. The cloud management system can examine those workload patterns, and generate a set of predictively re-assigned workloads to be supported by different sets of resource servers during offpeak and/or other periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, Gerry Edward Riveros
  • Patent number: 9529689
    Abstract: A monitoring system can provide monitoring services to users of cloud computing environment. The monitoring system can receive access information from users subscribing to the monitoring services. Once received, the monitoring system can access clouds utilizing the access information and monitor the computing processes instantiated in the clouds and associated with the user. The monitoring system can monitor the computing processes and collect information such as usage of cloud resources, number and type of computing processes instantiated, software programs utilized by the computing processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, Gerry Edward Riveros
  • Publication number: 20160352646
    Abstract: Cloud resource provisioning is described. A cloud resource provisioning method may include receiving, by a processor, a cloud resource usage data identifying a first cloud resource consumed, a first usage level associated with the first cloud resource, a second cloud resource consumed, and a second usage level associated with the second cloud resource, wherein the first and second cloud resources are in respective first and second clouds. The method may further include assigning a first importance indicator to the first cloud resource. The method may further include assigning a second importance indicator to the second cloud resource. The method may further include analyzing the first and second importance indicators to identify a preference for the first cloud resource over the second cloud resource.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, Gerry Edward Riveros
  • Patent number: 9485117
    Abstract: A cloud management system can be configured to offer a marketplace for user-controlled resources provided by third party users by performing a valuation for user controlled resources offered to the cloud. The cloud management system can be configured to determine the usage of cloud resources, demands on the clouds resources, and revenue generated by the cloud resources and determine a value for user-controlled resources based on the usage, demands, and revenue. Once the value is determined, the cloud management system can be configured to provide an indication of the value to a set of the third party users. If offered and accepted, the cloud management system can be granted access to the user-controlled resources and allocate the user-controlled resources to the cloud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventor: James Michael Ferris
  • Publication number: 20160301591
    Abstract: A monitoring system can monitor computing processes in clouds. The monitoring system can monitor the clouds for certain events associated with the computing processes. The monitoring system can receive, from the user, a particular event and an action to perform upon the occurrence of the event. Once received, the monitoring system can compare the information collected during monitoring against the event specified by the user. Once the event occurs, the monitoring system can perform the action associated with the event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, Gerry Edward Riveros
  • Publication number: 20160277312
    Abstract: A method of generating application build options in a cloud computing environment that includes receiving application usage data by a set of currently instantiated applications. The method further includes identifying, in view of the application usage data, a set of application resources in a cloud computing environment. The method further includes identifying additional application resources to be added to the set of application resources, to produce a modified set of application resources. The method further includes determining a cost of utilizing the modified set of application resources. The method further includes generating, in view of the cost of utilizing the modified set of application resources, a recommendation to modify the set of currently instantiated applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, Gerry Edward Riveros
  • Patent number: 9442769
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to systems and methods for generating cloud deployment targets based on predictive workload estimation. In aspects, a set of usage histories can store records for user workloads in a host cloud-based network recording the consumption of processor, memory, storage, operating system, application, or other resources subscribed to by the user. The operator of the cloud management system hosting the workloads of one or more users can track, identify, and manage the predictive marginal resource capacities of the set of host clouds, based on those historical usage patterns. The collective usage history can indicate, for instance, that a number of operating workloads tend to display a small under-utilization of processor or memory resources during certain overnight periods on a regular basis. The operator can then harvest those predictive marginal capacities, and offer a new user or workload a potential hosting subscription based on those expected resource availabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventor: James Michael Ferris
  • Publication number: 20160261683
    Abstract: Data migration among cloud-based storage networks is described. A method may include analyzing, by a processor, whether data from a data distribution service is consistent with a data payload of a host cloud provider. The method also includes determining, by the processor, in view of the analyzing, whether the data is a replica of the data payload of the host cloud provider. The method further includes determining, by the processor, whether to initiate a transport of the data to a resource associated with a target cloud provider.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Inventor: James Michael Ferris
  • Patent number: 9436459
    Abstract: A compatibility service can determine the compatibility of different software programs provide by different vendors in a cloud. The compatibility service can identify the software programs provided by different vendors in the cloud and which of the identified software programs are compatible. The compatibility service can generate and store a record of the compatible software programs and provide identification, tracking, and mapping services based on the record.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, Gerry Edward Riveros
  • Patent number: 9438484
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to managing multi-level service level agreements (SLAs) in cloud-based networks. A resource managing module can manage resources in the cloud-based networks in response to the detection of one or more triggering events. In embodiments, the triggering events can be changeovers in time periods, or meeting or exceeding thresholds associated with end user operation of the resources in the cloud-based networks. The multi-level SLAs can specify how to adjust the resources in the cloud-based networks in response to the detection of the triggering events. The resource managing module can adjust applicable resources in the cloud-based networks as specified by the multi-level SLAs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, Gerry Edward Riveros
  • Patent number: 9419913
    Abstract: Cloud resource provisioning is described. A cloud resource provisioning method may include obtaining cloud resource usage data by a process, wherein the cloud resource usage data identifies a cloud resource consumed by the process and a usage level associated with the cloud resource. The method may also include assigning an importance indicator to the cloud resource, and identifying a recommended cloud resource having available capacity with respect to the usage level in view of the importance indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, Gerry Edward Riveros
  • Publication number: 20160229064
    Abstract: A prosthetic finger, comprising: a first axis of movement comprising a moving magnet; a second axis of movement comprising a moving coil, wherein the second axis is generally orthogonal to the first axis; and a third axis of movement comprising a moving magnet, wherein the third axis of movement is generally oriented in the same direction as the first axis of movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2016
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Applicant: Systems, Machines, Automation Components Corporation
    Inventors: Edward A. Neff, Toan M. Vu, Johannes Theodorus Antonius van de Ven, Michael A. Ferris, Naoyuki Okada, David D. Huang
  • Patent number: 9413811
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to systems and methods for establishing upload channels to a cloud data distribution (CDD) service. In particular, an administrator of a user network can desire to migrate data to a cloud-based network via the CDD service. The administrator can provide specifications for transferring the data to the CDD service via a connection between the CDD service and the user network. The CDD service can generate a set of options for transferring the data based on the specifications and a specification of the connection. The set of options can be provided to the administrator, the administrator can select one of the options, and the transfer of the data can be initiated according to the selected option.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventor: James Michael Ferris
  • Patent number: 9407572
    Abstract: A processor replicates a request for a computer resource to a plurality of clouds, and updates a repository in view of resource offerings received from the plurality of clouds. The repository stores resource and service data for each cloud. The processor identifies resource and service data in the repository that match information specified in the request in view of the updated repository, and provides information to a requesting entity indicating resource and service data in the repository satisfy the request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventor: James Michael Ferris
  • Patent number: 9389980
    Abstract: A monitoring system can monitor computing processes in clouds. The monitoring system can monitor the clouds for certain events associated with the computing processes. The monitoring system can receive, from the user, a particular event and an action to perform upon the occurrence of the event. Once received, the monitoring system can compare the information collected during monitoring against the event specified by the user. Once the event occurs, the monitoring system can perform the action associated with the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventors: James Michael Ferris, Gerry Edward Riveros
  • Patent number: 9381649
    Abstract: A robotic finger, comprising: a first axis of movement comprising a moving magnet; a second axis of movement comprising a moving coil, wherein the second axis is generally orthogonal to the first axis; and a third axis of movement comprising a moving magnet, wherein the third axis of movement is generally oriented in the same direction as the first axis of movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Inventors: Edward A. Neff, Toan M. Vu, Johannes Theodorus Antonius van de Ven, Michael A. Ferris, Naoyuki Okada, David D. Huang