Patents by Inventor Michael A. Gilfix

Michael A. Gilfix 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: 9350793
    Abstract: Given a SIP call flow definition and WSDL extended with SIP/call flow interactions, a converged application integration (CAI) engine provides service-oriented application practitioners with an ability to reuse existing Web services integration techniques in a new converged application integration green space. The converged application integration engine “wraps” a pre-existing converged Web service/SIP or a SIP-only application, listens to application-specific signaling, and based on a supplied WSDL with SIP/call flow extensions, makes and accepts interaction requests using Web services. Given a SIP call flow definition, a WSDL extended with SIP/call flow interactions, and the converged application integration engine, a converged application execution (CAE) engine that greatly eases developing new converged applications. At runtime, the CAE engine “stitches” the signaling onto the decomposed servlet model by following the WSDL extended with SIP/call flow interactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Rhys D. Ulerich
  • Publication number: 20160099996
    Abstract: Given a SIP call flow definition and WSDL extended with SIP/call flow interactions, a converged application integration (CAI) engine provides service-oriented application practitioners with an ability to reuse existing Web services integration techniques in a new converged application integration green space. The converged application integration engine “wraps” a pre-existing converged Web service/SIP or a SIP-only application, listens to application-specific signaling, and based on a supplied WSDL with SIP/call flow extensions, makes and accepts interaction requests using Web services. Given a SIP call flow definition, a WSDL extended with SIP/call flow interactions, and the converged application integration engine, a converged application execution (CAE) engine that greatly eases developing new converged applications. At runtime, the CAP engine “stitches” the signaling onto the decomposed servlet model by following the WSDL extended with SIP/call flow interactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Rhys D. Ulerich
  • Patent number: 9229726
    Abstract: Given a SIP call flow definition and WSDL extended with SIP/call flow interactions, a converged application integration (CAI) engine provides service-oriented application practitioners with an ability to reuse existing Web services integration techniques in a new converged application integration green space. The converged application integration engine “wraps” a pre-existing converged Web service/SIP or a SIP-only application, listens to application-specific signaling, and based on a supplied WSDL with SIP/call flow extensions, makes and accepts interaction requests using Web services. Given a SIP call flow definition, a WSDL extended with SIP/call flow interactions, and the converged application integration engine, a converged application execution (CAE) engine that greatly eases developing new converged applications. At runtime, the CAE engine “stitches” the signaling onto the decomposed servlet model by following the WSDL extended with SIP/call flow interactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Rhys D. Ulerich
  • Patent number: 9152942
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a solution for modifying a group list server to perform syndication feed operations. A syndication feed creation software component, a content gathering component, and a content extraction converting component can be added to a group list server. The modified group list server can continue to function as a traditional list server and can also function as a traditional feed server that is able to interoperate with standard, client-side feed readers. In one embodiment, the modified list server can repurpose syndication groups as to operate as syndication feed channels and can repurpose group members to operate as feed items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Victor S. Moore, Mark Pozefsky, Susan Renee Wallenborn
  • Patent number: 8671199
    Abstract: An interface design tool may include a traditional call flow design view and a traditional WSDL interface design view. The call flow design view may allow for the grouping of the call flow into segments or exchanges, and allow for labeling of each message in the segment. The tooling then allows for the creation of a mapping between WSDL operations and the call flow. The mapping may be labeled with the interaction type. The output of the visual artifacts may then be a WSDL and call flow XML document, where the additional bindings are included for the operations that capture the interaction relationships.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Rhys D. Ulerich
  • Patent number: 8260944
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a system for implementing a software application programming interface (API) within a session initiation protocol (SIP) servlet. Such a system can utilize a state machine, a SIP servlet configured to execute the state machine, and an enterprise service bus (ESB). The state machine can be configured to send and receive a series of communications and can be defined in a definition document. The series of communications can represent the execution of a software function defined within an API. The SIP servlet can select a state machine based upon an indicator contained within a received SIP message. The ESB can be configured to execute a system function in response to communications with the state machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Victor S. Moore, Vishwanath Narayan, Mark Pozefsky
  • Patent number: 8214514
    Abstract: Development tooling receives the extended Web services description language with call flow interactions. The development tooling allows the user to select trivial message exchanges in the call flow. The development tooling may generate servlets for the selected message exchanges automatically to form a template form of the application that will execute in the converged application engine. Alternatively, the development tooling may generate a template form of the application that may be interpreted in an interpretive engine. The user may then drop in higher level business logic. The automatically generated servlets, or template form of the application to be interpreted, are configured to pass to the Web services information, including the last message contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Rhys D. Ulerich
  • Patent number: 8127034
    Abstract: A multi-protocol authentication and authorization system including a request interceptor configured to receive from a requestor a first request using a first transport protocol and a second request using a second transport protocol, and an authenticator for validating a digest received from the requestor, where the request interceptor is configured to authenticate the requestor if the digest is valid and if at least one multi-protocol criterion applied to the requests is met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A Gilfix, Dror Yaffe
  • Patent number: 8041800
    Abstract: A communication orchestration service automatically orchestrates dynamic multiple party, multiple media communications. A customer expresses his or her communications needs in the form of a high-level goal or goals. A goal-based search finds a combination of building block predicates that can be used to satisfy the customer's needs. In conjunction with the search process, the mechanism uses the SIP OPTIONS request or presence information to actively query device status and capabilities during the search. This enables the search to actively explore the communications environment at runtime. Once a solution is found, the necessary parties can be contacted, resources can be provisioned, and the multiple media, multiple user collaboration/conference can be initiated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Rhys D. Ulerich
  • Patent number: 8042118
    Abstract: Mechanisms for developing Diameter applications are provided. The mechanisms extend the application server servlet model to support Diameter applications. A “base protocol” servlet is provided that handles the basic Diameter protocol functionality. Base application servlets are provided for each Diameter interface (for example, an “Sh” base servlet for the IMS “Sh” interface). These servlets are base classes for application code. The base application servlets implement additional semantics on top of the base protocol servlet to support additional attribute-value pair semantics. With the system and method, Diameter servlets share the same ServletContext as HTTP and SIP servlets. This mechanism facilitates communication between the various application entities and facilitates generation of converged applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Rhys D. Ulerich
  • Patent number: 7966625
    Abstract: An extended Web services description language (WSDL) is provided to allow for the merging of call flow XML with the interface description. This is accomplished through additional WSDL bindings for operations that associate an operation with segments or message points within the call flow. In addition, the extension to WSDL defines a set of interactions that provide additional semantics for how the operation interacts with the call flow. These interactions capture the interaction points between the WSDL. The WSDL interfaces that are created may be used for outbound interactions (i.e. initiated through Web services from some event within the call flow) or for the usual inbound request response. An additional lifecycle listener interface is used to convey different binding points between an enhanced converged Web service processing engine and a converged application implementation of the WSDL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Rhys D. Ulerich
  • Patent number: 7870267
    Abstract: Mechanisms for creating global sessions across different protocols and multiple converged protocol applications are provided. By creating a global session, state information for each of the individual protocol sessions may be communicated across protocols and utilized in performing operations across converged protocol applications. An edge server is used at the edge of a data network to correlate client interactions over different protocols and to associate them with a global session. The edge server acts as a session reference counter for individual client sessions that are part of a larger global session. The global session is created after the creation of the first protocol session and exists across the creation of future sessions on other protocols and other converged applications. Logical names and global session tokens are utilized to manage the various global sessions handled by the edge server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Victor S. Moore
  • Patent number: 7813276
    Abstract: A network cluster is provided herein having a plurality of cluster members. In order to control the admission of client requests sent to the cluster, one member of the cluster is elected “reservation coordinator.” The reservation coordinator runs a reservation algorithm for controlling the distribution of rate capacity across members of the cluster. For example, each member of the cluster may reserve some amount of rate from the coordinator to allow for passing of client requests. To ensure that each member is provided with the appropriate rate capacity, each member of the cluster runs an estimation algorithm to determine whether or not additional rate capacity should be reserved from the reservation coordinator, or released back into the cluster for redistribution. The estimation algorithm is run in real-time and allows the admission control algorithm to adapt to changes in rate distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Michael A. Gilfix
  • Patent number: 7793140
    Abstract: A system for managing failover in a server cluster. In response to detecting a failed server, subscription message processing of a failover server is stopped. A subscription queue of the failed server is opened. A marker message is published to all subscribers of a particular messaging topic. The marker message includes an identification of the failover server managing the subscription queue of the failed server. Messages within the subscription queue of the failed server are processed. In response to determining that a message in the subscription queue of the failed server is the marker message, the subscription queue of the failed server is closed. Then, the failover server resumes processing of its original subscription queue looking for the marker message, while processing yet unseen messages from the queue. Once the marker message is found in the original subscription queue, normal operation is resumed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Benson Kwuan-Yi Chen, Michael A. Gilfix, Mark David Gilmore, Victor S. Moore, Ofira Tal-Aviv, Anthony William Wrobel, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7764615
    Abstract: Mechanisms for distributing rate limits and tracking rate consumption across members of a cluster are provided. One member of the cluster is responsible for controlling the distribution of rate capacity across members of the cluster. Rate capacity may be distributed in a hierarchical fashion to account for the needs of the various services, applications, and/or operations provided by the cluster members. A hierarchical tree structure may be formed by distributing rate capacity among a plurality of nodes arranged at a global, service, application or operation level of the tree. In some cases, rate capacity may also be distributed at a requester level to account for the needs of requesters who are granted access to the services, applications and operations provided by the cluster members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Michael A. Gilfix
  • Patent number: 7760641
    Abstract: A network is provided herein comprising a plurality of network resources, and at least one network cluster having a plurality of cluster members. Each member of the cluster may be configured for utilizing one or more of the network resources and for tracking usage thereof. For example, each member of the cluster may include one or more token buckets for tracking that member's usage of the network resources. At least one member of the cluster (i.e., a “reservation coordinator”) may include a first set of computer-executable instructions for receiving network traffic destined for a particular network resource at a first rate (i.e., a maximum average sustained rate). In addition, the reservation coordinator may include a second set of computer-executable instructions for distributing the first rate among at least a subset of the cluster members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Michael A. Gilfix
  • Patent number: 7742417
    Abstract: Mechanisms for burst traffic smoothing for Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) processing elements are provided. A dispatch queue management engine determines whether a received packet is a TCP or UDP packet. If the packet is a TCP packet, the packet is automatically added to the dispatch queue. If the packet is a UDP packet, a value for a drop function ƒ is generated and a random or pseudo-random number r is generated. If r has a predetermined relationship to ƒ, then the UDP packet is added to the dispatch queue, otherwise the UDP packet is discarded. The value for ƒ is based on the current dispatch queue load, the network quality, the retransmission rate, and the allowable drop rate. Thus, the determination as to whether to drop UDP packets or not is configurable by an administrator and also adaptable to the current network and dispatch queue conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Ronnie A. Jones, Amir Perlman, Rhys D. Ulerich
  • Patent number: 7549581
    Abstract: A mechanism for ensuring the authenticity of written and printed documents. With the mechanism of the present invention, electronic ink is deposited onto a document, wherein the electronic ink deposited comprises at least one mark visible to a user. Current is applied to the electronic ink while the electronic ink is wet. The current is applied to the electronic ink in order to imprint a pattern in the ink. The electronic ink deposited on the document is then allowed to dry. The pattern in the electronic ink may then be examined to verify the authenticity of the document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Gilfix, Tyron Jerrod Stading
  • Patent number: 7532617
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions are provided for a session initiation protocol application design, development, execution, and integration. A framework with a framework controller, an application data object, transition handlers, precondition handlers and post condition handlers is provided. When a message is received in a SIP application, the framework controller determines a state of application and parses the message to update application data by using corresponding handlers. The handlers for each state are specified in an input markup language model defined by a user externally via a Web service accessible component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Oliver Birch, Michael A. Gilfix, Rhys D. Ulerich, Paul Stuart Williamson
  • Publication number: 20090100289
    Abstract: In response to detecting a failed server, subscription message processing of a failover server is stopped. A subscription queue of the failed server is opened. A marker message is published to all subscribers of a particular messaging topic. The marker message includes an identification of the failover server managing the subscription queue of the failed server. Messages within the subscription queue of the failed server are processed. In response to determining that a message in the subscription queue of the failed server is the marker message, the subscription queue of the failed server is closed. Then, the failover server resumes processing of its original subscription queue looking for the marker message, while processing yet unseen messages from the queue. Once the marker message is found in the original subscription queue, normal operation is resumed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2007
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Inventors: Benson Kwuan-Yi Chen, Michael A. Gilfix, Mark David Gilmore, Victor S. Moore, Ofira Tal-Aviv, Anthony William Wrobel, JR.