Patents by Inventor Michael Thomas Collins

Michael Thomas Collins 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: 11943500
    Abstract: According to an aspect, an apparatus may include a media streaming device including electronic circuitry configured to receive media content wirelessly from a media content source, and an output cord segment having a first end portion integrally coupled to a structure of the media streaming device, and a second end portion configured to be coupled to a receiving device, where the electronic circuitry is further configured to transmit the received media content through the output cord segment to the receiving device. The apparatus may include a power cord segment having a first end portion configured to be coupled to the media streaming device, and a second end portion configured to be coupled to a power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Micah Thomas Collins, Michael Jon Sundermeyer, Kristen Beck, Wenson Chern, Philip Lee Ly, Colleen Mischke, Robert Jason Rose
  • Patent number: 6490670
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing memory allocation. Each memory block category contains memory blocks. A request, including an object size, is received to allocate memory to an object. An available memory block is allocated to the object if the memory block category for size corresponding to the object size of the object contains an available memory block. An available memory block from a memory block category having a memory block size larger than the object size is located if an available memory block is absent in the memory block category for sizes corresponding to the object size. The located available memory block is partitioned into memory blocks, having a size corresponding to the object size. A partitioned memory block from the partitioned memory blocks is allocated to the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Thomas Collins, James Lyle Peterson, Weining Gu
  • Patent number: 6237043
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system, method, and computer-readable medium for providing a highly efficient locking mechanism for an object's shared data. The locking mechanism is bound to an object during program execution (i.e. during run-time) when synchronization is first requested for the object's shared data. Thus, there are no changes to the actual code, either source code or binary code, which defines the object. A locking mechanism is bound to an object by defining a memory area within the object's header, which either contains the locking mechanism or a pointer to a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism remains bound to the object for the life of the object. Efficiency is gained by limiting the use of operating system semaphores (i.e. kernel semaphores). Operating system semaphores are not used unless blocking (i.e. contention) occurs. Rather, the locking mechanism bound to the object is used during non-blocking situations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Wayne Brown, Michael Thomas Collins, Weiming Gu, Paul Jerome Kilpatrick, Kelvin Roderick Lawrence