Patents by Inventor Peter J. Smith

Peter J. Smith 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: 20090172285
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for tracking temporal use associated with cache evictions to reduce allocations in a victim cache is disclosed. Access data for a number of sets of instructions in an instruction cache is tracked at least until the data for one or more of the sets reach a predetermined threshold condition. Determinations whether to allocate entry storage in the victim cache may be made responsive in part to the access data for sets reaching the predetermined threshold condition. A micro-operation can be inserted into the execution pipeline in part to synchronize the access data for all the sets. Upon retirement of the micro-operation from the execution pipeline, access data for the sets can be synchronized and/or any previously allocated entry storage in the victim cache can be invalidated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2007
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Peter J. Smith, Mongkol Ekpanyapong, Harikrishna Baliga, Ilhyun Kim
  • Publication number: 20090007495
    Abstract: A window regulator that resists backdrive forces directly at the lift plate and rail, rather than by the drive assembly. A locking shoe mounted within the lift plate and selectively frictionally engages the rail while the drive assembly is at rest. Thus, any backdrive forces are transmitted from the window glass to the lift plate, and then directly to the rail, avoiding the drive assembly. A release fork that is coupled to the drive cable automatically disengages the locking shoe when the drive assembly is activated, and engages the locking shoe when the drive assembly disengages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith
  • Patent number: 7467776
    Abstract: A pre-fabricated warped pavement slab and a forming system for making the slabs. The forming system includes a plurality of forming sections which can be adjusted so as to form a warped-plane pavement slab. Also disclosed are methods for making the pavement slab and forming system. Also disclosed is a method for installing the warped pavement slab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: Fort Miller Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith
  • Patent number: 7441067
    Abstract: A re-programmable non-volatile memory system, such as a flash EEPROM system, having its memory cells grouped into blocks of cells that are simultaneously erasable is operated in a manner to level out the wear of the individual blocks through repetitive erasing and re-programming. This may be accomplished without use of counts of the number of times the individual blocks experience erase and re-programming but such counts can optionally aid in carrying out the wear leveling process. Individual active physical blocks are chosen to be exchanged with those of an erased block pool in a predefined order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: SanDisk Corporation
    Inventors: Sergey A. Gorobets, Alan D. Bennett, Peter J. Smith, Alan W. Sinclair, Kevin M. Conley, Philip D. Royall
  • Patent number: 7350334
    Abstract: A window regulator assembly including a shaft having a pinion gear and a counter balance spring mounted on the shaft which winds or unwinds as the shaft rotates. A spring housing is mounted on the shaft. A cable-guiding drum having an inner gear is driven directly by the pinion gear. The drum has a rotational axis that is offset from a rotational axis defined by the shaft, thus providing a mechanical advantage. A casing houses spring housing and the drum in an abutting relationship. A guide such as a rail is disposed on at least one of the spring housing and the drum for maintaining rotational alignment of the drum relative to the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Intier Automotive Closures Inc.
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith
  • Publication number: 20080022601
    Abstract: A window regulator, e.g., for a vehicle window, which includes opposing block and pulley arrangements that interact via a lift pulley mounted to a lift plate that slides along a rail. Operative movement of a crank assembly in a first sense tensions a cable to move the lift plate towards a first end of the rail and operative movement of the crank assembly in a second sense, opposite the first sense, tensions a cable to move the lift plate towards a second end of the rail. The regulator enables the reduction of the operating torque requirements without affecting the packaging of the crank assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2003
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith
  • Patent number: 7155574
    Abstract: A high-speed memory management technique that minimizes clobber in sequentially accessed memory, including but not limited to, for example, a trace cache. The method includes selecting a victim set from a sequentially accessed memory; selecting a victim way for the selected victim set; reading a next way pointer from a trace line of a trace currently stored in the selected victim way, if the selected victim way has the next way pointer; and writing a next line of the new trace into the selected victim way over the trace line of the currently stored trace. The method also includes forcing a replacement algorithm of next set to select a victim way of the next set using the next way pointer, if the trace line of the currently stored trace is not an active trace tail line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Peter J. Smith, Satish K. Damaraju, Subramaniam Maiyuran
  • Patent number: 7136992
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a loop predictor for predicting the end of a loop is disclosed. In one embodiment, the loop predictor may have a predict counter to hold a predict count representing the expected number of times that a predictor stew value will repeat during the execution of a given loop. The loop predictor may also have one or more running counters to hold a count of the times that the stew value has repeated during the execution of the present loop. When the counter values match the predictor may issue a prediction that the loop will end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2006
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Subramaniam Maiyuran, Peter J. Smith, Stephan Jourdan
  • Patent number: 7124277
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a trace end predictor for a trace cache is disclosed. In one embodiment, the trace end predictor may have one or more buffers to contain a head address for a subsequent trace. The head address may include the way number and set number of the next head, along with partial stew data to support additional execution predictors. The buffers may also include tag data of the current trace's tail address, and may additionally include control bits for determining whether to replace the buffer's contents with information from another trace's tail. Reading the next head address from the trace end predictor, as opposed to reading it from the trace cache array, may reduce certain execution time delays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Subramaniam Maiyuran, Peter J. Smith, Niranjan L. Cooray, Asim Nisar
  • Patent number: 7004674
    Abstract: A pre-fabricated warped pavement slab and a forming system for making the slabs. The forming system includes a plurality of forming sections which can be adjusted so as to form a warped-plane pavement slab. Also disclosed are methods for making the pavement slab and forming system. Also disclosed is a method for installing the warped pavement slab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: Fort Miller Co., Inc.,
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith
  • Patent number: 6962462
    Abstract: A pre-fabricated pavement slab having a binder distribution system and an interconnection system formed for attachment of the bottom surface of the slab, wherein both the binder distribution system and the interconnection system are accessible from the top surface of the slab, such that the binder material may be injected into the binder distribution and interconnection systems from the top surface of the slab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: The Fort Miller Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith
  • Patent number: 6918208
    Abstract: A window-regulating assembly selectively moves a window of a vehicle door between an open position and a closed position. The window-regulating assembly includes a rail that is fixedly secured to the vehicle door. The rail extends through a radius of curvature. A lift plate is slidably engaged with the rail. The lift plate is also secured to the window. The lift plate moves the window between the open and closed positions. A lead screw is secured to the rail. The lift plate travels along the lead screw to move the window between the open and closed positions. A drive motor is secured to lift plate. The drive motor receives electrical energy and converts the electrical energy into a selectively bidirectional rotational force to drive the lift plate over the lead screw. A pivot mount extends between the drive motor and the lift plate allowing the drive motor to move through the radius of curvature as the lift plate slides along the rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: Intier Automotive Closures Inc.
    Inventors: G. Clarke Oberheide, Denis R. Cloutier, Noel Chingcuanco, Peter J. Smith
  • Patent number: 6899489
    Abstract: A pre-fabricated warped pavement slab and a forming system for making the slabs. The forming system includes a plurality of forming sections which can be adjusted so as to form a warped-plane pavement slab. Also disclosed are methods for making the pavement slab and forming system. Also disclosed is a method for installing the warped pavement slab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Fort Miller Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith
  • Publication number: 20040268099
    Abstract: A high-speed memory management technique that minimizes clobber in sequentially accessed memory, including but not limited to, for example, a trace cache. The method includes selecting a victim set from a sequentially accessed memory; selecting a victim way for the selected victim set; reading a next way pointer from a trace line of a trace currently stored in the selected victim way, if the selected victim way has the next way pointer; and writing a next line of the new trace into the selected victim way over the trace line of the currently stored trace. The method also includes forcing a replacement algorithm of next set to select a victim way of the next set using the next way pointer, if the trace line of the currently stored trace is not an active trace tail line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2003
    Publication date: December 30, 2004
    Inventors: Peter J. Smith, Satish K. Damaraju, Subramaniam Maiyuran
  • Patent number: 6796085
    Abstract: A window regulator, e.g., for a vehicle window, which includes opposing block and pulley arrangements that interact via a lift pulley (36) mounted to a lift plate (16) that slides along a rail (22). Operative movement of a crank assembly (44) in a first sense tensions a cable (32a) to move the lift plate (16) toward a first end (34a) of the rail (22), and operative movement of the crank assembly (44) in a second sense, opposite the first sense, tensions a cable (32b) to move the lift plate (16) towards a second end (34b) of the rail (22). The regulator enables the reduction of the operating torque requirements without effecting the packaging of the crank assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith
  • Publication number: 20040144032
    Abstract: A window regulator, e.g., for a vehicle window, which includes opposing block and pulley arrangements that interact via a lift pulley (36) mounted to a lift plate (16) that slides along a rail (22). Operative movement of a crank assembly (44) in a first sense tensions a cable (32a) to move the lift plate (16) towards a first end (34a) of the rail (22), and operative movement of the crank assembly (44) in a second sense, opposite the first sense, tensions a cable (32b) to move the lift plate (16) towards a second end (34b) of the rail (22). The regulator enables the reduction of the operating torque requirements without effecting the packaging of the crank assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2003
    Publication date: July 29, 2004
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith
  • Patent number: 6709192
    Abstract: A pre-fabricated pavement slab having a binder distribution system and an interconnection system formed for attachment of the bottom surface of the slab, wherein both the binder distribution system and the interconnection system are accessible from the top surface of the slab, such that the binder material may be injected into the binder distribution and interconnection systems from the top surface of the slab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: The Fort Miller Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith
  • Publication number: 20040045221
    Abstract: A window-regulating assembly selectively moves a window of a vehicle door between an open position and a closed position. The window-regulating assembly includes a rail that is fixedly secured to the vehicle door. The rail extends through a radius of curvature. A lift plate is slidably engaged with the rail. The lift plate is also secured to the window. The lift plate moves the window between the open and closed positions. A lead screw is secured to the rail. The lift plate travels along the lead screw to move the window between the open and closed positions. A drive motor is secured to lift plate. The drive motor receives electrical energy and converts the electrical energy into a selectively bidirectional rotational force to drive the lift plate over the lead screw. A pivot mount extends between the drive motor and the lift plate allowing the drive motor to move through the radius of curvature as the lift plate slides along the rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2003
    Publication date: March 11, 2004
    Inventors: G. Clarke Oberheide, Denis R. Cloutier, Noel Chingcuanco, Peter J. Smith
  • Patent number: 6663315
    Abstract: A pre-fabricated pavement slab having a binder distribution system and an interconnection system formed for attachment of the bottom surface of the slab, wherein both the binder distribution system and the interconnection system are accessible from the top surface of the slab, such that the binder material may be injected into the binder distribution and interconnection systems from the top surface of the slab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: The Fort Miller Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith
  • Patent number: 6607329
    Abstract: A pre-fabricated pavement slab having a binder distribution system and an interconnection system formed for attachment of the bottom surface of the slab, wherein both the binder distribution system and the interconnection system are accessible from the top surface of the slab, such that the binder material may be injected into the binder distribution and interconnection systems from the top surface of the slab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: The Fort Miller Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Peter J. Smith