Patents by Inventor Sean C. McDowell

Sean C. McDowell 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: 7882269
    Abstract: A modularized broadcast receiver driver architecture includes one or more control nodes, under control of a network module, that perform a series of one or more functions to receive a broadcast signal and extract content information from the signal. None of the multiple control nodes requires knowledge of the network type via which the signal is being received. Rather, a network module is aware of the network type and configures the control nodes to carry out their respective functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Thaddeus C. Pritchett, David A. Goll, Sean C. McDowell, Terje K. Backman, Jay Alan Borseth
  • Patent number: 7844972
    Abstract: Resource management architectures implemented in computer systems to manage resources are described. In one embodiment, a general architecture includes a resource manager and multiple resource providers that support one or more resource consumers such as a system component or application. Each provider is associated with a resource and acts as the manager for the resource when interfacing with the resource manager. The resource manager arbitrates access to the resources provided by the resource providers on behalf of the consumers. A policy manager sets various policies that are used by the resource manager to allocate resources. One policy is a priority-based policy that distinguishes among which applications and/or users have priority over others to use the resources. A resource consumer creates an “activity” at the resource manager and builds one or more “configurations” that describe various sets of preferred resources required to perform the activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jayachandran Raja, Jai Srinivasan, Mukund Sankaranarayan, David S. Bakin, Sean C. McDowell, Robin C. B. Speed
  • Patent number: 7486692
    Abstract: A modularized broadcast receiver driver architecture includes one or more control nodes, under control of a network module, that perform a series of one or more functions to receive a broadcast signal and extract content information from the signal. None of the multiple control nodes requires knowledge of the network type via which the signal is being received. Rather, a network module is aware of the network type and configures the control nodes to carry out their respective functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Thaddeus C. Pritchett, David A. Goll, Sean C. McDowell, Terje K. Backman, Jay Alan Borseth
  • Patent number: 7451450
    Abstract: Resource management architectures implemented in computer systems to manage resources are described. In one embodiment, a general architecture includes a resource manager and multiple resource providers that support one or more resource consumers such as a system component or application. Each provider is associated with a resource and acts as the manager for the resource when interfacing with the resource manager. The resource manager arbitrates access to the resources provided by the resource providers on behalf of the consumers, e.g., using a priority-based policy. A resource consumer creates an “activity” at the resource manager and builds one or more “configurations” that describe various sets of preferred resources required to perform the activity. Each resource consumer can specify one or more configurations, which may be ranked, for each activity. This allows the resource consumers to be dynamically changed from one configuration to another as operating conditions change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mukund Sankaranarayan, Forrest C. Foltz, George Shaw, Dale A. Sather, Andy R. Raffman, Jai Srinivasan, Terje K. Backman, William G. Parry, David S. Bakin, Michael B. Jones, Sean C. McDowell, Jayachandran Raja, Robin Speed
  • Patent number: 7337446
    Abstract: Resource management architectures implemented in computer systems to manage resources are described. In one embodiment, a general architecture includes a resource manager and multiple resource providers that support one or more resource consumers such as a system component or application. Each provider is associated with a resource and acts as the manager for the resource when interfacing with the resource manager. The resource manager arbitrates access to the resources provided by the resource providers on behalf of the consumers. A policy manager sets various policies that are used by the resource manager to allocate resources. One policy is a priority-based policy that distinguishes among which applications and/or users have priority over others to use the resources. A resource consumer creates an “activity” at the resource manager and builds one or more “configurations” that describe various sets of preferred resources required to perform the activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mukund Sankaranarayan, Forrest C. Foltz, George Shaw, Dale A. Sather, Andy R. Raffman, Jai Srinivasan, Terje K. Backman, William G. Parry, David S. Bakin, Michael B. Jones, Sean C. McDowell, Jayachandran Raja, Robin Speed
  • Patent number: 7316020
    Abstract: Resource management architectures implemented in computer systems to manage resources are described. In one embodiment, a general architecture includes a resource manager and multiple resource providers that support one or more resource consumers such as a system component or application. Each provider is associated with a resource and acts as the manager for the resource when interfacing with the resource manager. The resource manager arbitrates access to the resources provided by the resource providers on behalf of the consumers. A policy manager sets various policies that are used by the resource manager to allocate resources. One policy is a priority-based policy that distinguishes among which applications and/or users have priority over others to use the resources. A resource consumer creates an “activity” at the resource manager and builds one or more “configurations” that describe various sets of preferred resources required to perform the activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jayachandran Raja, Jai Srinivasan, Mukund Sankaranarayan, David S. Bakin, Sean C. McDowell, Robin C. B. Speed
  • Patent number: 7284244
    Abstract: Resource management architectures implemented in computer systems to manage resources are described. In one embodiment, a general architecture includes a resource manager and multiple resource providers that support one or more resource consumers such as a system component or application. Each provider is associated with a resource and acts as the manager for the resource when interfacing with the resource manager. The resource manager arbitrates access to the resources provided by the resource providers on behalf of the consumers. A policy manager sets various policies that are used by the resource manager to allocate resources. One policy is a priority-based policy that distinguishes among which applications and/or users have priority over others to use the resources. A resource consumer creates an “activity” at the resource manager and builds one or more “configurations” that describe various sets of preferred resources required to perform the activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mukund Sankaranarayan, Jai Srinivasan, Dale A. Sather, Andy R. Raffman, Michael B. Jones, Sean C. McDowell
  • Patent number: 7058947
    Abstract: Resource management architectures implemented in computer systems to manage resources are described. In one embodiment, a general architecture includes a resource manager and multiple resource providers that support one or more resource consumers such as a system component or application. Each provider is associated with a resource and acts as the manager for the resource when interfacing with the resource manager. The resource manager arbitrates access to the resources provided by the resource providers on behalf of the consumers. A policy manager sets various policies that are used by the resource manager to allocate resources. One policy is a priority-based policy that distinguishes among which applications and/or users have priority over others to use the resources. A resource consumer creates an “activity” at the resource manager and builds one or more “configurations” that describe various sets of preferred resources required to perform the activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jayachandran Raja, Jai Srinivasan, Mukund Sankaranarayan, David S. Bakin, Sean C. McDowell, Robin Speed
  • Patent number: 6901453
    Abstract: A modularized broadcast receiver driver architecture includes one or more control nodes, under control of a network module, that perform a series of one or more functions to receive a broadcast signal and extract content information from the signal. None of the multiple control nodes requires knowledge of the network type via which the signal is being received. Rather, a network module is aware of the network type and configures the control nodes to carry out their respective functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Thaddeus C. Pritchett, David A. Goll, Sean C. McDowell, Terje K. Backman, Jay Alan Borseth
  • Patent number: 6799208
    Abstract: Resource management architectures implemented in computer systems to manage resources are described. In one embodiment, a general architecture includes a resource manager and multiple resource providers that support one or more resource consumers such as a system component or application. Each provider is associated with a resource and acts as the manager for the resource when interfacing with the resource manager. The resource manager arbitrates access to the resources provided by the resource providers on behalf of the consumers. A policy manager sets various policies that are used by the resource manager to allocate resources. One policy is a priority-based policy that distinguishes among which applications and/or users have priority over others to use the resources. A resource consumer creates an “activity” at the resource manager and builds one or more “configurations” that describe various sets of preferred resources required to perform the activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mukund Sankaranarayan, Forrest C. Foltz, George Shaw, Dale A. Sather, Andy R. Raffman, Jai Srinivasan, Terje K. Backman, William G. Parry, David S. Bakin, Michael B. Jones, Sean C. McDowell, Jayachandran Raja, Robin Speed
  • Patent number: 6628301
    Abstract: An extensible framework for tuning to programming sources includes tune request objects and tuning space objects that are used to maintain and pass information regarding how to tune to a particular program. The extensible framework can be easily modified by creating, deleting, or modifying tune request objects and tuning space objects without requiring changes on the part of applications interacting with the framework.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Colin L. Acton, Terje K. Backman, Jay Alan Borseth, David A. Goll, Sean C. McDowell, Thaddeus C. Pritchett
  • Patent number: 5706411
    Abstract: A computer system having a visual display indicating the status of an attached printer is disclosed. The visual display allows the user to determine various status states of the attached printer without physical examination of the printer itself. Printer states requiring user intervention, and printer states not requiring user intervention, are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the computer system displays a Printer Status window which both graphically and textually indicates the printer state. When printing, a graphical representation of the attached printer is displayed within a portion of the Printer Status window, and is animated to represent the actual printing of a page. If an error occurs while printing, the Printer Status window preferably indicates the nature of the error, and the steps which must be performed (if any) to continue printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: William B. McCormick, James O. Robarts, Sean C. McDowell, Steven J. Fluegel