Patents by Inventor Shawn Patrick Mullen

Shawn Patrick Mullen 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: 7103739
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing hardware aware logical volume mirrors are provided. In particular, the an improved logical volume system and method are provided in which a mirroring device driver is provided that selects a physical storage device from which data is to be read based on information obtained regarding the physical devices used in the mirror of the data. The mirroring device driver may be part of a logical volume device driver (LVDD), such that a modified LVDD is provided, or may work in concert with the logical volume device driver to achieve the purposes of the present invention. The information regarding the physical devices used in the mirror may include characteristic data of physical storage devices (e.g., whether a write cache is used, whether a read-ahead cache is used, RPM speed, connector type, etc.) and may also include operational history data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Susann Marie Keohane, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Jessica Kelley Murillo, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Patent number: 7089587
    Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for negotiating parameters for an IPSec connection between a requesting client and an iSCSI system using a computer system other than an iSCSI system are provided. By design, the iSCSI system monitors TCP (Transmission Control protocol) port 500 for secure requests. When a request enters port 500, the iSCSI system transmits all information received on port 500 to a computer system better suited to handle IPSec parameter negotiations. After the computer system has negotiated the parameters, the parameters are passed to the iSCSI system for a secure data transaction to ensue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James P. Allen, William Christopher Conklin, Vinit Jain, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Rakesh Sharma, Satya Prakesh Sharma
  • Patent number: 7085816
    Abstract: In order to reduce overall downloading time for Web documents without depriving the user of valuable Web document resources, the user at a receiving Web station is enabled to preselect which received Web documents will be downloaded in a text-only mode. An implementation is provided at the receiving Web station for determining whether a received web document has been preselected for downloading in a text-only mode, and in responsive to this determination, there is an implementation for downloading such received preselected Web documents in a text-only mode. The user is enabled not only to designate specified documents to be downloaded in a text-only mode but the user may also preselect whole World Wide Web domains or specified Web sites within such domains from which received Web documents are to be downloaded in a text-only mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Patent number: 7069410
    Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for allowing a mirroring map to be used with more than one piece of data are provided. First, a mirroring map is created and given a name. Then, the name of the mirroring map and the mirroring map itself are stored into the computer system. When a piece of data is to be stored in accordance with the mirroring map any time thereafter, the name of the mirroring map is used to associate the mirroring map with the piece of data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh, Thomas Van Weaver
  • Patent number: 7028090
    Abstract: A method, system and token are described which control access to a token server system. In a first aspect, a method and system for controlling access to a file system of a token server comprise encoding a time specific permission into a token. In a second aspect, a token server system comprises at least one client and a token server accessible by the at least one client. The token server provides a token to the at least one client to allow the client to have access to the data on the token server. The token includes a time specific permission. In a third aspect, a token for use in a token server system comprises a group of privileges and security identifiers. The token includes a time specific permission. A system and method in accordance with the present invention controls access to networked systems, but does not totally disable or change a system to accommodate temporary outages of access.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Patent number: 6983352
    Abstract: A system and method for performing a point in time backup is presented. A backup application initiates a point in time backup whereupon a backup tracker monitors write requests during the point in time backup. The backup tracker logs data block locations that have already been backed up whose content changes in response to a write request. After a first pass of backing up data blocks, the backup application backs up the changed data blocks. During the changed data block backup procedure, the backup application invokes a copy on write command for particular changed data blocks that receive write requests prior to their content being backed up. The copy on write command stores the particular changed data block's content in a temporary storage area in which the backup application retrieves when the backup application is ready to backup the particular changed data blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Susann Marie Keohane, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Jessica Murillo, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Patent number: 6973580
    Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a system and method for monitoring and alerting remote client users of digital intrusions of their computers by host servers. In general, the present invention monitors actions taken by host servers relating to information about the remote client and displays graphical alerts when a digital intrusion or a breach of security occurs during a network connection, such as a connection to the Internet, with the host server. Specifically, the present invention monitors certain aspects of the remote client user s interaction with host servers. Based on certain interaction, such as an attempt by the host server to retrieve non-related information about the remote client, the remote client user can be provided with a graphical alert. This allows the remote client user to make an informed decision whether or not to allow certain host server sites to retrieve the client user s personal information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Scott Allen Carroll, William Alton Fiveash, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Publication number: 20050256859
    Abstract: A system, apparatus and method of allowing an application program continued access to a frozen file system are provided. An application program that requires continued access to a file system, even when the file system is frozen, may register with the system. Doing so allows the system to identify application program as one that needs continued access to the file system. Hence, the application program may continue to be provided access to the file system while all other application programs are prevented from accessing the file system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2004
    Publication date: November 17, 2005
    Inventors: Susann Marie Keohane, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Jessica Murillo, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Patent number: 6966051
    Abstract: A method, system, and product are disclosed for automatically generating a symbol-based debug script, which is executable by a debug program, for debugging a software program. Function symbols included in the software program are identified. The functions represented by the function symbols may be executed during an execution of the software program. A debug script is then automatically generated which, when executed by a debug program, will record each one of the functions symbols which represent a function called by the software program during execution of the software program by the debug program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Patent number: 6948118
    Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for bookmarking a path to a presently displayed Web page are provided. The path is made of a plurality of web pages that have previously been accessed and from which the presently displayed Web page emanates. When a user wants to bookmark the presently displayed Web page, the user is given an option to choose all the Web pages that were previously accessed. If the user so chooses, all the Web pages are bookmarked at once. When the bookmark folder is accessed anytime thereafter, the bookmarked Web pages are displayed as a chain of bookmarked Web pages and in the order they were accessed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Denise Marie Genty, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh, Shawn Patrick Mullen, James Stanley Tesauro
  • Publication number: 20050183011
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for modifying a document. A determination is made as to whether a portion of the selected content is protected from deletion. This determination is made in response to receiving a user input to delete selected content within the document. Deletion of the portion of the selected content is prevented in response to the portion of the selected content being protected. In some cases, the portion may be deleted after receiving a second user input confirming the deletion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2004
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Susann Marie Keohane, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Jessica Kelley Murillo, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Patent number: 6848076
    Abstract: Minimizing the effects that repetitive failures to access requested documents or files will have on the user requesting the files through a receiving network or World Wide Web (Web) station. When there is a network, e.g. Web failure in the access of a requested document, the system will retry to access. However, when the failed retries reaches a selected number, the system will then continue to try to access the requested document and, when that document is finally accessed, the system will automatically store the document in an appropriate cache associated with the requesting receiving station. Documents related to this initial document will also be automatically accessed from the Web and stored at the receiving station together with the initial document. Note, these related documents may be documents accessed through hyperlinks in the initial document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Denise Marie Genty, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Patent number: 6848077
    Abstract: The user receiving a World Wide Web (Web) page is provided with an implementation for predetermining subject matter, terms and words for which the user desires to have hyperlinks in a received web document. It further provides for displaying in the received web document multiple hyperlinks for each predetermined term of interest to thereby substantially reduce the user browsing through several levels of web documents in pursuit of topics of interest. Search engines for locating web documents related to the defined words are provided together with implementations for creating hyperlinks from the received web document to at least some of the located web documents. The system may be implemented by highlighting the defined words in the received web document, and responsive to a user interactive selection of a highlighted defined word in the received document, displaying a menu of a plurality of hyperlinks to the located web documents related to the selected highlighted defined word.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Patent number: 6845425
    Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for storing data into two incompatibly formatted storage systems are provided. When a data is to be stored, it is first determined whether the data is to be stored into the two incompatibly formatted storage systems which are each being managed by a logical volume manager (LVM). If so, the data is forwarded to the two storage systems. In a particular embodiment, when the data is to be stored, one of the two LVMs determines whether the data is to be stored into the two storage systems. If so determined, the LVM that has made the determination passes a copy of the data to the other LVM. The two LVMs then ensure that the data is appropriately stored. When data is to be read from an incompatible storage system, the first LVM will request the data from the second LVM, when the data is received, the first LVM converts the data into an understandable format before the data is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Lynn Fought, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Publication number: 20040260894
    Abstract: A system and method for performing a point in time backup is presented. A backup application initiates a point in time backup whereupon a backup tracker monitors write requests during the point in time backup. The backup tracker logs data block locations that have already been backed up whose content changes in response to a write request. After a first pass of backing up data blocks, the backup application backs up the changed data blocks. During the changed data block backup procedure, the backup application invokes a copy on write command for particular changed data blocks that receive write requests prior to their content being backed up. The copy on write command stores the particular changed data block's content in a temporary storage area in which the backup application retrieves when the backup application is ready to backup the particular changed data blocks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Susann Marie Keohane, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Jessica Murillo, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Publication number: 20040260772
    Abstract: A display interface at a sending/receiving display terminal including the conventional implementations for reading and sending E-Mail with an implementation for organizing the text content of a chronological sequence of E-Mail documents having the same subject identifier or header. There is designated a subject identifier of one received electronic mail as a message text sequencer and there is an implementation at a receiving display station for enabling the display of a chronological sequence of the text of said received message and the text of all subsequent messages having said designated subject identifier. The designation of the identifier may automatically designate a subject identifier as a message text sequencer based upon user predetermined attributes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Shawn Patrick Mullen, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh, James Stanley Tesauro
  • Publication number: 20040249822
    Abstract: Files, such as HTML files, are managed managed by performing a permitted command or action initiated on a current file on all its co-requisite files as identified in an extended attribute field stored within the current file. Thus, when an HTML file is emailed or transferred, all requisite files necessary to properly render the web page at the client are assured to be sent. The extended attribute field indicates the parent-child relationship of the co-requisite the co-requisite files and only performs the action on child files. The extended attribute field within the current file also indicates the actions that can be performed on each of its co-requisite files.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2003
    Publication date: December 9, 2004
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Susann Marie Keohane, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Jessica Kelley Murillo, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Patent number: 6829638
    Abstract: A system and method for managing multiple proxy servers by a client computer. In one embodiment, the client computer's configuration is set to the fastest proxy server available. In another embodiment, a proxy table is accessed by the client computer to determine which proxy to use for a given web address. When a web address is included in the table, the corresponding proxy server is used to request the contents of the web address. If the web address is not included in the table, a default proxy server is used to request the information. In another embodiment, a periodic test is made to determine the speed of the current proxy server. If the speed is less than a predetermined threshold, the available proxy servers are all tested and the best-performing proxy server is selected. In another embodiment, aspects of each of the above-described embodiments are combined to provide a proxy server to a client computer based upon either a given web address (URL) or the fastest current proxy server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh, Guha Prasad Venkataraman
  • Publication number: 20040236745
    Abstract: A security protocol that dynamically implements enhanced mount security of a filesystem when access to sensitive files on a networked filesystem is requested. When the user of a client system attempts to access a specially-tagged sensitive file, the server hosting the filesystem executes a software code that terminates the current mount and re-configures the server ports to accept a re-mount from the client via a more secure port. The server re-configured server port is provided the IP address of the client and matches the IP address during the re-mount operation. The switch to a secure mount is completed in a seamless manner so that authorized users are allowed to access sensitive files without bogging down the server with costly encryption and other resource-intensive security features. No significant delay is experienced by the user, while the sensitive file is shielded from un-authorized capture during transmission to the client system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2003
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Susan Marie Keohane, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Jessica Kelley Murillo, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh
  • Publication number: 20040236856
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method, apparatus, and computer instructions for creating and monitoring network connections of prioritized users in a wireless hub. All users of a wireless hub are assigned priorities for their connections to the wireless hub. These priorities may be based on categories, such as for example, fees paid, importance of traffic, amount of traffic, type of work, alternate physical connection availability, and job level. When a user logs onto a wireless hub with a network card, the IP address or port is logged. The user may be identified through their MAC address. Performance thresholds for a network may be used to determine whether or not the performance level of the network is acceptable. If the performance level of the network reaches a specified unfavorable threshold, then the connection of non-priority and lower prioritized users may be dropped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2003
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Susann Marie Keohane, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Shawn Patrick Mullen, Jessica Kelley Murillo, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh