Patents by Inventor William T. O'Connor

William T. O'Connor 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: 8793114
    Abstract: A method and system dynamically generates virtualized configurations of sensors and signals used in drilling system equipment. The virtualized configurations may be used for novel operational testing of automation systems on drilling rigs. The methods and systems may be configured to virtualize actual drill floor equipment in order to have enhanced fault coverage of the automation systems. A control network that is a component of the automation systems may implement a testing loop that accommodates virtualized equipment in a manner substantially similar to actual equipment. In this manner, the testing loop may be configured to control elements specific to the equipment under control, and generate testing results for those specific control elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Athens Group Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Donald F. Shafer, Mark Price, William T. O'Grady, Jr., Nestor Fesas
  • Publication number: 20120173218
    Abstract: A method and system dynamically generates virtualized configurations of sensors and signals used in drilling system equipment. The virtualized configurations may be used for novel operational testing of automation systems on drilling rigs. The methods and systems may be configured to virtualize actual drill floor equipment in order to have enhanced fault coverage of the automation systems. A control network that is a component of the automation systems may implement a testing loop that accommodates virtualized equipment in a manner substantially similar to actual equipment. In this manner, the testing loop may be configured to control elements specific to the equipment under control, and generate testing results for those specific control elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2011
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: ATHENS GROUP HOLDINGS, LLC
    Inventors: Donald F. Shafer, Mark Price, William T. O'Grady, JR., Nestor Fesas
  • Patent number: 8170999
    Abstract: A system and a method for the deferral and incremental performance of integrity processing for data rolled into a table of a data warehouse and for the deferral and incremental performance of maintenance on data rolled out of a table of the data warehouse while permitting general users online access to other data contained in the table. The rolled in and rolled out data are contained within specific data partitions of the table. Each data partition in the table has an associated distinguishable partition ID. Each data partition can also have associated attributes corresponding to containing rolled-in and rolled-out data respectively. Table operation mechanisms are arranged such that general users of the table do not access rolled in data in a partition for which integrity processing has not yet been performed and do not access rolled out data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Leo Beck, Paul Michael Brett, Jeffrey James Goss, Dieu Quang La, Catherine Suzanne McArthur, William T. O'Connell
  • Patent number: 8161015
    Abstract: Rectifying discrepancies between a table, from which a segment of data has been removed, and an index for the table may be deferred. Each entry in the index is sequentially analyzed to remove entries therefrom referring to any removed segment referenced in the starting location list. During this process, if a segment newly removed from the table is detected, then analysis of the index entries continues and an indicator is set that another segment has been removed. Analysis of the entries continues in a looping fashion until each entry has been assessed to determine if it makes a reference to any of the removed segments. If a query is received before rectification is complete then the query is amended by establishing search boundaries based so that the query does not produce any entries in the index referring to removed segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Paul Kennedy, Quanhua Hong, William T. O'Connell, Leslie Anne Buback
  • Publication number: 20110184923
    Abstract: Rectifying discrepancies between a table, from which a segment of data has been removed, and an index for the table may be deferred. Each entry in the index is sequentially analyzed to remove entries therefrom referring to any removed segment referenced in the starting location list. During this process, if a segment newly removed from the table is detected, then analysis of the index entries continues and an indicator is set that another segment has been removed. Analysis of the entries continues in a looping fashion until each entry has been assessed to determine if it makes a reference to any of the removed segments. If a query is received before rectification is complete then the query is amended by establishing search boundaries based so that the query does not produce any entries in the index referring to removed segments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2011
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: John Paul KENNEDY, Quanhua HONG, William T. O'CONNELL, Leslie Anne BUBACK
  • Patent number: 7945543
    Abstract: Rectifying discrepancies between a table, from which a segment of data has been removed, and an index for the table may be deferred. Each entry in the index is sequentially analyzed to remove entries therefrom referring to any removed segment referenced in the starting location list. During this process, if a segment newly removed from the table is detected, then analysis of the index entries continues and an indicator is set that another segment has been removed. Analysis of the entries continues in a looping fashion until each entry has been assessed to determine if it makes a reference to any of the removed segments. If a query is received before rectification is complete then the query is amended by establishing search boundaries based so that the query does not produce any entries in the index referring to removed segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Paul Kennedy, Quanhua Hong, William T. O'Connell, Leslie Anne Buback
  • Patent number: 7730057
    Abstract: Virtual solution architecture for computer data systems. In one aspect, providing an architecture for a computer data system includes creating a virtual solution architecture that includes a plurality of building blocks, each building block characterized by balanced operation, and mapping the virtual solution architecture to a physical solution architecture for the computer data system. Another aspect includes providing at least one balanced configuration unit (BCU) in a computer data system, the BCU including at least one balanced partition unit (BPU) that includes computer resources to provide balanced operation for the BPU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John W. Bell, Simon Ashley Field, Jason Michael Gartner, Randall R. Holmes, Nancy A. Kopp, William T. O'Connell, Paulo Roberto Rosa Pereira
  • Patent number: 7447681
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for directing a data processing system, the data processing system and an article of manufacture. The data processing system has memory for storing a database. The method directs the data processing system to configuring the database based on a database workload having a performance metric. The method includes selecting a plurality of database characteristics based upon the database workload, each of the database characteristics having an associated estimated performance metric for the database workload, selecting a set of database characteristics from the plurality of database characteristics for which the associated estimated performance metric is lower than the database workload performance metric, and configuring the database using the selected set of database characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sam Sampson Lightstone, Guy Maring Lohman, William T. O'Connell, Jun Rao, Robin D. Van Boeschoten, Daniele Costante Zilio, Calisto Paul Zuzarte
  • Patent number: 7359923
    Abstract: A system and a method for the deferral and incremental performance of integrity processing for data rolled into a table of a data warehouse and for the deferral and incremental performance of maintenance on data rolled out of a table of the data warehouse while permitting general users online access to other data contained in the table. The rolled in and rolled out data are contained within specific data partitions of the table. Each data partition in the table has an associated distinguishable partition ID. Each data partition can also have associated attributes corresponding to containing rolled-in and rolled-out data respectively. Table operation mechanisms are arranged such that general users of the table do not access rolled in data in a partition for which integrity processing has not yet been performed and do not access rolled out data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Leo Beck, Paul Michael Brett, Jeffrey James Goss, Dieu Quang La, Catherine Suzanne McArthur, William T. O'Connell
  • Patent number: 7302441
    Abstract: Disclosed is a data processing system, a data processing system-implemented method and an article of manufacture for providing general user availability while integrity processing of rolled-in data is deferred and performed incrementally. The data processing system includes a data warehouse administration module for administering a data warehouse to include a table dividable into portions for containing rows of rolled-in data, a first and a second delimiter delimiting the start and the end respectively of each portion, a metadata element having an entry corresponding to the start and end delimiters delimiting each portion, a third delimiter for delimiting, between the first delimiter and the third delimiter, a sub-portion of the portion, and an operations management module having operation mechanisms for performing operations on the data warehouse responsive to the delimiters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Petrus Kai Chung Chan, Miroslaw Adam Flasza, Dieu Quang La, Bruce Gilbert Lindsay, William T. O'Connell
  • Patent number: 7289978
    Abstract: A method, computer program product and computing device for promoting reuse of previously generated access plans are disclosed. SQL statements containing literals are amended so as to substitute a parameter marker for each literal. Amended statements are provided to the DBMS along with parameters including the substituted literals and a substitution indicator indicating that the substitution has been performed. The DBMS assesses the soundness of the substitutions that are performed. Soundness may be measured in terms of the semantic correctness of the amended statement and the likelihood that the literal substitution will improve DBMS efficiency. If a substitution is unsound, the DBMS may obtain and optimize the original version of the amended SQL statement. Otherwise, the amended statement is optimized. Advantageously, SQL statements originally differing only in the value of one or more literals may become functionally equivalent, and the reuse of cached, previously generated access plans is thus promoted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Coporation
    Inventors: Joseph Serge Limoges, Robert A. Begg, Dominique J. Evans, William T. O'Connell, Klaus Bernhard Schiefer, Timothy J. Vincent
  • Patent number: 7290214
    Abstract: A system and method for directing a data processing system to incrementally process a base table and a materialized view, wherein the materialized view is associated with the base table, and both are stored in the system, is disclosed. The method includes setting integrity of the base table having an identifier identifying data newly load appended to the base table, and placing the identifier into a location if the location does not contain any other identifier identifying any other data newly load appended to the base table. In a preferred embodiment, the materialized view is incrementally refreshed using the identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard S. Sidle, Dieu Q. La, Petrus Kai Chung Chan, Roberta J. Cochrane, William T. O'Connell, M. Hamid. Pirahesh
  • Patent number: 7124916
    Abstract: A hand-held pressurized product dispenser including a container containing a product under pressure, a valve mechanism and base structure at the top of the container, a nozzle that moves between an unactuated position and a discharge position, and a side lever that extends along the can and is movable to move the nozzle from the unactuated position to the discharge position. The dispenser also has a dome that is rotatably connected to the base structure and surrounds the nozzle and interacts with the nozzle to cause rotation of the nozzle between a locked position and an unlocked position. The nozzle has one or more downwardly directed feet that align with solid areas of an upwardly directed surface in the locked position and that align with open areas of the base structure in the unlocked position, such that the nozzle is free to move into the discharge position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: The Gillette Company
    Inventors: David M. Groh, William T. O'Connor, Robert Trotta
  • Patent number: 7043469
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system and a method for materializing records in a result set in response to a query. The computer system comprises a server and a client. The server has a database and a database management system for providing access to the database. The client is operatively coupled to the database management system. The client is adapted to provide a query to the database management system and the database management system is adapted to materialize a number of records in a result set in response to the query. The number of materialized records is selected to reduce inefficient materialization of records from the database in response to the query.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Iqbal A. Goralwalla, William T. O'Connell, David C. Sharpe
  • Patent number: 7031783
    Abstract: An interface between an automation host and a plurality of tools is used to perform a processing step. The interface includes a single communications and process behavioral connection interface to the automation host. The interface also includes a plurality of virtual host interfaces. Each virtual host interface from the plurality of virtual host interfaces provides a communications and process behavioral interface to one of the tools in the plurality of tools. The automation host can control and coordinate operation of all tools in the plurality of tools via the single communications and process behavioral connection interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: William T. O'Grady, Joel Taylor, Ryo Takeda, Nobuhiko Yoshimura, John D. McNeill, Donald F. Shafer, Janet Gilmore, Patrick Doane
  • Patent number: 7028022
    Abstract: A computer system for the indexing of data in which a heuristic determination function is applied to predict an efficient index updating approach. The system is able to update an index relating to a first data set by incrementally updating the index or by a rebuild of the index at the completion of the addition of a second set of data to the first set of data. The system applies a heuristic determination function to the characteristics of the first set of data, its index, and the second set of data, to predict whether an incremental update or a rebuild update of the index will result in a more efficient rebuild of the data. The system applies this approach to a restore and rollforward recovery or a data load operation to improve the efficiency of these operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sam S. Lightstone, Catherine S. McArthur, William T. O'Connell, Miroslaw A. Flasza
  • Patent number: 6874544
    Abstract: A pressurized dispensing system (10) for dispensing a multi-component product, comprises an outer body (11) defining a first chamber (8) constructed to contain a first component of said product; an inner container (20), disposed within said body, defining a second chamber (7) constructed to contain a second component of said product and maintain said second component separate from said first component; a dispensing head (50), in fluid communication with said first (8) and second (7) chambers, through which the product is dispensed; and a modular valve assembly (5), including a valve constructed to move between a closed position, in which said first and second chambers are sealed, and an open position, in which said first and second components flow simultaneously from said first and second chambers to said dispensing head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: The Gillette Company
    Inventors: William T. O'Connor, Robert G. Petit, M. Scott Curry
  • Publication number: 20040216802
    Abstract: A pressurized dispensing system (10) for dispensing a multi-component product, comprises an outer body (11) defining a first chamber (8) constructed to contain a first component of said product; an inner container (20), disposed within said body, defining a second chamber (7) constructed to contain a second component of said product and maintain said second component separate from said first component; a dispensing head (50), in fluid communication with said first (8) and second (7) chambers, through which the product is dispensed; and a modular valve assembly (5), including a valve constructed to move between a closed position, in which said first and second chambers are sealed, and an open position, in which said first and second components flow simultaneously from said first and second chambers to said dispensing head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2004
    Publication date: November 4, 2004
    Applicant: The Gillette Company, a Delaware corporation
    Inventors: William T. O'Connor, Robert G. Petit, M. Scott Curry
  • Publication number: 20040188473
    Abstract: A hand-held pressurized product dispenser including a container containing a product under pressure, a valve mechanism and base structure at the top of the container, a nozzle that moves between an unactuated position and a discharge position, and a side lever that extends along the can and is movable to move the nozzle from the unactuated position to the discharge position. The dispenser also has a dome that is rotatably connected to the base structure and surrounds the nozzle and interacts with the nozzle to cause rotation of the nozzle between a locked position and an unlocked position. The nozzle has one or more downwardly directed feet that align with solid areas of an upwardly directed surface in the locked position and that align with open areas of the base structure in the unlocked position, such that the nozzle is free to move into the discharge position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2003
    Publication date: September 30, 2004
    Inventors: David M. Groh, William T. O'Connor, Robert Trotta
  • Patent number: 6789702
    Abstract: A pressurized dispensing system (10) for dispensing a multi-component product, comprises an outer body (11) defining a first chamber (8) constructed to contain a first component of said product; an inner container (20), disposed within said body, defining a second chamber (7) constructed to contain a second component of said product and maintain said second component separate from said first component; a dispensing head (50), in fluid communication with said first (8) and second (7) chambers, through which the product is dispensed; and a modular valve assembly (5), including a valve constructed to move between a closed position, in which said first and second chambers are sealed, and an open position, in which said first and second components flow simultaneously from said first and second chambers to said dispensing head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: The Gillette Company
    Inventors: William T. O'Connor, Robert G. Petit, M. Scott Curry