Patents Issued in August 1, 2017
  • Patent number: 9720584
    Abstract: User interfaces for multiple display regions are described. One embodiment provides an array of non-overlapping windows that are created from a set of overlapping windows, and a user can select one of the non-overlapping windows to obtain an enlarged view of that selected window while keeping the other windows in their non-overlapping state. In one embodiment, the array of non-overlapping windows can include minimized windows or windows in other virtual desktops (e.g. windows in other “Spaces”) or both. In one embodiment, only windows of a selected application are shown in non-overlapping mode while opened windows of other applications are not shown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: John O. Louch, Timothy W. Bumgarner, Eric S. Peyton, Christopher J. Hynes
  • Patent number: 9720585
    Abstract: A thermostat user interface for a network-connected thermostat is described. The thermostat includes a frustum-shaped shell body having a circular cross-section and a sidewall extending between first and second ends, the second end being user-facing when the thermostat is wall-mounted; a circular rotatable ring being user rotatable for adjusting a setting of the thermostat; and a circular cover including a clear circular center portion surrounded by a painted outer portion. The clear circular center portion permits a corresponding circular portion of a non-circular dot-matrix color display element to be visible through the circular cover and the painted outer portion masks a remaining portion of the non-circular dot-matrix color display element so as to create a circular graphical user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony M. Fadell, Matthew L. Rogers, David Sloo, Michael Plitkins, Shigefumi Honjo, John B. Filson, Michael J. Matas, Fred Bould, Brian Huppi
  • Patent number: 9720586
    Abstract: An apparatus, method, and computer program product are described that provide for an active digital bezel area on a display of a device. Touch input may be received in a bezel area provided on the display, where user interaction with content presented within the bezel area at a location corresponding to the location of the touch input is initially disabled. A force component of the touch input may be detected and compared to a predetermined force threshold. In cases in which the force component of the touch input exceeds the predetermined force threshold, user interaction with the content at that location may be enabled. In this way, the force exerted by the user in applying a touch input in the bezel area may be considered an indication of the user's intent to interact with corresponding content within the bezel, and such interactions may be provided for accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: David Alexander Dearman, Vidya Raghavan Setlur
  • Patent number: 9720587
    Abstract: A process is disclosed of operating a user interface device configured to display an image on a display screen and enable user input by a user's finger touch on a touch screen in association with the displayed image, the process including: after the user starts a finger touch on the touch screen, if the user holds the finger at a substantially same location for a duration equal to or longer than a predetermined duration, initiating stationary displaying to display the image stationarily on the display screen, despite any later finger-slide motions on screen; and, after the stationary displaying starts, if a match is made between the finger's contact point on the touch screen and a location of a desirable graphical object included in the image displayed on the display screen, determining that the user has provisionally selected the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: KDDI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomoaki Matsuki
  • Patent number: 9720588
    Abstract: A mobile terminal and an application-controlling method thereof are provided. The application-controlling method for the mobile terminal according to the present disclosure comprises: detecting an action on a touch screen of the mobile terminal when an application is running; if the action is a static action, then acquiring a touch area between the static action and the touch screen; and comparing the touch area with a threshold area, and if the touch area is no less than the threshold area, then stopping running of the application. In this way, the mobile terminal and an application-controlling method thereof according to the present disclosure can make it more convenient for the user to operate the applications of the mobile terminal and are easy to operate and to be popularized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Huizhou TCL Mobile Communication Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Zhibing Yang
  • Patent number: 9720589
    Abstract: A touch display device includes a touch sensor, a visual accelerator, and a display. The touch sensor senses a touch. The visual accelerator visualizes the touch. The display displays information corresponding to the visualized touch. When the touch is outside a visual acceleration area, the visual accelerator does not process the touch. When the touch is in the visual acceleration area, the visual accelerator visualizes the touch on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Bo Young An, Min-Weun Kim, Sang Rak Kim, Dong Rock Seo, Seong-Keun Ha
  • Patent number: 9720590
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus including a proximity sensor is provided. The apparatus includes a touch sensor configured to sense a touch trace of the object in response to a user gesture of touching the electronic apparatus using an object and moving the touched point being input, a proximity sensor configured to sense a motion of the object before and after the touch, and a controller configured to change the touch trace based on a direction of motion of the object before and after the touch, and recognize the user gesture according to the changed touch trace. Accordingly, the touch trace may be changed and thus, an accurate control operation may be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jong-bo Moon, Chang-soo Noh, Hyun-kyu Yun, Jong-keun Lee, Je-sun Hwang
  • Patent number: 9720591
    Abstract: A multitouch interface application provides a user with access to a multitouch chording language for controlling auxiliary components within a vehicle, where a particular command for a given auxiliary component is specified by a combination of a left-hand gesture and a right-hand gesture. The multitouch interface application receives left-hand gestures from a left-hand touch sensing surface, where a given left-hand gesture corresponds to a selection of mode associated within a given auxiliary component. The multitouch interface application also receives right-hand gestures from a right-hand touch sensing surface, where a given right-hand gesture, in conjunction with a left-hand gesture, corresponds to a command for the given auxiliary component. Upon receiving both a left-hand gesture and a right-hand gesture, the multitouch interface application issues the command to the auxiliary component associated with the selected mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: Davide Di Censo, Stefan Marti
  • Patent number: 9720592
    Abstract: In gesture reporting and replay, touch events are captured from an operating system of a client device for touch actions on a touchscreen. The touch events are interpreted as gestures. Any application events are captured from an application in response to the gestures. A given gesture and any given application event in response to the given gesture are compared against an expected application event. When there is a match, the given gesture is identified as a responsive gesture. When there is no match, the given gesture is identified as a non-responsive gesture. The gesture information for the given gesture, any application event in response to the given gesture, and a screen layout displayed on the touchscreen at the time of the given gesture are sent to a service. For the information received, the service replays the given gesture and generates a report.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Omar Hernandez, Vikas Madan, Sophia A. Simpson, Sukhbir Singh
  • Patent number: 9720593
    Abstract: A touch panel operation device recognizes multiple kinds of operation events with respect to a touch panel with sufficient assurance and effectively restricts execution of processing not intended by a user. A gesture microcomputer detects a user's gesture with respect to a touch panel and notifies an HMI application of an operation signal corresponding to the detection. The HMI application determines an operation event from the operation signal notified by the gesture microcomputer. The notification is received in such a way that a present state of the touch panel is judged and the determination is made based on variation of the state and the like by monitoring the state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori Suzuki, Naoki Satou
  • Patent number: 9720594
    Abstract: A device with a touch-sensitive surface detects a touch on the touch-sensitive surface, determines that the touch is cancelled, and in accordance with a determination that the touch is cancelled, sends a touch cancel event to at least one of the one or more applications. Also disclosed is a device configured to determine that a respective touch has been cancelled by the device. If the respective touch has been cancelled, the device ignores the respective touch. If the respective touch has not been cancelled, the device processes the respective touch. In addition, a device configured to detect one or more touches and process at least a subset of the touches with at least one application is described. While processing at least a subset of the touches, the device receives a touch cancel event, and, in response to receiving the touch cancel event, ignores the touches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Jason Clay Beaver, Andrew Platzer
  • Patent number: 9720595
    Abstract: A method of operating a storage device having a nonvolatile memory including at least one memory block having a plurality of sub-blocks includes reading backup data of backup memory cells having a highest program state among a plurality of memory cells connected to at least one word line of a sub-block which is not erase-requested adjacent to an erase-requested sub-block among the sub-blocks. The method includes storing the backup data, erasing the erase-requested sub-block, and reprogramming the backup memory cells having the highest program state on the basis of the backup data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Donghun Kwak
  • Patent number: 9720596
    Abstract: A technique for managing a data storage system that stores data in a set of RAID groups includes receiving IO requests specifying data to be written at different logical addresses and mapping the specified data to contiguous physical addresses, so as to produce contiguously-mapped data having a length equal to that of a full stripe of a RAID group. With data from the IO requests mapped to a contiguous, full-stripe range, the data storage system can write the data and its parity to a full stripe of the RAID group in a single set of operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Pierre Bono, Philippe Armangau
  • Patent number: 9720597
    Abstract: Systems and methods for swapping out and in pinned memory regions between main memory and a separate storage location in a system, including establishing an offload buffer in an interposing library; swapping out pinned memory regions by transferring offload buffer data from a coprocessor memory to a host processor memory, unregistering and unmapping a memory region employed by the offload buffer from the interposing library, wherein the interposing library is pre-loaded on the coprocessor, and collects and stores information employed during the swapping out. The pinned memory regions are swapped in by mapping and re-registering the files to the memory region employed by the offload buffer, and transferring data of the offload buffer data from the host memory back to the re-registered memory region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Cheng-Hong Li, Giuseppe Coviello, Kunal Rao, Murugan Sankaradas, Srihari Cadambi, Srimat Chakradhar, Rajat Phull
  • Patent number: 9720598
    Abstract: A storage system comprises a storage array comprising a plurality of solid state storage devices (SSDs), a first processor comprising a first root complex of the storage system, a plurality of controller devices, and a first switch to interconnect the plurality of SSDs, the first processor and the plurality of controller devices. A first controller device of the plurality of controller devices is to connect the storage system to one or more remote servers. The first controller device is further to receive a first request from a first server of the one or more remote servers and determine whether the first request is a data request or a control request. The first controller device is further to send a first message to a first SSD of the plurality of SSDs via the first switch, bypassing the first processor, responsive to a determination that the first request is a data request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Pavilion Data Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Kiron Balkrishna Malwankar
  • Patent number: 9720599
    Abstract: A magnetic system for solving a quadratic optimization problem by associating each of a plurality of variables of a quadratic optimization problem with a nanomagnet of a nanomagnet array, driving the nanomagnets of the nanomagnet array to an excited state, allowing the nanomagnets of the nanomagnet array to enter a relaxed state after being driven to an excited state, wherein the nanomagnets magnetically couple with one another in the relaxed state to minimize the total magnetic coupling energy of the nanomagnet array, and sensing a magnetic coupling of the nanomagnets of the nanomagnet array to solve the quadratic optimization problem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: University of South Florida
    Inventors: Sanjukta Bhanja, Sudeep Sarkar, Ravi Panchumarthy, Dinuka K. Karunaratne
  • Patent number: 9720600
    Abstract: An apparatus is connected to a first storage and a second storage which is accessed at an access speed lower than an access speed of the first storage. The apparatus accesses each of blocks stored in the second storage, and counts, for each of the blocks, the number of accesses made for the each block. The apparatus determines, based on the number of accesses that has been counted for each of the blocks, a transfer target block that is a target which is to be transferred from the second storage to the first storage, and determines a transfer time at which transfer of the transfer target block is to be performed. The apparatus transfers the determined transfer target block to the first storage at the determined transfer time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Motoyuki Kawaba, Kazuichi Oe, Kazutaka Ogihara
  • Patent number: 9720601
    Abstract: A technique for load balancing uses heuristic-based algorithms with respect to input/output (I/O) latency of workloads destined to storage devices, e.g., solid state drives (SSDs), of a storage array attached to a storage system. Illustratively, “front-end” requests received from a host result in a back-end workload as those requests are processed by a storage I/O stack of the storage system and stored on the storage array. Accordingly, the technique maintains a consistent latency for the host requests (front-end) to control latency for the back-end workload. The load balancing technique illustratively load balances fixed (back-end) workloads having similar I/O sizes and I/O patterns. Illustratively, the technique balances the workloads across a plurality of storage ports over one or more I/O paths to the SSDs. Access to the SSDs may then be distributed among the storage ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Anish Gupta, Samiullah Mohammed, Jamie Nguyen, Hung Lu
  • Patent number: 9720602
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes receiving a request to transmit column group data to a target node, the column group data comprising C columns within a column-oriented data table and determining a transmission row count R for transmitting the column group data to the target node. The method may also include transmitting a transmission packet comprising R sequentially-ordered data elements for each of the C columns to the target node. The R data elements for each column may be sequentially retrieved from memory. A corresponding method includes receiving, at a target node, a request to receive the column group data, determining the transmission row count R for receiving the column group data, and receiving a transmission packet comprising R sequentially-ordered data elements for each of the C columns and storing the sequentially-ordered data elements within memory. A corresponding computer system and corresponding computer program products are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Xing Chen, Paul C. Huffman, David C. Kalmuk, Sam S. Lightstone, Shaorong Liu
  • Patent number: 9720603
    Abstract: In an embodiment of the invention, a method which speeds up the transfer of data and increases the data throughput in an IO network comprised of Host Bus Adapters (HBAs)/IO bridges-switches, IO devices, and hosts is described. In the embodiment of the present invention, HBAs and IO bridges-switches utilize a multi-level cache composed of volatile memories (such as SRAM, SDRAM, etc.) and solid-state memories (such as flash, MRAM, etc.). These memories are used to cache the most recently accessed IO data by an active host or by another HBA/IO bridge-switch. Cache content can be from the local IO devices (the ones connected directly to the HBA/IO bridge-switch), from remote IO devices (the ones connected to different HBA/IO bridges/switches), or from both (a portion from local IO devices and another portion from remote IO devices). The combination of these caches from different HBAs/IO bridges-switches creates the cache for all IO devices in the entire network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: BiTMICRO Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence Moldez Salazar, Bernard Sherwin Leung Chiw
  • Patent number: 9720604
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided where a memory controller for non-volatile memory transfers data to and from random access memory over a second double data rate bus, and a host system access the random access memory over a first double data rate bus. The memory controller may transfer the data in response to a command received by the memory controller from a host system via a block storage protocol bus. Alternatively or in addition, the memory controller may transfer the data as part of caching data internal to the non-volatile memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Alex Lemberg, Eyal Sobol, Mahmud Asfur
  • Patent number: 9720605
    Abstract: A method for dynamically establishing a transition layer of a solid state disk (SSD). When a SSD is activated, the storage mode of the logical to physical (L2P) table is dynamically selected according to the state in the buffer memory of the SSD and the comparison between the capacity of the buffer memory and that of the L2P table. The establishing position of a flash translation layer (FTL) is suitably adjusted according to the selected storage mode such that the lifespan of the SSD can be prolonged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: QUANTA STORAGE INC.
    Inventors: Cheng-Yi Lin, Ying-Kai Yu, Yi-Long Hsiao
  • Patent number: 9720606
    Abstract: Methods and structure for online migration of data in a storage system comprising a plurality of storage devices. The method comprises redefining a volume of a storage system mapped according to a first mapping structure by defining a second mapping structure. The method further comprises quiescing processing of host I/O requests directed to the volume and transitioning control of the volume from a first to a second volume manager so as to utilize the benefits of the second mapping structure. The method further comprises commencing processing of host I/O requests directed to the volume wherein the volume is mapped according to the second mapping structure. The method further comprises migrating, via the second volume manager, volume data to any of a plurality of storage devices of the system, online, without interrupting processing of host I/O requests directed to the volume. This migrates volume data without significant downtime or wasted space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Keith W. Holt, John G. Logan, Kevin Kidney
  • Patent number: 9720607
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to the design of an append-only data storage system that stores sets of data blocks in extents that are located in storage devices in the system. During operation of the system, when an extent is in an open state, the system allows data blocks to be appended to the extent, and disallows operations to be performed on the extent that are incompatible with data being concurrently appended to the extent. When the extent becomes full, the system changes the extent from the open state to a closed state. Then, while the extent is in the closed state, the system disallows data blocks to be appended to the extent, and allows operations to be performed on the extent that are incompatible with data being concurrently appended to the extent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: James Cowling, James Turner
  • Patent number: 9720608
    Abstract: A storage control apparatus performs, for each virtual area to which a physical area is allocated, any one of coarse-grained management for managing a correspondence relationship between a virtual area and a physical area in a first size unit, and fine-grained management for managing a correspondence relationship between a virtual area and a physical area in a second size unit smaller than the first size unit. The storage control apparatus manages mapping information that expresses a correspondence relationship between a virtual area and a physical area. The storage control apparatus performs at least one of change of any of fine-grained virtual areas to a coarse-grained virtual area and change of any of coarse-grained virtual areas to a fine-grained virtual area, based on the number of duplication areas of each virtual area and a size of the mapping information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Watanabe, Norio Shimozono
  • Patent number: 9720609
    Abstract: A data protecting method for a rewritable non-volatile memory module is provided. The method includes assigning a plurality of physical pages into a plurality of encoding groups to group a first physical page to a first encoding group and group a second physical page to a second encoding group, where each of the physical pages stores user data and a parity code corresponding to the user data, the first physical page is composed of memory cells of a first word line, and the second physical page is composed of memory cells of a second word line adjacent to the first word line. The method also includes respectively encoding the user data in the physical pages of the encoding groups for generating a plurality of group parity codes respectively corresponding to the encoding groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: PHISON ELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Horng-Sheng Yan, Kok-Yong Tan
  • Patent number: 9720610
    Abstract: A memory device includes a plurality of memory modules and a plurality of control lines. Each memory module includes a plurality of memory units. Each memory unit includes: a plurality of memory cell groups, each of which includes at least one memory cell; a plurality of first bit lines, each of which is coupled to the at least one memory cell of a respective memory cell group; a second bit line; and a plurality of controllable circuits, each of which has an input terminal coupled to a respective first bit line, an output terminal coupled to the second bit line, and a control terminal. Each control line is coupled to the control terminal of a corresponding controllable circuit of each of at least one memory unit of each memory module. The memory device consumes relatively small power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Inventor: Chih-Cheng Hsiao
  • Patent number: 9720611
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate generally to semiconductors and memory technology, and more particularly, to systems, integrated circuits, and methods to preserve states of memory elements in association with data operations using variable access signal magnitudes for other memory elements, such as implemented in third dimensional memory technology. In some embodiments, a memory device can include a cross-point array with resistive memory elements. An access signal generator can modify a magnitude of a signal to generate a modified magnitude for the signal to access a resistive memory element associated with a word line and a subset of bit lines. A tracking signal generator is configured to track the modified magnitude of the signal and to apply a tracking signal to other resistive memory elements associated with other subsets of bit lines, the tracking signal having a magnitude at a differential amount from the modified magnitude of the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Unity Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Chang Hua Siau
  • Patent number: 9720612
    Abstract: A controller of a non-volatile memory system may be configured to identify bits of data to be stored in memory elements of non-volatile memory that are identified as unreliable. The controller may be configured to bias at least some of these bits to a predetermined logic value at which the bits are likely to be read from the unreliable memory elements. The controller may do so using a biasing key that the controller generates based on identification of the bits. Subsequently, when the data is read, the controller may assign log likelihood ratio values for the bits to correspond to a percent likelihood of the bits being biased to the predetermined logic value. The bits may also be unbiased using the biasing key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Tuers, Abhijeet Manohar, Jonathan Hsu
  • Patent number: 9720613
    Abstract: A system and method for allocating storage devices within a multi-node data storage system. The system maintains a data structure including a generation number indicating an incarnation of the data structure, a highest cylinder ID index value observed to be in use within the data storage system, and a safe index value indicating a lowest cylinder ID index value for use when allocating a new cylinder index. Following receipt of an allocation request, the system assigns a cylinder ID index to the allocation request, the cylinder ID index being greater than the safe index value. The assigned cylinder ID index is compared to the highest cylinder ID index value observed to be in use within said data storage system, and when the cylinder ID index is greater than the highest cylinder ID index value, increments the generation number and highest cylinder ID index value maintained within the data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Teradata US, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary Lee Boggs
  • Patent number: 9720614
    Abstract: A method and associated systems for efficient management of cloned data. One or more processors create a “child” clone of a “parent” software image. The child and parent contain identical information organized into identical sets of file blocks. To conserve storage, each child block initially points to a physical storage location already in use by a corresponding parent block, rather than requiring additional storage of its own. The first time a child block is updated, however, it will require additional physical storage. At the time of the child's creation, the processors reserve a number of physical blocks sufficient to store the contents of all child file blocks likely to be updated. A child file block is identified as likely to be updated by analyzing past volatility of a corresponding file block of the parent or of corresponding file blocks of other children of the same parent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Blaine H. Dolph, Dean Hildebrand, Sandeep R. Patil, Riyazahamad M. Shiraguppi
  • Patent number: 9720615
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for writing data to a sequential storage medium, includes: writing plural data blocks sequentially to the sequential storage medium; and writing a data pattern to an area on the sequential storage medium, the area being an area to which none of the plural data blocks is written, the data pattern including plural bit patterns appearing in none of the plural data blocks, and thus representing that none of the plural data blocks is written to the area and representing specific information regarding the sequential storage medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tohru Hasegawa, Masayuki Iwanaga, Yutaka Oishi
  • Patent number: 9720616
    Abstract: A Green NAND SSD Driver (GNSD) driver executes on a host to increase data-retention of flash memory attached to a Super Enhanced Endurance Device (SEED) or Solid-State Drive (SSD). Host accesses to flash are intercepted by the GNSD driver using upper and lower-level filter drivers. A retention-check timer causes a retention routine to be periodically executed. The routine sends high-level commands to the SEED that causes the SEED to refresh either all data or just data blocks with older write dates. Data is refreshed by moving to a new physical block. The retention routine can track write dates of logical blocks and command a SSD to move logical blocks with older write dates. A retention card has a controller that performs the retention routine when not connected to a host, while a SEED power card allows the SEED to refresh data when no host is attached to the SEED.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Super Talent Technology, Corp.
    Inventors: Frank Yu, Abraham C. Ma, Shimon Chen
  • Patent number: 9720617
    Abstract: In one embodiment, when a secondary application on an electronic device is selected for deactivation, the memory associated with the application can be gathered, compacted and compressed into a memory freezer file. The memory freezer file can be stored in non-volatile memory with a reduced storage footprint compared to a memory stored in a conventional swap file. When the selected application is to be reactivated, the compressed memory in the memory freezer file can be quickly restored to process memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew D. Myrick, Lionel D. Desai, Joseph Sokol, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9720618
    Abstract: A method and system for synthesizing backup snapshots is discussed. IO's may be streamed from multiple locations, and placed in journal files. These journal files may thereafter be used to synthesize the backup snapshot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Anestis Panidis, Assaf Natanzon, Saar Cohen
  • Patent number: 9720619
    Abstract: A distributed snapshot in a distributed storage system is described, where the storage controller functions of the distributed storage system are separated from that of distributed storage system storage media. In an exemplary embodiment, a storage controller server receives a request to create the snapshot in the distributed storage system, where the distributed storage system includes a plurality of virtual nodes and a plurality of physical nodes, and the source object includes a plurality of stripes. The storage controller server further determines a set of virtual nodes from the plurality of virtual nodes, where each of the set of virtual nodes owns one of the plurality of stripes of the source object. For each of the set of virtual nodes, the storage controller server sends a clone request to that virtual node, where the request is to create a snapshot for the stripe hosted by that virtual node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Inventors: Smit Shah, Sandip Agarwala, Mallikarjunan Mahalingam, Faraz Shaikh, Praveen Vegulla, Krishna Yadappanavar
  • Patent number: 9720620
    Abstract: A block-based storage system may implement efficient replication for restoring a data volume from a reduced durability state. A storage node that is not replicating write requests for a data volume may determine that replication for the data volume is to be enabled. A peer storage node may be identified that maintains a stale replica of the data volume. One or more replication operations may be performed to update stale data chunks in the stale replica of the data volume with current data chunks without updating data chunks in the stale replica of the data volume that are current. Stale replicas that are no longer needed may be deleted according timeouts or the amount of stale data in the replica.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Danny Wei, Kerry Quintin Lee, John Luther Guthrie, II, Jianhua Fan, James Michael Thompson, Nandakumar Gopalakrishnan
  • Patent number: 9720621
    Abstract: A storage controller performing a copy process in which data stored in a copy source storage area is copied to a copy destination storage area, the storage controller includes a processor, wherein the processor receives a transfer command for giving an instruction for transferring data stored in a first area of the copy source storage area to a second area of the copy source storage area, starts a transfer process in which transfer data from the first area is read and is written into the second area in accordance with reception of the transfer command, and starts copying the transfer data into a corresponding area of the copy destination storage area that corresponds to the second area in the copy process together with the starting of the transfer process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventor: Masanori Furuya
  • Patent number: 9720622
    Abstract: An apparatus for reading out information from an information carrier includes a reading unit for reading out user information and access information from the information carrier. The user information are stored in a first region of the information carrier and the access information are stored in a second region of the information carrier. The apparatus further includes an access controller for providing access to the user information in dependence on the access information. The access information are stored in a first portion of the second region, and the dummy information are stored in a second portion of the second region according to a similar format as used for storing the access information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Aalbert Stek, Martinus W. Blum, Bart Van Rompaey
  • Patent number: 9720623
    Abstract: Techniques for management of data in multi-storage systems allow managing storage of data in one of the multiple storages (e.g., a HDD) based on the information associated with the storage and/or access of data (e.g., logical hits of data in a cache memory) in another one of the storages (e.g., a cache memory) of the multi-storage system. In one aspect, information associated with storage and/or access of data in a volatile (or non-persistent) storage environment is provided for managing the storage of data in a non-volatile (or persistent) storage environment. By way of example, data access information associated with a volatile storage environment (e.g., logical hits of data in a cache) can be effectively communicated to a non-volatile storage environment, for example, as information that can be indicative of data temperatures. Moreover, the information obtained from a non-volatile storage environment can be persistently stored for and/or in the non-volatile environment (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Teradata US, Inc.
    Inventors: Philip J. Benton, Steven B. Cohen, Eric M. Shank, Albert O. Lam, Gary Lee Boggs, Donald Pederson, Wayne R. Boyle
  • Patent number: 9720624
    Abstract: According to example embodiments, a method of controller a memory system using a controller includes receiving a first read count command, determining if a read count of a non-volatile memory in the memory system exceeds a threshold value, and performing a first reading operation on the non-volatile memory according to the first read command. If the read count of the non-volatile memory exceeds the threshold value, then addresses are selected to which a plurality of additive reading operation corresponding to the first read command will be performed, in a random neighbor selection operation. The plurality of additive reading operations for checking data of neighboring pages of the page for performing the reading operation are distributed and processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sang-kwon Moon, Kyung-ryun Kim, Dong-sub Kim, Kyung-ho Kim
  • Patent number: 9720625
    Abstract: A storage system and method for adaptive thermal throttling are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for adaptive thermal throttling is provided that is performed in a storage system having a memory. This method comprises determining if a temperature of the storage system is above a threshold temperature; and in response to determining that the temperature of the storage system is above the threshold temperature: reducing performance of the storage system in an iterative manner until the temperature of the storage system is within a temperature envelope around the threshold temperature; and storing, in the memory, a value indicating what the performance of the storage system was reduced to in order to get the temperature within the temperature envelope. Other embodiments are possible, and each of the embodiments can be used alone or together in combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Nir Amir, Gadi Vishne, Joshua Lehmann, Judah Hahn
  • Patent number: 9720626
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for cluster configuration information replication, managing cluster-wide service agents, and/or for cluster-wide outage detection. In an example of cluster configuration information replication, a replication workflow corresponding to a storage operation implemented for a storage object (e.g., renaming of a volume) of a first cluster may be transferred to a second storage cluster for selectively implementation. In an example of managing cluster-wide service agents, cluster-wide service agents are deployed to nodes of a cluster storage environment, where a master agent actively processes cluster service calls and standby agents passively wait for reassignment as a failover master in the event the master agent fails. In an example of cluster-wide outage detection, a cluster-wide outage may be determined for a cluster storage environment based upon a number of inaccessible nodes satisfying a cluster outage detection metric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: NETAPP INC.
    Inventors: Gregory Buzzard, Justin Travis Cady, Thomas Gilbert Snyder, Satya R. Venneti, Sakir Yucel
  • Patent number: 9720627
    Abstract: Managing data stored in at least one data storage device (DSD) of a computer system where the at least one DSD includes at least one disk for storing data. A Linear Tape File System (LTFS) write or read command is generated including an LTFS block address. The LTFS block address is translated to a device address for the at least one DSD and data on a disk of the at least one DSD is written or read at the device address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Albert H. Chen, James N. Malina
  • Patent number: 9720628
    Abstract: An information processing system includes a generation unit and a reconstruction unit. The generation unit generates a data source including data to be referred to at a time of printing for a variable portion in which data to be referred to is variable for each record. The reconstruction unit acquires the data source and reconstructs print data that is variable for each record. The generation unit executes processing of determining a largest size based on a size of data to be referred to for the variable portion to generate stub data of the determined size, of generating the print data by using the stub data, and of generating the data source for each record. The reconstruction unit executes processing of reconstructing the print data by overwriting the stub data in the print data with the data in the acquired data source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akiteru Naka
  • Patent number: 9720629
    Abstract: High speed print output is enabled, while eliminating the burden of rearranging printed matter in page order placed on users. A plurality of pages of print job data are divided into groups of a predetermined number of pages, and the divided plurality of pages are assigned to the print job data to generate a plurality of pieces of divided print job data. The pieces of divided print job data are arranged in reverse order of page numbers, expansion processes are administered on the pieces of divided print job data in the order that they are arranged to generate page data for each page. The page data are output for each piece of divided print job data in reverse order of page numbers and in the order that the expansion processes are administered, to a printing section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Shibasaki
  • Patent number: 9720630
    Abstract: A recording device 12 has a recording unit 31 that records on roll paper; a connection unit 40 that connects to a barcode reader BR; and a control unit 30 that records information identifying a configuration parameter with the recording unit 31, and when a reading result is input from the barcode reader BR after the configuration parameter information is recorded, sets the value of the configuration parameter based on the input reading result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi Kawamori
  • Patent number: 9720631
    Abstract: A relay server includes: a communication device communicable with a recording apparatus, a conversion server which converts image data, and a storage server which stores the image data; and a controller. The controller is configured to: acquire, from the recording apparatus, a storing instruction for storing converted image data into the storage server, the converted image data being image data converted by the conversion server; acquire account identification information for identifying an account of the recording apparatus in the storage server, from the recording apparatus via the communication device; acquire the converted image data from the conversion server via the communication device; and transmit the acquired converted image data and the acquired account identification information to the storage server via the communication device in a state in which the acquired converted image data and the acquired account identification information are associated with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ken Saito
  • Patent number: 9720632
    Abstract: There is provided an image formation apparatus that can prevent a system from having a reduced throughput even when the system includes an increased number of image formation apparatuses. When each MFP included in the system detects a presence of a user within a predefined range, the MFP notifies another MFP of the detection result. Each MFP determines, based on the detection result, a group of one or more MFPs from which the MFP of interest requests a list of one or more jobs issued by the user, more preferentially than another MFP, and the MFP of interest notifies another MFP accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Shinya Kaku
  • Patent number: 9720633
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to the present invention performs image processing on image data in units of pages stored in a page memory on the basis of parameter setting, transferring the image data to a buffer at a first speed, transmitting the image data, which is read out from the buffer at a second speed, to an image forming unit, and executing parameter setting for image processing performed when image data for a subsequent page is transferred after the image data for a single page has been transferred but before image data for the subsequent page is started to be transferred, wherein the first speed is faster than a second speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Yuji Uchida