Robert C Wisniewski

US Patent:

6460059, Oct 1, 2002

Filed:

Aug 4, 1998

Appl. No.:

09/129490

Inventors:

Robert William Wisniewski - Yorktown Heights NY

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 1700

US Classification:

707503, 707504, 707506

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for displaying a spreadsheet on a display device in a computer system to facilitate easy recognition of errors. More specifically, with this invention one cell is selected, and there is a visual indication of such selection. Further, there is also a visual indication of those cells having data that either affects or depends upon the data in the selected cell. There is also a different visual indication for each level of dependency relative to the selected cell. For example, selected cell A may be immediately dependent upon cells B and C, where cell B may in turn be dependent upon cells D, E and F. Cells B and C are at the first level of dependency while cells D, E and F are at the second level of dependency. Thus, cells B and C may have a different marking or shading than cells D, E and F. The number of dependency levels to be displayed can be chosen by the user.

US Patent:

6587865, Jul 1, 2003

Filed:

Sep 21, 1998

Appl. No.:

09/157479

Inventors:

Tracy Jay Kimbrel - Yorktown Heights NY
Marc Alan Auslander - Millwood NY
David Joel Edelsohn - White Plains NY
Hubertus Franke - Cortlandt Manor NY
Orran Yaakov Krieger - Brookline MA
Bryan Savoye Rosenburg - Cortlandt Manor NY
Robert William Wisniewski - Yorktown Heights NY

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 900

US Classification:

709104, 709100, 709103, 711141, 711145

Abstract:

In a computer system, a method and apparatus for scheduling activities access to a resource with minimal involvement of the kernel of the operating system. More specifically, a ânext bidâ is maintained, and this parameter identifies the highest bid for the resource by any activity not currently accessing the resource. The accessing activity then compares its bid, which can be time varying, with the ânext bidâ to determine whether it should release the resource to another activity. The ânext bidâ can be accessed without any system calls to the operating system. This allows the activity to determine whether to relinquish control to the system without the necessity of communication between the two. Likewise, the operating system can access the bid of the accessing activity without explicit communication. This allows the system to determine whether to preempt the accessing activity without the necessity of communication between the two.

US Patent:

6601146, Jul 29, 2003

Filed:

Jun 16, 1998

Appl. No.:

09/098061

Inventors:

Marc Alan Auslander - Millwood NY
David Joel Edelsohn - White Plains NY
Hubertus Franke - Cortlandt Manor NY
Orran Yaakov Krieger - Brookline MA
Bryan Savoye Rosenburg - Cortlandt Manor NY
Robert William Wisniewski - Yorktown Heights NY

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 1200

US Classification:

711147, 711202

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for performing efficient interprocess communication (IPC) in a computer system. With this invention, a memory region called the IPC transfer region is shared among all processes of the system to enable more efficient IPC. The unique physical address of the region is mapped into a virtual address from each of the address spaces of the processes of the system. When one of the processes needs to transfer data to another of the processes, the first process stores arguments describing the data in the region using the virtual address in its address space that maps into the unique physical address. When the other or second process needs to receive the data, the second process reads the data from the second region using the virtual address in its memory space that maps into the unique physical address. With this invention, in most cases, control of the IPC transfer region occurs automatically without any kernel intervention.

US Patent:

7315950, Jan 1, 2008

Filed:

Dec 20, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/468377

Inventors:

Yurij Andrij Baransky - Montrose NY, US
Hubertus Franke - Cortlandt Manor NY, US
Pratap Chandra Pattnaik - Ossining NY, US
David R. Safford - Brewster NY, US
Robert William Wisniewski - Yorktown Heights NY, US

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 21/00

US Classification:

713193

Abstract:

A method for allowing a content provider to restrict access to data without having to trust a service provider. With this invention a content provider is able to restrict access to data to a specific client using a specific machine. A content provider generates a first key which is used to encrypt a second key where the second key will only be encrypted if the user has a one-time password. The encrypted second key is then stored on the client machine. When the user desires to access the data of the content provider, the second key is decrypted and used to access the data.

US Patent:

7533377, May 12, 2009

Filed:

Sep 29, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/673587

Inventors:

Jonathan Appavoo - Yorktown Heights NY, US
Marc Alan Auslander - Millwood NY, US
Kevin Kin-Fai Hui - Kitchener, CA
Orran Yaakov Krieger - Newton MA, US
Dilma Menezes Da Silva - White Plains NY, US
Robert William Wisniewski - Yorktown Heights NY, US

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 9/44
G06F 15/177

US Classification:

717168, 713 2

Abstract:

Systems, especially operating systems, are becoming more complex to the point where maintaining them by humans is becoming nearly impossible. Many corporations have recognized this trend and have begun investing in autonomic technology. Autonomic technology allows a piece of software to monitor, diagnose, and repair itself. This can be used for improved performance, reliability, maintainability, security, etc. Disclosed herein is a mechanism to allow operating systems to hot swap a piece of operating system code, while continuing to offer to the user the service which that code is providing. This can be used, for examples, to increase the performance of an application or to fix a detected security hole live without bringing the machine down. Some autonomic ability will be mandatory in next generation operating system for without it they will collapse under their own complexity. The invention offers a key component of being able to achieve autonomic computing.

US Patent:

7634642, Dec 15, 2009

Filed:

Jul 6, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/481515

Inventors:

Peter H. Hochschild - New York NY, US
Xiaowei Shen - Hopewell Junction NY, US
Balaram Sinharoy - Poughkeepsie NY, US
Robert W. Wisniewski - Ossining NY, US

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 9/00
G06F 9/46

US Classification:

712228, 718108

Abstract:

A method and system for efficient context switching are provided. An execution entity that is to be context switched out is allowed to continue executing for a predetermined period of time before being context switched out. During the predetermined period of time in which the execution entity continues to execute, the hardware or an operating system tracks and records its footprint such as the addresses and page and segment table entries and the like accessed by the continued execution. When the execution entity is being context switched back in, its page and segment table and cache states are reloaded for use in its immediate execution.

US Patent:

7818736, Oct 19, 2010

Filed:

Sep 14, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/227761

Inventors:

Jonathan Appavoo - New York NY, US
Andrew Arnott Baumann - Chatswood, AU
Dilma Menezes da Silva - White Plains NY, US
Orran Yaakov Krieger - Newton MA, US
Robert William Wisniewski - Yorktown Heights NY, US

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 9/44
G06F 15/16

US Classification:

717168, 719332

Abstract:

To dynamically update an operating system, a new factory object may have one or more new and/or updated object instances. A corresponding old factory object is then located and its version is checked for compatibility. A dynamic update procedure is then executed, which includes (a) changing a factory reference pointer within the operating system from the old factory object to the new factory object. For the case of updated object instances, (b) hot swapping each old object instance for its corresponding updated object instance, and (c) removing the old factory object. This may be performed for multiple updated object instances in the new factory object, preferably each separately. For the case of new object instances, they are created by the new factory and pointers established to invoke them. A single factory object may include multiple updated objects from a class, and/or new object instances from different classes, and the update may be performed without the need to reboot the operating system.

US Patent:

7870252, Jan 11, 2011

Filed:

Jun 13, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/138513

Inventors:

Neal Keller - Hawthorne NY, US
Juhnyoung Lee - Yorktown Heights NY, US
Clifford A. Pickover - Yorktown Heights NY, US
Robert W. Wisniewski - Yorktown Heights NY, US

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 15/173
G06F 15/177
G06F 9/00

US Classification:

709224, 709220, 713100

Abstract:

A system, method and computer program product for monitoring availability of end user devices needed for performing tasks. The system comprises a first network including one or more devices associated with an end user, at least one device adapted for communicating with a service provider over a second network, the service provider providing network-based services in the system. The system includes a memory storage device for maintaining information of tasks associated with an end user, the information including recommended end-user devices adapted to perform the tasks, the information being accessible to at least one end-user device. At least one end-user device detects non-availability or performance deficiencies of any end-user device required in performing end-user tasks, and communicates with the service provider for invoking network-based services to facilitate correcting non-availability of any end-user device. Such a system, method and computer program product enables students to receive these reminders and alerts, to order the necessary upgrades from suppliers via web services, and to monitor delivery from a single user interface provided on one of their devices.