IBM Assigned Five Patents

Providing shared access to storage resources
across cluster computing environment boundaries

IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (8,380,938) developed by four co-inventors for "providing shared access to data storage resources across cluster computing environment boundaries."

The co-inventors are Ofer Elrom, Gazit, Israel, Eran Raichstein, Yokneam Illit, Israel, Gregory John Tevis, Tucson, AZ, and Oren Wolf, Bedford, MA.

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "Providing shared access to data storage resources in a cluster computing environment, including detecting when a computer node requests access to a data storage device in a manner that excludes a computing device from accessing the data storage device, where the computer node is configured to communicate with the data storage device along a first communications channel, and where the computing device is configured to communicate with the data storage device along a second communications channel that is exclusive of the first communications channel, and responsive to the detecting, causing the data storage device to allow the computer node and the computing device to share access to the data storage device."

The patent application was filed on Feb. 24, 2010 (12/712,046).


Managing write operations to an extent of tracks migrated
between storage devices

IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (8,380,949) developed by David Montgomery, Tucson, AZ, for "managing write operations to an extent of tracks migrated between storage devices."

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for managing write operations to an extent of tracks migrated between storage device. An operation is processed to migrate an extent of tracks from the second storage to the first storage. A determination is made as to whether an extent object exists for the extent to migrate. The extent object exists if the extent was previously migrated from the first storage to the second storage at a previous time. The extent object includes for each track a write indicator indicating whether the track was updated in the second storage since the previous time when the extent was previously migrated to the second storage. In response to determining that the extent object exists, a determination is made of the tracks in the extent having the write indicator indicating that the track was updated in the second storage since the previous time. The data for the determined tracks is copied from the second storage to free locations in the first storage. For each determined track, the entry for the determined track in the extent object is updated to indicate the free location to which the data for the track was copied as an active address for the track."

The patent application was filed on May 20, 2010 (12/784,427).


Storage application performance matching

IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (8,380,947) developed by six co-inventors for a "storage application performance matching."

The co-inventors are Lawrence Y. Chiu, Clement L. Dickey, San Jose, CA, Yu-Cheng Hsu, Joseph S. Hyde II, Tucson, AZ, Paul H. Muench, San Jose, CA, and Cheng-Chung Song, Tucson, AZ.

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "I/O activity in the multiple tier storage system is monitored to collect statistical information. The statistical information is recurrently transformed into an exponential moving average (EMA) of the I/O activity having a predefined smoothing factor. Data portions in the multiple tier storage system are sorted into buckets of varying temperatures corresponding to the EMA. At least one data migration plan is recurrently generated for matching the sorted data portions to at least one of an available plurality of storage device classes. One data portion sorted into a higher temperature bucket is matched with a higher performance storage device class of the available plurality of storage device classes than another data portion sorted into a lower temperature bucket."

The patent application was filed on April 27, 2012 (13/458,843).


Storage device

IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (8,374,071) developed by Bernd W. Gotsmann, Horgen, Armin W. Knoll, Adliswil, and Urs T. Duerig, Rueschlikon, Switzerland, for a "data storage device".

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "The present invention relates to a data storage device comprising: a polymer layer for storing data in the form of topographic features; a substrate comprising a conductor, a first surface of the polymer layer being provided on the substrate; and at least one probe which, when the device is in use, interacts with a second surface of the polymer layer, wherein, when in use, the data storage device is operable to apply a first electrical potential to the at least one probe relative to the substrate, thereby to cause a protrusion to be formed on the second surface of the polymer layer."

The patent application was filed on May 30, 2008 (12/130,283).


Probe for scanning over substrate and storage device

IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (8,373,431) developed by six co-inventors for a "probe for scanning over a substrate and data storage device."

The co-inventors are Thomas Albrecht, San Jose, CA, Michel Despont, Au, Switzerland, Urs T. Duerig, Rueschlikon, Switzerland, Mark Lantz, Hugo E. Rothuizen, and Dorothea W. Wiesmann Rothuizen, Adliswil, Switzerland.

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A data storage device comprises a storage medium for storing data in the form of marks and at least one probe for scanning the storage medium. The storage medium may be comprised in a substrate. The probe comprises a cantilever that comprises terminals serving as electrical contacts an being during operation of the probe mechanically fixed to a probe-holding structure, which may be a common frame of the data storage device. A probe further comprises a supporting structure, to which the terminals are mechanically directly coupled or coupled via hinges and which extends away from the terminals. A tip with a nanoscale apex is provided. A beam structure comprises a heating resistor and is attached at ends to the supporting structure. The beam structure is thinned at least in a direction parallel to an axis of the tip compared to an area of the supporting structure abutting the beam structure."

The patent application was filed on March 25, 2008 (12/054,938).