Oracle Assigned Three Patents

Storage tape analytics
Oracle International Corp., Redwood City, CA, has been assigned a patent (8,730,778) developed by 14 co-inventors for a “storage tape analytics method and system.”

The co-inventors are Cathleen Susan Wharton, Superior, CO, Jon Mark Holdman, Wheat Ridge, CO, John Mitchell Black III, Loveland, CO, Jitesh Bakul Jhatakia, Superior, CO, Duc T. Ho, Broomfield, CO, Michael Paul Abramowitz, Thornton, CO, Chad Norman Alber, Boulder, CO, Karl Kevin Nicoletti, Longmont, CO, Judith Gaye Leach, Riverview, FL, Terry Donald Schmitt, Aurora, CO, Sudha Verma, Superior, CO, Michael Patrick Kearney, Boulder, CO, Quentin Lee Rainsbury, Royalla, Australia, and John William Miller, Lafayette, CO.

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ” A system for monitoring and analyzing operation of a tape infrastructure. The system includes a plurality of real and virtual tape libraries each including a plurality of tape drives and tape media. The system includes a server linked to the tape library. On the server, a storage tape analytics application is provided that functions to extract raw data sets from the tape library corresponding to operations of the tape library. The data pertains to use of the drives and media during data storage operations and data about the activities of the real or virtual tape libraries. The analytics application stores the extracted data sets in an analytics database. The analytics application provides a user interface for viewing data in the analytics database, e.g., a GUI operable by monitoring personnel to view and interact with the gathered and processed tape operations monitoring data to provide historical and user-driven analysis of data for an entire data center.”

The patent application was filed on Sept. 26, 2012 (13/627,058).

Flash-aware storage optimized
for mobile and embedded DBMS on NAND flash memory
Oracle International, Redwood Shores, CA, has been assigned a patent (8,738,850) developed by four co-inventors for a “flash-aware storage optimized for mobile and embedded DBMS on NAND flash memory.”

The co-inventors are SangCheol Lee, Seoul, South Korea, BongSoo Ko, HyungGook Yoo and SongHee Kang, Seoul, South Korea.

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “Reliable storage for database management systems (DBMS) running on memory devices such as NAND type flash memory utilizes minimum I/O overhead and provides maximum data durability. A virtual page map is utilized between the flash memory and a page access component to record changes to the DBMS pages and prevent overwriting or data loss. There is no need for journaling and logging, and performance is increased by reducing the write and erase counts on the flash memory. The logical page numbers of the DBMS are mapped to physical page numbers in the page map, such that the virtual page map allocates an available page from the physical pages when changes to a page occur, and the updated information is stored in the allocated page. The allocated page number is mapped to the logical page number of the original page, thus maintaining a modified page representation while preventing physical in-place updates.“

The patent application was filed on April 30, 2013 (13/873,229).

Expansion guide alignment for storage library
Oracle International, Redwood City, CA, has been assigned a patent (8,724,332) developed by Joseph Paul Manes and Donald Robert Manes, Arvada, CO, for an “expansion guide alignment for a storage library.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “Systems and methods are described for maintaining secure and contiguous guide transitions in the context of modular installations. Embodiments of the guides are configured to automatically register and couple with each other during installation of their respective modules to provide relatively high tolerance guide transitions, even in the context of relatively lower tolerance modular installations. In some embodiments, a guide is configured to be biased in a first position when its respective module is not installed. When its module is located in a partial-install location relative to an adjacent module with the guide in the first position, guide features mechanically register with features of the adjacent module’s guide. When moved into a full-install position, the guide moves into a second position causing the guide to finally register and couple with the adjacent guide, thereby manifesting a stable and contiguous transition between the guides.“

The patent application was filed on Feb. 29, 2012 (13/408,883).