HP Assigned Four Patents

Storing configuration data of storage automation device

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP, Houston, TX, has been assigned a patent (8,370,574) developed by Curtis Ballard, Colette Howe, and Stanley Feather, Fort Collins, CO, for a "system and method for storing configuration data of a storage automation device."

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A cartridge storage system has at least one peripheral device that controls access to a system component of the storage system and memory storing configuration data indicative of a configuration of the peripheral device. The system further has logic that automatically configures a replacement peripheral device of the at least one peripheral device based upon the stored configuration data."

The patent application was filed on June 13, 2006 (11/451,810).

Storage system with middle-way logical volume

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP, Houston, TX, has been assigned a patent (8,364,905) developed by five co-inventors for a "storage system with middle-way logical volume."

The co-inventors are Stephen M. Schultz, Houston, Chiung-Shang Wu, The Woodlands, TX, Rajavel Gnanapragasam, Spring, TX, Joseph D. Black, Houston, TX, and Nhan Q. Vo, Cypress, TX.

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A storage system is disclosed including storage devices configured to store data, and a logical storage volume coupled to the storage devices and configured to store a subset of the data as segments. The storage system also includes a controller including a cache and memory. The memory is configured to include records such that each record corresponds with a segment in the logical storage volume and each record includes information regarding data stored in the corresponding segment. The controller is configured to access the records in response to a cache miss of the cache to determine if requested data from the cache miss is stored and ready for access in the logical storage volume. The controller is also configured to update the subset of data stored in the segments as a function of cache misses."

The patent application was filed on Aug. 16, 2010 (12/857,306).

Retaining crucial thin client system settings
unused by the BIOS in memory space of storage device
containing the BIOS

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP, Houston, TX, has been assigned a patent (8,380,969) developed by Norman P. Brown, Tomball, TX, Ronald T. Truong, Houston, TX and William R. Whipple, Magnolia, TX, for a "method of retaining crucial thin client system settings unused by the BIOS in the memory space of a storage device containing the BIOS."

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "A system comprises a first non-volatile storage device that contains an OS. The system also comprises a second non-volatile storage device that contains basic input/output system (BIOS) code and at least one parameter used by the OS or by a network interface, and not by the BIOS code."

The patent application was filed on Sept. 24, 2008 (12/237,201).

Data structures for determining
whether keys of index present in storage system

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP, Houston, TX, has been assigned a patent (8,386,494) developed by Thomas Vachuska, Roseville, CA, for "providing data structures for determining whether keys of an index are present in a storage system."

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "Keys of an index are associated with corresponding data chunks in a storage system. In response to a request for a particular key, a particular location is accessed in a first data structure which is maintained in a first storage using a first portion of the particular key. In response to the particular location containing a first value, indicating that the particular key is not present in the index. In response to the particular location containing a second value, a map is accessed using a second portion of the particular key to retrieve an entry in a second data structure maintained in a second storage. The second data structure provides a collision chain to link entries of the second data structure that share a common value of the second portion of the particular key. The first data structure, map, and second data structure are part of the index."

The patent application was filed on Aug. 7, 2008 (13/057,930).