Dell Products Assigned Eleven Patents

Validation process for storage array network
Dell Products, L.P., Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (10,484,244) developed by Jacoby, Robert B., Merrimack, NH, Boyd, Kenneth Paul, Tyngsboro, MA, and Reyes, Carlos, Nashua, NH, for a “validation process for a storage array network.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A method of validating a storage array network deployment includes receiving information from a user, utilizing the information in a capacity associated with the storage array network, and notifying the user if the utilizing produces an error. The method may further include waiting for user direction before utilizing the information, or waiting until a predetermined amount of information has been received before utilizing the information. The method may further include evaluating one or more formats of the information for suitability for an intended use of the information. The error may be indicated by an abnormal response as a result of utilizing the information.”

The patent application was filed on January 20, 2015 (14/600,189).

Data storage device carrier
Dell Products, L.P., Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (10,482,051) developed by Fu, Chi-Chang, Banciao, Taiwan, Huang, Kuo Ching, Taipei, Taiwan, Su, Feng-Cheng, Yijhu Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan, and Yelinek, Jason Alan, Diamond Bar, CA, for a “data storage device carrier system.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A data storage device carrier system includes a carrier configured to support one or more data storage devices, a backplane, including one or more coupling connector devices configured to electrically couple with a motherboard, and an interposer board operable to couple a plurality of the data storage devices supported by the carrier with the backplane. In an embodiment, the one or more coupling connector devices are operable to transfer communication signals and electrical power. The interposer board is operable to provide the electrical power from a single port on the backplane to each of the plurality of the data storage devices. The interposer board is also operable to pass communication signals between a primary port on the backplane to a first one of the plurality of the data storage devices, and to pass communication signals between a secondary port on the backplane to a second one of the plurality of the data storage devices.”

The patent application was filed on October 30, 2015 (14/928,698).

Managing memory medium
Dell Products, L.P., Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (10,482,014) developed by Vui, Kan Lip, Singapore, Singapore, and Hsu, Shun-tang, Taipei, Taiwan, for “system and method of managing a memory medium.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”In one or more embodiments, one or more systems, methods, and/or processes may determine that an information handling system is to be powered down and provide, to a non-volatile memory medium via a power coupling of the non-volatile memory medium, information indicating that the non-volatile memory medium is to be powered down. For example, the power coupling of the non-volatile storage medium may include one or more conductors, and the information indicating that the non-volatile memory medium is to be powered down may be provided via at least one of the one or more conductors. In one or more embodiments, the non-volatile memory medium may include volatile storage and non-volatile storage. For example, based at least on the information indicating that the non-volatile memory medium is to be powered down, the non-volatile memory medium may store information, that is stored by the volatile storage, via the non-volatile storage.”

The patent application was filed on August 8, 2017 (15/672,066).

Micro-staging device and method for micro-staging
Dell Products, L.P., Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (10,474,691) developed by Timbs, Jeffrey L., Austin, TX, for “micro-staging device and method for micro-staging.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A micro-staging device has a wireless interface module for detecting a first data request that indicates a presence of a user and an application processor that establishes a network connection to a remote data center. The micro-staging device further allocates a portion of storage in a cache memory storage device for storing pre-fetched workflow data objects associated with the detected user.”

The patent application was filed on May 25, 2012 (13/481,064).

Dynamic media cache for data storage drive in information handling
Dell Products, L.P., Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (10,474,579) developed by Li, Wen Hua, Tampines, Singapore, Farhan, Munif, Round Rock, TX, and Lee, Ching Kang, Tampines, Singapore, for a “dynamic media cache for a data storage drive in an information handling system.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A drive controller associated with a data storage medium may receive a command from a host to write a set of data to a storage space of the data storage medium. The drive controller may determine that insufficient space is available in a cache space of the data storage medium to write the set of data to the cache space and may dynamically convert an available portion of the storage space into a dynamic cache space associated with the cache space. The dynamic cache space may remain visible to the host as the available portion of the storage space. The drive controller may then write the set of data to the cache space and report to the host that the set of data is written to the storage space of the data storage medium.”

The patent application was filed on April 29, 2015 (14/699,968).

Predicting storage device failures
Dell Products, L.P., Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (10,459,815) developed by Jacoby, Robert B., Merrimack, NH, for “method and system for predicting storage device failures.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”The invention pertains to a method and information handling system, (IHS) for predicting storage device failures. An embodiment of the method of the present invention begins by obtaining data regarding input and output of the at least one storage device. Next, the obtained data is normalized to determine a duty cycle of the at least one storage device. Finally, using the normalized data, a likelihood of failure of the at least one storage device is determined. In another example embodiment, a failure indicator is associated with the at least one storage device based upon the determined likelihood of failure.”

The patent application was filed on January 18, 2019 (16/252,234).

Booting from degraded software raid volume on UEFI system
Dell Products, L.P., Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (10,459,812) developed by Ali, Ahmad A. J., Austin, TX, and Rose, Charles E., Nashua, NH, for a “seamless method for booting from a degraded software raid volume on a UEFI system.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”An information handling system includes a processor and a configuration detection and error handling module operable to read a first tag data file from a first storage volume, read a second tag data file from a second storage volume, and determine that the first storage volume and the second storage volume are configured as mirrored storage volumes based upon the first tag data file and the second tag data file.”

The patent application was filed on January 10, 2017 (15/402,494).

Allocating storage of devices
Dell Products, L.P., Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (10,452,294) developed by Iyer, Shyamkumar Thiyagarajan, and Sankaranarayanan, Vadhiraj, Austin, TX, for “system and method of allocating storage of devices.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”In one or more embodiments, one or more systems, methods, and/or processes may configure an input/output memory management unit, may receive, from a device associated with an information handling system, a request for an allocation of storage of a memory medium of the information handling system, may allocate the storage of the memory medium without an interaction with a processor of the information handling system and without an interaction with an operating system executed by the processor, may add a table entry, associated with the allocation of storage of the memory medium, to a page table, may provide update information to the operating system, may provide a success response to the device, may store first data from the device, and may provide second data to the device.”

The patent application was filed on June 25, 2018 (16/017,189).

Detect storage controller workloads and to dynamically split backplane
Dell Products, L.P., Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (10,437,477) developed by Nelogal, Chandrashekar, Kulkarni, Yogesh P., Round Rock, TX, Dambal, Sanjeev, Austin, TX, and Dasar, Sundar, Round Rock, TX, for “system and method to detect storage controller workloads and to dynamically split a backplane.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”An information handling system includes storage drives, a first storage controller configured to map to a first subset of the storage drives, a second storage controller configured to map to a second subset of the storage drives different from the first subset, and a BMC. The BMC directs the storage controllers to detect storage traffic to the first and second subsets of storage drives, compares the storage traffic from the storage controllers, and remaps the first storage controller to map storage transactions on a third subset of the storage drives different from the first subset when the comparison indicates that the first storage traffic is greater than the second storage traffic.”

The patent application was filed on July 20, 2017 (15/655,294).

Reporting of excessive vibration conditions in storage resource
Dell Products, L.P., Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (10,437,270) developed by Kwon, Haesung, Austin, TX, Nelogal, Chandrashekar, Round Rock, TX, and Pereira, David M., Austin, TX, for “systems and methods for reporting of excessive vibration conditions in a storage resource.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling system may include a processor and a storage resource communicatively coupled to the processor. The storage resource may be configured to monitor one or more operating parameters of the storage resource indicative of vibration external to the storage resource affecting performance of the storage resource, determine whether the one or more operating parameters exceed respective threshold values, and in response to determining that the one or more operating parameters exceed a respective threshold value, communicate an indication from the storage resource to a subsystem of the information handling system that the storage resource is experiencing excessive vibration from sources external to the storage resource.”

The patent application was filed on September 26, 2016 (15/275,757).

Read-ahead mechanism for redirected bulk endpoint of USB device
Dell Products, L.P., Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (10,402,364) developed by Vajravel, Gokul Thiruchengode, Rayasandra Benjalaru, India, and Kumar, Ankit, Deoghar, India, for a “read-ahead mechanism for a redirected bulk endpoint of a USB device.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A read-ahead mechanism is provided for a redirected Bulk-In endpoint of a USB device. When a USB device is redirected to a server, an agent running on the server can evaluate the USB device’s descriptors to determine whether it has any Bulk-In endpoints and whether any Bulk-In endpoint is part of a mass storage interface. For any Bulk-In endpoint that is not part of a mass storage interface, the agent can create a circular buffer and commence originating bulk read requests on the server and then redirecting the bulk read requests to a client-side proxy for delivery to the Bulk-In endpoint. The agent can then store the data it obtains from these bulk read requests in the circular buffer. By repeatedly sending the bulk read requests to the Bulk-In endpoint, the agent ensures that data will be read from the Bulk-In endpoint in a timely manner.”

The patent application was filed on August 7, 2018 (16/057,665).