Abstract:
A system including a memory for storing a contact list of records each record including a contact name, a mobile device phone number, and a list of location entries, each entry comprising a location name, a location phone number, a location address, and location geographic coordinates, and a locator for receiving as input a designated contact name, for obtaining current geographic coordinates of the designated contact's mobile device, for obtaining current geographic coordinates of at least one other mobile device, and for generating as output at least one proximal entity, each proximal entity including either the name of a contact whose mobile device is currently located close to the designated contact's mobile device, or the name of a contact and the name of a location associated with the contact, the location being currently close to the designated contact's mobile device.
Abstract:
A method for registering an appliance with a service provider, including receiving, by a server computer, a message from a cellular telephone, the message including a unique ID for an appliance, wherein the server computer stores billing information associated with the cellular telephone, wherein the appliance includes a modem, wherein the cellular telephone is separate from the appliance, and wherein the server computer is separate from the appliance and separate from the cellular telephone, further receiving, by the server computer, registration information from the appliance via the modem of the appliance, and associating, by the server computer, the billing information associated with the cellular telephone, with the appliance.
Abstract:
A system for maintaining an appliance, including a storage housed within an electrical appliance for storing identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase, and a communication card including an interface connector for connecting the communication card to the electrical appliance, and a wireless cellular modem for transmitting data, wherein when the communication card is connected to the electrical appliance via the interface connector, the communication card causes program code to perform at least one diagnostic test on the electrical appliance and to generate test results, to collect the identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase, and to transmit at least a portion of the collected information and the test results to at least one remote recipient using the cellular modem. A method is also described and claimed.
Abstract:
A method for registering an appliance with a service provider, including receiving, by a server computer, a message from a cellular telephone, the message including a unique ID for an appliance, wherein the server computer stores billing information associated with the cellular telephone, wherein the appliance includes a modem, wherein the cellular telephone is separate from the appliance, and wherein the server computer is separate from the appliance and separate from the cellular telephone, further receiving, by the server computer, registration information from the appliance via the modem of the appliance, and associating, by the server computer, the billing information associated with the cellular telephone, with the appliance.
Abstract:
A system for locating a mobile device user, including a memory, housed within a mobile device, for storing a contact list including records for a plurality of contacts, each record including (i) a name of a contact, (ii) a phone number for the contact's mobile device, if the contact uses a mobile device, and (iii) a list of at least one location entry, each location entry comprising (iii.a) a name of a location associated with the contact, (iii.b) a phone number at the location, (iii.c) an address for the location, and (iii.d) geographic coordinates of the location, and a locator for receiving as input the name of a designated contact in the contact list, for obtaining current geographic coordinates of the designated contact's mobile device, for obtaining current geographic coordinates of at least one mobile device for at least one contact in the contact list, other than the designated contact, and for generating as output at least one proximal entity, each proximal entity including either (I) the name of a contact, other than the designated contact, whose mobile device is located currently close to the designated contact's mobile device, or (II) the name of a contact, other than the designated contact, and the name of a location associated with the contact, the location being currently close to the designated contact's mobile device. A method is also described and claimed.
Abstract:
A scheduling method and apparatus for use by a processor that controls storage devices of a data storage system is presented. The method allocates processing time between I/O operations and background operations for predetermined time slots based on an indicator of processor workload.
Abstract:
A system for registering an electrical appliance, including a storage housed within an electrical appliance for storing identifying information about the electrical appliance, and for storing address information usable o obtain an address of a remote recipient corresponding o the electrical appliance, and a wireless communicator including a memory for storing identifying information about a user, and a wireless modem for ransmiWng data, wherein when the wireless communicator is first connected with the electrical appliance, the wireless communicator executes program code o register the electrical appliance with the remote recipient, wherein the program code includes insrucions that cause the wireless modem o ransmi a lease a portion of the identifying information about the electrical appliance and the identifying information about the user o the address of the remote recipient, the address obtained using the address information.
Abstract:
A method for recovering meta-data that has been subjected to corruption is disclosed for a cache memory. Each table entry in the cache memory has an in-cache indicator for indicating whether the data unit associated therewith is stored in a cache-slot in the cache memory. A first review is conducted of the table entries for identifying in-cache table entries (those that are associated with cache-slots in the cache memory), performing a correction attempt to ensure that the meta-data in an in-cache table entry are validated and corrected, if necessary, and ensuring that the in-cache indicator is set for an in-cache table entry. A second review is conducted of the table entries to ensure that the in-cache indicator is not set for any table entry that is not an in-cache table entry or for any in-cache table entry for which the correction attempt was unsuccessful.
Abstract:
A system for automatically registering an appliance, including a storage housed within an electrical appliance for storing identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase, and a communication card including a controller, an interface connector for connecting the communication card to the electrical appliance, a wireless cellular modem for transmitting data, and a card memory for storing program code, wherein when the communication card is connected to the electrical appliance via the interface connector, the program code automatically instructs the controller to collect the identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase, to collect owner information and to transmit at least a portion of the collected information to at least one remote recipient using the cellular modem. A method is also described and claimed.
Abstract:
A method for managing data in a computer system comprises identifying a data-set that has data unit protection that is suspected of having been corrupted, suspending a data unit protection process for the data-set; deferring re-establishing the data unit protection process for the data-set until issuance of a request for an I/O operation for the data unit; and re-establishing the data unit protection process for the data-set in response to the request and before the I/O operation is conducted. The data has a data unit protection invalidity indicator for indicating that the data-set has data unit protection that is suspected of having been corrupted; and the data unit protection process is suspended in the presence of the data-set protection invalidity indicator. Meta-data protection that is suspected of having been corrupted may be used to identify a corrupted data-set.