International Business Machines Corporation

Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Thomas Francis Lewis

Kevin Michael Reinberg

John K Langgood

Kevin S D Vernon

Kevin Shayne Dwayne Vernon

Kevin S Vernon

Stephen P Thompson

Robert M Piper

Pivithuru S Perera

Collision avoidance among vehicles that each include a management module coupled to other management modules and a central database manager, includes: establishing, by management modules of a set of traveling vehicles having a location within a predefined area, a collision zone including a network of the management modules of the traveling vehicles; and sharing, within the collision zone, dynamic information describing the traveling vehicles; retrieving, from the central database manager, static information describing the traveling vehicles; detecting, by a management module of a first vehicle in the collision zone, a potential collision with a second vehicle in the collision zone in dependence upon the dynamic and static information; and controlling, by the management module of the first traveling vehicle, the first traveling vehicle to take evasive action in dependence upon the dynamic and static information describing the first and second traveling vehicle.

Collision avoidance among vehicles

A fan brake for a fan system. The fan system may include a fan assembly configured for seating into a cassette housing. The fan assembly may include a fan having a plurality of blades connected with a fan hub. The fan brake may be connected to the fan assembly, wherein the fan brake engages the fan hub when the fan housing is not fully seated within the cassette housing, and the fan brake disengages the fan hub when the fan assembly is fully seated into the cassette housing.

Fan brake

Administering computer processor execution of BIOS code that includes a primary BIOS code and a recovery BIOS code stored in ROM, the ROM operatively coupled to a control module and the processor, where administering processor execution of the BIOS code includes determining, by the control module, a size of the ROM; generating, by the control module in dependence upon the size of the ROM, an address for the primary BIOS code and an address for the recovery BIOS code; starting, by the control module, operation of the processor for execution of the primary BIOS code including providing, to the processor, the address for the primary BIOS code; and if executing the primary BIOS code fails, restarting, by the control module, operation of the processor for execution of the recovery BIOS code including providing, to the processor, the address for the recovery BIOS code to the processor.

Generating a primary BIOS code memory address and a recovery BIOS code memory address, where the recovery BIOS service code is loaded when the primary BIOS code fails to execute

According to one embodiment, a selectively-expandable speakerphone system allows one or more portable computers to automatically, wirelessly interface with a speakerphone console via an audio access point. A scheduling module initiates the conference call at a scheduled time, whereupon the wireless network interface of each portable computer is automatically switched to an SSID uniquely associated with the audio access point, for connecting to the speakerphone console. The audio signals generated by the laptop microphones are mixed with any audio signal generated by an optional microphone on the speakerphone console, and the mixed audio signals are transmitted over the telephone line. Incoming audio signals are passed to the speakerphone console and wirelessly transmitted to the portable computers for substantially simultaneous playback on the respective loudspeakers.

Selectively-expandable speakerphone system and method

An electronic device may be provided with more than one industry-standard type of AC power connector. The electronic device may be powered in any of a variety of locations by selectively exposing one of the power connectors selected according to an AC power outlet available at that location. A location-specific power cord may be used to connect the exposed power connector to the AC power outlet. The location-specific power cord may have, for example, a line socket at one end of a type that matches the exposed power connector, and a power plug at the other end of a type that matches the AC power outlet at the location. Predefined power settings appropriate for use with the AC power outlet and the exposed power connector may be automatically invoked.

Multi-capacity power supply for electronic devices

Administering power supplies in a data center including, upon connection of a first power supply through a power line to a circuit breaker in the data center, querying, by a power supply communications device of the first power supply through the power line, a circuit breaker communications device of the circuit breaker for a circuit breaker identification; querying, by the power supply communications device of the first power supply, for a maximum current threshold for the circuit breaker; sending the circuit breaker identification and the maximum current threshold for the circuit breaker to a management module; and determining, by the management module in dependence upon the circuit breaker identification and the maximum current threshold for the circuit breaker, whether to power on a computing device powered by the first power supply including determining whether the circuit breaker is shared by another power supply.

Administering power supplies in a data center

An arrangement for controlling a system generated noise level such that the same is adapted to an actual ambient noise level of the system environment. Internal noise generators will thus not run at a needlessly lowered rate than actually needed. For instance, by permitting a fan to run at a generally higher speed, the system will not needlessly undergo significant internal temperature increases. By the same token, CPU performance, to the extent that it represents a noise generator, will not be needlessly throttled.

External ambient noise monitoring to adapt control of internal system noise sources

Managing power consumption in a data center including reporting, by a circuit breaker communications device of one of the circuit breakers to the management module, a current power load of the circuit breaker, the report transmitted from the circuit breaker communications device through a power supply communications device of a power supply currently providing power to a particular computing device and through an out-of-band communications link to the management module, upon receiving the report of the current power load, determining, by the management module, whether the current power load of the circuit breaker is greater than a predetermined threshold; and if the current power load of the circuit breaker is greater than the predetermined threshold, reducing, by the management module, power consumption through the circuit breaker of the particular computing device.

Managing power consumption in a data center based on monitoring circuit breakers

A computer motherboard detects the form factor type of the chassis in which it is installed to permit tailoring functionality accordingly.

Motherboard detection of computer chassis type

A portable computer has a base supporting a keyboard and a cover with a display screen, with the cover being foldable away from the base to an open configuration to view the entire screen and operate the keyboard. The cover can also be folded flush against the base to a closed configuration. A portion of the screen remains viewable in the closed configuration, either by virtue of a window formed in the base or by virtue of the portion of the cover extending past the base.

Foldable computer with partially visible display when closed

An apparatus for automatic cleaning of a portable computing device, comprises at least one display surface of a portable device, a housing in the portable computing device adjacent to the display surface, an enclosed cavity located in the housing, a cleaning device located in the enclosed cavity, a mechanism for moving the cleaning device during cleaning, and a controller to initiate the cleaning.

Automatic cleaning of useable surfaces of a portable computer device

Component module insertion and removal protection in computer systems. In one aspect, a connector assembly for a component module includes a connector that receives the component module and receives power from a power selection circuit, and a module attachment mechanism operative to secure the component module to the connector when a movable member is in an engaged position. In a disengaged position, the movable member allows the component module to be removed from the connector. When the movable member is moved from the engaged position, the state of a switch of the power selection circuit is changed, causing the power selection circuit to remove power from the connector and from at least a portion of a circuit board to which the connector is electrically coupled.

Apparatus and method for component module insertion and removal protection

An interface between a central processing unit (CPU) and a peripheral device is provided which ensures compatibility between existing software for the peripheral device and a CPU of any speed. The interface waveshapes read or write strobe signals in a transfer cycle between the peripheral device and the CPU in order to ensure timing parameters of the peripheral device are not violated by fast CPUs. If the waveshaping causes a change in the timing between first and second consecutive read or write strobe signals, the interface provides a wait signal to the CPU for the purpose of instructing it to extend the transfer cycle of the second strobe signal. In the illustrated embodiment, an interface according to the invention is part of a video interface connecting a microprocessor unit (MPU) and a video digital-to-analog converter (video DAC). Writing or reading color data to or from the video DAC occurs by way of the interface of the invention. The MPU is slowed while it writes or reads color data only when it is required to prevent violation of the timing parameters of the video DAC. In this regard, slower MPUs are not penalized by the invention since wait states are inserted into a transfer cycle only when it is necessary to re-space consecutive read or write strobe signals to prevent the violation of timing parameters.

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Thomas Francis Lewis