Overdue event detector

Claim 2

In a computing system including hardware and software components and which is typically utilized by applicationoriented programs, apparatus for detecting events which have become overdue during machine operation comprising means for simultaneously storing a plurality of events which are to be detected in case they are not completed by a designated time, means for calculating an appropriate designated time for each logged event and for storing said time with its associated event on said storage means, comparator means for comparing said designated time with clock time to ascertain overdue events, and means for providing an alerting signal to the event source whereby hardware and software components associated with the machine and its utilization are afforded an indication when logged events have not occurred within a designated time interval.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 further including means for cancelling logged events when they occur prior to the designated time.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 further including buffer means to receive requests for logging or cancelling events and for transmitting said events to said Storage means, and buffer means to receive detected overdue events from said storage means and transmitting said overdue events to requestors.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said means for calculating designated times includes a time-of-day clock and an adder for summing instantaneous time and a time interval supplied by a requestor in order to calculate a further designated time by which the associated event must have occurred.

Claim 6

An overdue event detector including storage means for use with computing equipment comprising buffer register means for reception of data in binary digit form from either hardware or software sources, wherein each of said data includes event identifiers and, if the received data is to be stored on said storage means, also includes a time interval during which the identified event is expected to occur, clock means for recording the time-of-day, means for adding time-of-day and said received time interval, means for controlling the transmittal of said received event data to be stored from said buffer means to said storage means at locations in storage available for use, and for controlling the transmittal of said time intervals and instantaneous clock times from said buffer and said clock respectively to said adding means where future times are calculated, and for controlling the transmittal of said future times to said storage means at said available location means for testing said stored future times against actual time in order to detect passage of said received time intervals and for alerting hardware or software sources of events.

Claim 7

An overdue event detector including storage means for use with computing equipment comprising buffer register means for reception of data in binary digit form from either hardware or software sources, wherein each of said data includes event identifiers and, if the received data is to be stored on said storage means, also includes a time interval during which the identified event is expected to occur, clock means for recording the time-of-day, means for adding time-of-day and said received time interval, means for controlling the transmittal of said received event data to be stored from said buffer means to said storage means at locations in storage available for use, and for controlling the transmittal of said time intervals and instantaneous clock times from said buffer and said clock respectively to said adding means where future times are calculated, and for controlling the transmittal of said future times to said storage means at said available location means for testing said stored future times against actual time in order to detect passage of said received time intervals and for alerting hardware or software sources of events.

Claim 8

The machine-implemented method of detecting overdue events in hardware and software components of computing systems through the use of special overdue event detecting equipment comprising the steps of providing separate hardware and software interface connections from said computing system to said special event detecting equipment, receiving event identifying information in binary digit form through one of said interfaces identifying said received information as a request to store the event in said detector or to cancel it from storage in said detector if said request is to store the event, receiving time interval information with said event identifying information over said interface, calculating a future time from use of said interval, and storing said event and future time in said special detecting equipment if said request is to cancel an event from storage, setting a bit to indicate the availability of the location at which the event is stored in said special detecting equipment, comparing said stored future times with actual time in order to detect passage of said received time intervals, and upon detecting passage of a time interval, alerting hardware or software as appropriate of the detected overdue event by signalling over one of the said interfaces to said computing system.

Claim 9

The machine-implemented method of detecting overdue events in hardware and software components of computing systems through the use of special overdue event detecting equipment comprising the steps of providing separate hardware and software interface connections from said computing system to said special event detecting equipment, receiving event identifying information in binary digit form through one of said interfaces identifying said received information as a request to store the event in said detector or to cancel it from storage in said detector if said request is to store the event, receiving time interval information with said event identifying information over said interface, calculating a future time from use of said interval, and storing said event and future time in said special detecting equipment if said request is to cancel an event from storage, setting a bit to indicate the availability of the location at which the event is stored in said special detecting equipment, comparing said stored future times with actual time in order to detect passage of said received time intervals, and upon detecting passage of a time interval, alerting hardware or software as appropriate of the detected overdue event by signalling over one of the said interfaces to said computing system.