US 8370416

A search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database and the dockets for the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) for the year 2026 provides the following summary for US Patent 8,370,416.

Summary of US Patent 8,370,416

Title: Compatibility enforcement in clustered computing systems.

Assignee: The assignee at the time of the patent grant was Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. of Houston, TX. The current assignee information may have changed and would require a separate search of the USPTO's assignment database for the most up-to-date information.

Inventors: David J. Hoover (Roseville, CA), Bernard A. Reed, III (Colorado Springs, CO), Marjorie Krueger (Roseville, CA), and Douglas L. Voigt (Boise, ID).

Filing Date: April 26, 2006.

Issue Date: February 5, 2013.

Abstract: The patent describes a method for creating a clustered computing system where license information is stored in a memory module associated with a computing node. This information includes a "bundle-type" parameter that defines characteristics of the cluster and node license parameters for individual computing nodes. The method involves initializing the cluster with a first node, adding more nodes, and activating the cluster only when the number of nodes complies with the bundle-type parameter.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

US Patent 8,370,416 has three independent claims: 1, 9, and 14. Here is a plain-language explanation of each:

Claim 1: A method of creating a clustered computing system.

This claim outlines a method for building a computer cluster. The core idea is to control the creation and activation of the cluster based on licensing rules. First, licensing information is stored on a computing node. This information specifies the "size" and other characteristics of the entire cluster (the "bundle-type") as well as rules for individual nodes. A cluster is started with one node, and more nodes are added. The entire cluster is only activated and allowed to function if the total number of nodes in the cluster matches the rules set out in the license.

Claim 9: A computing system with at least two computing nodes.

This claim describes the actual computing system that carries out the method from Claim 1. The system consists of at least two computing nodes. One or more of these nodes have special software modules stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (like a hard drive or flash memory). These modules are:

• A "cluster module" to manage the cluster's compatibility and to add new nodes.
• A "node module" to manage the compatibility of individual nodes and to store the license information.
• A "management module" that communicates with external servers to handle compatibility and to activate the cluster once the licensing conditions are met.

Claim 14: A computer program product.

This claim covers a computer program product, which is essentially the software itself, stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. When this software is run by a computer processor, it will perform the method described in Claim 1. This includes storing the license information, initializing the cluster, adding nodes, and activating the cluster based on the licensing rules. This claim protects the software that enables the functionality, regardless of the specific hardware it is run on.

A search of the CAFC 2026 dockets did not reveal any litigation concerning US Patent 8,370,416. However, this does not preclude the possibility of past or pending litigation in other courts.