Patent · US Expired

Multi-media computer operating system and method

US5640563A · kind A · utility

81Cited by
4References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJan 31, 1992
Grant dateJun 17, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 31, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/4887
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An operating system for scheduling execution of a random set of periodically recurring hard, real-time tasks encountered in multi-media computer system applications and which is useful in a multi-tasking computer operating environment. Periodically recurring computer tasks having relatively short execution periods for which execution results are absolutely required in hard, real-time environments such as multi-media systems, create a significant task scheduling overhead reducing the available processor resource. Overhead processing at task invocation is eliminated in the invention by placing all active recurrent tasks in an execution queue, regardless of the task's current state of activity and by reprioritizing the order of execution of the tasks in the queue whenever a given task execution is completed. Measured by reduction in task scheduling overhead consumed by the processor in scheduling the tasks, this achieves a 50-100% improvement over conventional scheduling and operating systems.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.