Conservative garbage collectors that can be used with general memory allocators
US7051056B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 13, 2001 |
| Grant date | May 23, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 2, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S707/99957
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A memory manager comprises a memory allocator and a garbage collector. The memory allocator is configured to allocate memory for objects within a heap on behalf of a process, generate a heap map comprising a plurality of heap map entries, wherein each heap map entry of the plurality of heap map entries includes an address of an object allocated within the heap, and provide the heap map to the garbage collector. The garbage collector is configured to generate a mark list identifying one or more objects within the heap using the heap map, wherein the addresses of the one or more objects correspond to data values specified within an address space of the process, and to free a given object previously allocated in the heap if the mark list indicates that an address of the given object does not correspond to a data value specified within the address space.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.