Method and apparatus for re-using memory allocated for data structures used by software processes
US8255887B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 29, 2006 |
| Grant date | Aug 28, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 27, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F12/0253
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A memory management mechanism requires data structures to be explicitly deallocated in the programming code, but deallocation does not immediately make the memory available for reuse. Before a deallocated memory region can be reused, memory is scanned for pointers to the deallocated region, and any such pointer is set to null. The deallocated memory is then available for reuse. Preferably, deallocated memory regions are accumulated, and an asynchronous memory cleaning process periodically scans memory to nullify the pointers. In order to prevent previously scanned memory becoming contaminated with a dangling pointer before the scan is finished, any write to a pointer is checked to verify that the applicable target address has not been deallocated.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.