Patents by Inventor Alexander Lloyd

Alexander Lloyd has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20260119474
    Abstract: The technology relates to cosharding tables within a distributed storage system. A data table including one or more rows may be received. Each row in the data table may include an identifier key and pieces of data. Each piece of data in the data table may be indexed into individual rows of an index table, wherein each row in the index table includes data associated with the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The index table may be sharded into splits based on the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The splits may be more stored into two or more or more portions of the distributed storage system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2025
    Publication date: April 30, 2026
    Inventors: Alexander Khesin, Alexander Lloyd, Sebastian Kanthak
  • Patent number: 12541497
    Abstract: The technology relates to cosharding tables within a distributed storage system. A data table including one or more rows may be received. Each row in the data table may include an identifier key and pieces of data. Each piece of data in the data table may be indexed into individual rows of an index table, wherein each row in the index table includes data associated with the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The index table may be sharded into splits, wherein the sharding includes assigning each row of the index table into one of the splits based on the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The splits may be more stored into two or more or more portions of the distributed storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2026
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Alexander Khesin, Alexander Lloyd, Sebastian Kanthak
  • Patent number: 12468667
    Abstract: The subject matter described herein provides techniques to ensure that queries of a distributed database observe a consistent read of the database without locking or logging. In this regard, next-write timestamps uniquely identify a set of write transactions whose updates can be observed by reads. By publishing the next-write timestamps from within an extendable time lease and tracking a “safe timestamp,” the database queries can be executed without logging read operations or blocking future write transactions, and clients issuing the queries at the “safe timestamp” observe a consistent view of the database as it exists on or before that timestamp. Aspects of this disclosure also provide for extensions, done cheaply and without the need for logging, to the range of timestamps at which read transactions can be executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2024
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2025
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Wilson Cheng-Yi Hsieh, Eric Hugh Veach, Michael James Boyer Epstein, Alexander Lloyd
  • Patent number: 12386384
    Abstract: The present technology proposes techniques for generating globally coherent timestamps. This technology may allow distributed systems to causally order transactions without incurring various types of communication delays inherent in explicit synchronization. By globally deploying a number of time masters that are based on various types of time references, the time masters may serve as primary time references. Through an interactive interface, the techniques may track, calculate and record data relative to each time master thus providing the distributed systems with causal timestamps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2025
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Peter Hochschild, Alexander Lloyd, Wilson Cheng-Yi Hsieh, Robert Edman Felderman, Michael James Boyer Epstein
  • Patent number: 12380092
    Abstract: The present technology proposes techniques for ensuring globally consistent transactions. This technology may allow distributed systems to ensure the causal order of read and write transactions across different partitions of a distributed database. By assigning causally generated timestamps to the transactions based on one or more globally coherent time services, the timestamps can be used to preserve and represent the causal order of the transactions in the distributed system. In this regard, certain transactions may wait for a period of time after choosing a timestamp in order to delay the start of any second transaction that might depend on it. The wait may ensure that the effects of the first transaction are not made visible until its timestamp is guaranteed to be in the past. This may ensure that a consistent snapshot of the distributed database can be determined for any past timestamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2025
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Wilson Cheng-Yi Hsieh, Alexander Lloyd, Peter Hochschild, Michael James Boyer Epstein, Sean Quinlan
  • Patent number: 12314231
    Abstract: The various embodiments described herein include methods, devices, and systems for reading and writing data from a database table. In one aspect, a method includes: (1) initiating a read transaction to read from a first non-key column of a row in the database table, the database table having a plurality of rows, each row comprising a primary key and a plurality of non-key columns, the initiating including: (a) determining that a write transaction holds a lock on a second non-key column of the row in the database table, and (b) determining that no lock is held on the first non-key column; and (2) in response, concurrently reading data from the first non-key column and writing a new column value to the second non-key column; where each non-key column includes a last-write timestamp that indicates when the last write occurred for the respective non-key column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2025
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Wilson Cheng-Yi Hsieh, Alexander Lloyd, Eric Hugh Veach
  • Publication number: 20250086200
    Abstract: Paxos transactions are pipelined in a distributed database formed by a plurality of replica servers. A leader server is selected by consensus of the replicas, and receives a lock on leadership for an epoch. The leader gets Paxos log numbers for the current epoch, which are greater than the numbers allocated in previous epochs. The leader receives database write requests, and assigns a Paxos number to each request. The leader constructs a proposed transaction for each request, which includes the assigned Paxos number and incorporates the request. The leader transmits the proposed transactions to the replicas. Two or more write requests that access distinct objects in the database can proceed simultaneously. The leader commits a proposed transaction to the database after receiving a plurality of confirmations for the proposed transaction from the replicas. After all the Paxos numbers have been assigned, inter-epoch tasks are performed before beginning a subsequent epoch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2024
    Publication date: March 13, 2025
    Inventors: Wilson Cheng-Yi Hsieh, Alexander Lloyd
  • Patent number: 12061625
    Abstract: Paxos transactions are pipelined in a distributed database formed by a plurality of replica servers. A leader server is selected by consensus of the replicas, and receives a lock on leadership for an epoch. The leader gets Paxos log numbers for the current epoch, which are greater than the numbers allocated in previous epochs. The leader receives database write requests, and assigns a Paxos number to each request. The leader constructs a proposed transaction for each request, which includes the assigned Paxos number and incorporates the request. The leader transmits the proposed transactions to the replicas. Two or more write requests that access distinct objects in the database can proceed simultaneously. The leader commits a proposed transaction to the database after receiving a plurality of confirmations for the proposed transaction from the replicas. After all the Paxos numbers have been assigned, inter-epoch tasks are performed before beginning a subsequent epoch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2024
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Wilson Cheng-Yi Hsieh, Alexander Lloyd
  • Patent number: 12007956
    Abstract: The subject matter described herein provides techniques to ensure that queries of a distributed database observe a consistent read of the database without locking or logging. In this regard, next-write timestamps uniquely identify a set of write transactions whose updates can be observed by reads. By publishing the next-write timestamps from within an extendable time lease and tracking a “safe timestamp,” the database queries can be executed without logging read operations or blocking future write transactions, and clients issuing the queries at the “safe timestamp” observe a consistent view of the database as it exists on or before that timestamp. Aspects of this disclosure also provide for extensions, done cheaply and without the need for logging, to the range of timestamps at which read transactions can be executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Wilson Cheng-Yi Hsieh, Eric Hugh Veach, Michael James Boyer Epstein, Alexander Lloyd
  • Publication number: 20240143560
    Abstract: The various embodiments described herein include methods, devices, and systems for reading and writing data from a database table. In one aspect, a method includes: (1) initiating a read transaction to read from a first non-key column of a row in the database table, the database table having a plurality of rows, each row comprising a primary key and a plurality of non-key columns, the initiating including: (a) determining that a write transaction holds a lock on a second non-key column of the row in the database table, and (b) determining that no lock is held on the first non-key column; and (2) in response, concurrently reading data from the first non-key column and writing a new column value to the second non-key column; where each non-key column includes a last-write timestamp that indicates when the last write occurred for the respective non-key column.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2023
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventors: Wilson Cheng-Yi Hsieh, Alexander Lloyd, Eric Hugh Veach
  • Patent number: 11953938
    Abstract: The present technology proposes techniques for generating globally coherent timestamps. This technology may allow distributed systems to causally order transactions without incurring various types of communication delays inherent in explicit synchronization. By globally deploying a number of time masters that are based on various types of time references, the time masters may serve as primary time references. Through an interactive interface, the techniques may track, calculate and record data relative to each time master thus providing the distributed systems with causal timestamps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Peter Hochschild, Alexander Lloyd, Wilson Cheng-Yi Hsieh, Robert Edman Felderman, Michael James Boyer Epstein
  • Publication number: 20240037085
    Abstract: The technology relates to cosharding tables within a distributed storage system. A data table including one or more rows may be received. Each row in the data table may include an identifier key and pics of data. Each piece of data in the data table may be indexed into individual rows of an index table, wherein each row in the index table includes data associated with the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The index table may be sharded into splits, wherein the sharding includes assigning each row of the index table into one of the splits based on the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The splits may be more stored into two or more or more portions of the distributed storage system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: Alexander Khesin, Alexander Lloyd, Sebastian Kanthak
  • Patent number: 11853269
    Abstract: The various embodiments described herein include methods, devices, and systems for reading and writing data from a database table. In one aspect, a method includes: (1) initiating a read transaction to read from a first non-key column of a row in the database table, the database table having a plurality of rows, each row comprising a primary key and a plurality of non-key columns, the initiating including: (a) determining that a write transaction holds a lock on a second non-key column of the row in the database table, and (b) determining that no lock is held on the first non-key column; and (2) in response, concurrently reading data from the first non-key column and writing a new column value to the second non-key column; where each non-key column includes a last-write timestamp that indicates when the last write occurred for the respective non-key column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Wilson Cheng-Yi Hsieh, Alexander Lloyd, Eric Hugh Veach
  • Patent number: 11831711
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for sending and receiving remote procedure calls (RPCs). Based on a message in a first RPC, a second set of RPCs are created by one or more computing devices, where each of the second set of RPCs includes a portion of the message in the first RPC. The message in the first RPC is replaced with a reference to each RPC of the second set of RPCs. The one or more computing devices send the first RPC with the references, and also send the second set of RPCs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Iulian Moraru, Brian Frank Cooper, Sebastian Kanthak, Alexander Lloyd, Mert Akdere
  • Patent number: 11816086
    Abstract: The technology relates to cosharding tables within a distributed storage system. A data table including one or more rows may be received. Each row in the data table may include an identifier key and pieces of data. Each piece of data in the data table may be indexed into individual rows of an index table, wherein each row in the index table includes data associated with the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The index table may be sharded into splits, wherein the sharding includes assigning each row of the index table into one of the splits based on the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The splits may be stored into two or more portions of the distributed storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Alexander Khesin, Alexander Lloyd, Sebastian Kanthak
  • Patent number: 11789938
    Abstract: The present technology proposes techniques for ensuring globally consistent transactions. This technology may allow distributed systems to ensure the causal order of read and write transactions across different partitions of a distributed database. By assigning causally generated timestamps to the transactions based on one or more globally coherent time services, the timestamps can be used to preserve and represent the causal order of the transactions in the distributed system. In this regard, certain transactions may wait for a period of time after choosing a timestamp in order to delay the start of any second transaction that might depend on it. The wait may ensure that the effects of the first transaction are not made visible until its timestamp is guaranteed to be in the past. This may ensure that a consistent snapshot of the distributed database can be determined for any past timestamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Wilson Cheng-Yi Hsieh, Alexander Lloyd, Peter Hochschild, Michael James Boyer Epstein, Sean Quinlan
  • Publication number: 20230214374
    Abstract: The technology relates to cosharding tables within a distributed storage system. A data table including one or more rows may be received. Each row in the data table may include an identifier key and pieces of data. Each piece of data in the data table may be indexed into individual rows of an index table, wherein each row in the index table includes data associated with the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The index table may be sharded into splits, wherein the sharding includes assigning each row of the index table into one of the splits based on the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The splits may be stored into two or more portions of the distributed storage system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2022
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Inventors: Alexander Khesin, Alexander Lloyd, Sebastian Kanthak
  • Publication number: 20230052324
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for sending and receiving remote procedure calls (RPCs). Based on a message in a first RPC, a second set of RPCs are created by one or more computing devices, where each of the second set of RPCs includes a portion of the message in the first RPC. The message in the first RPC is replaced with a reference to each RPC of the second set of RPCs. The one or more computing devices send the first RPC with the references, and also send the second set of RPCs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2022
    Publication date: February 16, 2023
    Inventors: Iulian Moraru, Brian Frank Cooper, Sebastian Kanthak, Alexander Lloyd, Mert Akdere
  • Patent number: 11561953
    Abstract: The technology relates to cosharding tables within a distributed storage system. A data table including one or more rows may be received. Each row in the data table may include an identifier key and pieces of data. Each piece of data in the data table may be indexed into individual rows of an index table, wherein each row in the index table includes data associated with the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The index table may be sharded into splits, wherein the sharding includes assigning each row of the index table into one of the splits based on the identifier key of the data table from which the piece of data in the respective row was indexed. The splits may be stored into two or more portions of the distributed storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Alexander Khesin, Alexander Lloyd, Sebastian Kanthak
  • Patent number: 11556375
    Abstract: In a distributed system where a client's call to commit a transaction occurs outside the transaction's lock-hold interval, computation of timestamp information for the transaction is moved to a client library, while ensuring that no conflicting reads or writes are performed between a time of the computation and acquiring all locks for the transaction. The transaction is committed in phases, with each phase being initiated by the client library. Timestamp information is added to the locks to ensure that timestamps are generated during lock-hold intervals. An increased number of network messages is thereby overlapped with a commit wait period in which a write in a distributed database is delayed in time to ensure concurrency in the database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Brian Frank Cooper, Alexander Lloyd, Sebastian Kanthak, Andrew Fikes, Christopher Taylor