Patents by Inventor Christopher I. Norrie

Christopher I. Norrie 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).

  • Efficient bit scan mechanism
    Patent number: 6172623
    Abstract: A novel method and apparatus is disclosed for locating the first most, or least, significant set bit in a bit-string. The present invention breaks down the bit-string into a plurality of shorter sub-strings so that boolean operations can be performed directly to the shorter sub-strings for determining the location of the most/least significant set bit. Furthermore, this method can be repeatedly used to reduce the length of the shorter sub-string after the most/least significant sub-string is located. Particularly, this method of repeatedly dividing the bit-string greatly increases the speed of locating the set bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Rise Technology Company
    Inventors: Christopher I. Norrie, Dzung X. Tran