Patents by Inventor Felicity Jane Merrison

Felicity Jane Merrison 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).

  • Using data in elements of a singly linked list without a lock in a multithreaded environment
    Patent number: 8141086
    Abstract: A method and system for validating a scan of a chain in a multithreaded environment. A modification counter and an anchor address are atomically copied from the chain's header into a first variable (browse counter) and second variable, respectively. The second variable is set to a next address stored in a current element of the chain. The next address references a next element of the chain. The browse counter is incremented. If the browse counter is greater than a current value of the modification counter (M.Counter) and if the second variable includes a valid address, then the scan is valid up to the current element, the scan continues with the next element as the current element, and the process repeats starting with setting the second variable to the next address. Otherwise, if the browse counter is less than or equal to M.Counter, then the scan is invalid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Martin William John Cocks, Felicity Jane Merrison
  • USING DATA IN ELEMENTS OF A SINGLY LINKED LIST WITHOUT A LOCK IN A MULTITHREADED ENVIRONMENT
    Publication number: 20090307694
    Abstract: A method and system for validating a scan of a chain in a multithreaded environment. A modification counter and an anchor address are atomically copied from the chain's header into a first variable (browse counter) and second variable, respectively. The second variable is set to a next address stored in a current element of the chain. The next address references a next element of the chain. The browse counter is incremented. If the browse counter is greater than a current value of the modification counter (M.Counter) and if the second variable includes a valid address, then the scan is valid up to the current element, the scan continues with the next element as the current element, and the process repeats starting with setting the second variable to the next address. Otherwise, if the browse counter is less than or equal to M.Counter, then the scan is invalid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2008
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Inventors: Martin William John Cocks, Felicity Jane Merrison