Patents by Inventor Mahlon David Fields

Mahlon David Fields 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).

  • Managing cache data and metadata
    Patent number: 8489815
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for managing cache metadata providing a mapping between addresses on a storage medium (e.g., disk storage) and corresponding addresses on a cache device at which data items are stored. In some embodiments, cache metadata may be stored in a hierarchical data structure comprising a plurality of hierarchy levels. When a reboot of the computer is initiated, only a subset of the plurality of hierarchy levels may be loaded to memory, thereby expediting the process of restoring the cache metadata and thus startup operations. Startup may be further expedited by using cache metadata to perform operations associated with reboot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mehmet Iyigun, Yevgeniy M. Bak, Michael Fortin, Mahlon David Fields, Cenk Ergan, Alexander Kirshenbaum
  • Determining an actual amount of time a processor consumes in executing a portion of code
    Patent number: 7774784
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that determine the actual amount of time a processor consumes in executing a code portion. The actual execution time of a code portion may be accurately determined by taking into consideration context switches and/or overhead time corresponding to the code portion. Determining the actual execution time of a code portion may include recording context switches and time values that occur during the execution of the code portion. This information along with overhead measurements may be used to generate the actual execution time of a code portion, as will be described in more detail below. For example, the switched-out intervals resulting from the context switches and the overhead time associated with the time measurements may be subtracted from the elapsed time to produce the actual execution time of a code portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mahlon David Fields, Richard T. Wurdack, Steven M. Carroll, Barry M. Nolte
  • Atomic operations on data structures
    Patent number: 6484185
    Abstract: Performing atomic operations on data entities having an arbitrary size is disclosed. Version data is associated with a data entity. The version data is saved to a first attribute. The data entity is then accessed. The saved version data is compared to the current version data. If the two are equal, the data entity is valid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Neel Jain, Bradley Waters, Mahlon David Fields
  • Atomic operations on data structures
    Patent number: RE40989
    Abstract: Performing atomic operations on data entities having an arbitrary size is disclosed. Version data is associated with a data entity. The version data is saved to a first attribute. The data entity is then accessed. The saved version data is compared to the current version data. If the two are equal, the data entity is valid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Neel K. Jain, Bradley M. Waters, Mahlon David Fields