Apple patents for electronic circuit speeds, computer software library loading
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Jan 30, 2007 at 6:06am
Two Apple patents have appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. One (number 7,171,570) is for a “method and apparatus for selectively increasing the operating speed of an electronic circuit.” The other (7,171,674) is for a method and apparatus for “just-in-time” dynamic loading and unloading of computer software libraries
The first patent relates to the design of electronic circuits. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for selectively increasing the operating frequency of an electronic circuit. It provides a system that facilitates selectively increasing the operating frequency of an electronic circuit, such as a computer system. The system begins by operating in a low-power state with the frequency and voltage of the electronic circuit set to low levels. Upon recognizing the need for performance beyond the low power level, the electronic circuit enters the first-intermediate power state. In this first-intermediate power state, the frequency and voltage are set to first-intermediate levels.
Upon recognizing the need for performance beyond the first-intermediate power state, the electronic circuit enters the maximum-sustainable power state. In this power state, the frequency and voltage are set to maximum sustainable levels. Upon recognizing the need for performance beyond the maximum-sustainable power state, the electronic circuit temporarily enters a boosted power state beyond the maximum-sustainable power state. In this boosted power state, the frequency and voltages are set to levels beyond the maximum sustainable levels.
The inventors are Keith A. Cox and William C. Athas.
The second patent is for a computer system for dynamically and automatically loading and unloading a software library to and from memory in a computer. Here’s Apple’s abstract: “A method and system for providing ‘just-in-time’ dynamic loading and unloading of libraries. Library code is loaded into memory just prior to the actual execution of a routine in that library and is unloaded from memory after the execution of the library routine is completed. According to the present invention, a library structure having a library loader and a library implementation module. The library loader provides the same entry points as the library itself and contains code to drive the loading and unloading of the library implementation module which actually contains the code to implement the library call. At the beginning of the execution of an application or other software module, the library loaders for libraries needed by that application or other software module, are loaded into memory and unloaded upon completion of that application or other software module. The library loaders control the loading and unloading of the library implementation modules, which contain the actual code which implements the library call, so that the library code itself is only in memory while in use during execution of the library call. A sequence of library calls to the same library is preferably detected and managed so as to avoid unnecessary unloading/reloading of the same library.”
The inventors are Yan J. Arrouye, Sean J. Findley and Keith L. Mortensen.
Check out the offerings at Mac OS Ken and The Video Sandbox, Macsimum New’s media partners.
Leave a comment ⇒
Please post the article topic & comment in our forums. No registration required.
Article Information
Comment on this Article Print this Article Email this Article Digg This
Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 10,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
Recent Articles
