Kenneth Bryant Pierce

Title: Innovations and Contributions of Kenneth Bryant Pierce

Introduction

Kenneth Bryant Pierce, an inventive mind based in Sammamish, WA, has made significant strides in the realm of technology with his innovative patents. With a total of three patents to his name, Pierce's work is pivotal in enhancing program execution and memory management.

Latest Patents

One of his groundbreaking patents pertains to **compressed program recording**, a method that allows for monitoring and recording program execution for later playback. This innovative approach ensures that certain state changes, which can be predicted via a virtual processor during playback, need not be recorded, thus enabling a compressed storage of recordings. The patent outlines a mechanism that facilitates random access during playback by storing key frames associated with specific memory addresses. Additionally, a snapshot of values for these addresses ensures efficient value retrieval without executing simulations. This technology also accommodates multiprocessor executions, allowing playback on different machine types than those used for recording.

Another notable invention by Pierce involves **forward walking through binary code to determine offsets for stack walking**. This method aids in navigating through a binary image of a procedure to locate a return instruction. By identifying instructions that impact the distance to a return address stored in the stack, the system can calculate distance structure variables to update pointers and navigate through the binary accurately. This efficient process continues until the stack is empty, ultimately returning a comprehensive list of instruction pointers as a call chain. An added optimization is the caching of instruction pointer addresses with precomputed distance structure variables to enhance performance.

Career Highlights

Kenneth works at Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC, where his innovative spirit and technological expertise contribute significantly to the company's advancements in software and hardware solutions. His role involves developing patents that streamline processes and enhance functionality across various tech platforms.

Collaborations

In his pursuit of innovation, Pierce collaborates closely with noteworthy individuals such as Ho-Yuen Chau and Andrew James Edwards. Their combined expertise fosters an environment of creativity and technical prowess, resulting in cutting-edge inventions that pave the way for future advancements in computing.

Conclusion

Kenneth Bryant Pierce stands out as a prominent figure in the technology industry, recognized for his impactful contributions through his patents. His work not only enhances program execution but also sets new standards in the field of memory management and software functionality. As he continues to innovate, there's no doubt that his future endeavors will further shape the landscape of technology.