Company Filing History:
Years Active: 1993
Title: Mark Furtney: Innovator in Efficient Task Distribution
Introduction
Mark Furtney is an accomplished inventor based in Apple Valley, MN (US). He has made significant contributions to the field of computing, particularly in the area of efficient distribution of parallel tasks. His innovative approach has led to the development of protocols that enhance communication between application programs and operating systems.
Latest Patents
Furtney holds a patent for "Methods for efficient distribution of parallel tasks to slave processes." This patent describes three new, efficient protocols for providing communications between a user's application program, a Multiprocessing Library, and the host Operating System. The protocols, termed WAKEUP, GIVEUP, and CONTEXT-TO-USER-SPACE, utilize a conduit for communication that eliminates the need for expensive system calls. A primary application of these protocols is in scheduling multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs) within a single user program in a multi-CPU, multiprogramming, multi-tasking environment. WAKEUP allows a master process to request the asynchronous scheduling of slave processes for parallel task execution. GIVEUP provides a slave process with time to complete its task before an Operating System interruption occurs. Finally, CONTEXT-TO-USER-SPACE enables other slave processes to execute interrupted tasks that were not completed under GIVEUP.
Career Highlights
Mark Furtney is currently employed at Cray Research, Inc., where he continues to innovate in the field of computing. His work has been instrumental in advancing the efficiency of task distribution in complex computing environments.
Collaborations
Furtney has collaborated with notable colleagues, including Frank R Barriuso and Clayton D Andreasen. Their combined expertise has contributed to the development of cutting-edge technologies in the industry.
Conclusion
Mark Furtney's contributions to the field of computing through his innovative protocols have significantly improved the efficiency of task distribution in multi-CPU environments. His work continues to influence the way applications communicate with operating systems, paving the way for future advancements in technology.
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