Patent ID: 11880231
Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. One or more hardware-based non-transitory computer-readable memory devices storing computer-executable instructions which, upon execution by at least one processor in a computing device, cause the computing device to:
instantiate a timekeeping module on the computing device;
instantiate an operating system on the computing device, the operating system including a time function that retrieves a time value from a counter instantiated as a hardware register in the processor, the counter running continuously at an invariant rate;
operate the timekeeping module to make back-to-back calls to the time function including an initial call that is followed by a subsequent call;
load time function instructions into a pipeline of the processor in response to the initial call;
store data associated with the time function in a memory that is accessible by the processor in response to the initial call;
in response to the initial call, predict how the time function instructions will execute on the processor and execute the instructions using the stored data according to the prediction;
retain a history of the execution according to the prediction; and
in response to the subsequent call, re-execute the time function instructions using the stored data according to the retained history.