Patent ID: 8255887
Filing Date: 2012-08-28
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for executing a computer program on a computer system, said program having a memory space, comprising the computer-executed steps of: allocating a plurality of memory regions for use by respective data structures used in execution of said computer program; deallocating at least one said data structure responsive to at least one instruction in the programming code of said computer program, said deallocating step not immediately freeing any memory region allocated to said at least one said data structure for reuse by said computer program; automatically scanning said memory space of said computer program to detect any occurrences of pointers to locations within said at least one data structure deallocated by said deallocating step, said automatically scanning step being performed after said deallocating step, and, with respect to any detected said pointers to locations within said at least one data structure deallocated by said deallocating step, changing each said pointer to a null value; and automatically freeing at least one said memory region allocated to a said data structure deallocated by said deallocating step for reuse by said computer program, said automatically freeing step being performed after said changing each said pointer detected by said automatically scanning step to a null value, said automatically freeing step being performed separately from and after said deallocating step.