Patent ID: 7539983

Claim:
A method of processing a program having a plurality of regions including a first region that is a protected region associated with at least one handler, the at least one handler including at least one instruction for processing at least one exception occurring in the first region, wherein transfer of program control from the first region to the at least one handler is asynchronous upon occurrence of the at least one exception, the method comprising the acts of: (a) determining if a variable is used outside the first region, in any region to which a transfer of program control is synchronous from the first region; (b) determining if the variable is used outside the first region, in any region to which the transfer of program control is asynchronous; (c) determining if the variable is used in a portion of the first region that is only accessible following execution of the at least one handler; and (d) classifying the variable as live outside the first region when the variable is used outside the first region in any one or more of acts (a), (b), or (c).