Patent · US Expired

Oversized data detection hardware for data processors which store data at variable length destinations

US4021655A · kind A · utility

29Cited by
5References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 30, 1976
Grant dateMay 3, 1977
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 30, 1996

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/3016
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Size exception detection hardware for use with a digital data processor arithmetic unit for providing high-speed detection of lost data which results from storing an arithmetic result in a destination which is smaller than one or both of the source operands. In response to data processing machine instructions, the arithmetic unit performs arithmetic operations on variable length operands and sends the arithmetic results to variable length destinations. The operand and destination lengths are specified by length fields in the machine instruction. The destination length is specified independently of at least one of the operand lengths and hence may be less than such operand length. The size exception detection hardware looks at both the output field of the arithmetic unit and the destination length field in the machine instruction and generates a size exception program interrupt signal when the part of the arithmetic unit output field located outside of the destination length contains significant data. The size exception interrupt is generated during the same machine control cycle during which the arithmetic unit performs the arithmetic operation which gives rise to the size exceptio…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.