Digital computer system having descriptors for variable length addressing for a plurality of instruction dialects

US4499535A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Data General Corporation · US

Inventors

• Brett L. Bachman · Boston, US
• Richard A. Belgard · Saratoga, US
• David H. Bernstein · Oakland, US
• Richard G. Bratt · Wayland, US
• Gerald F. Clancy · Saratoga, US
• Edward S. Gavrin · Weston, US
• Ronald H. Gruner · Framingham, US
• Thomas M. Jones · Houston, US
• Craig J. Mundie · Seattle, US
• James T. Nealon · Cary, US
• John F. Pilat · Raleigh, US
• Stephen I. Schleimer · San Jose, US
• Steven Jeffrey Wallach · Dallas, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 22, 1981
• Grant date: Feb 12, 1985
• Expiry date: May 22, 2001

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F9/34
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A digital computer uses a memory which is structured into objects, which are blocks of storage of arbitrary length, in which data items are accessed by descriptors which for a desired data item specify the object, the offset into that object, and the length of the data object. The computer system of the present invention further provides the ability to execute any of a plurality of dialects of internal instructions, the repertoire of such dialects being virtually infinite, since there is the ability to load a supporting microcode during operation as needed.