Patent · US Expired

Branch and return on address instruction and methods and apparatus for implementing same in a digital data processing system

US4831517A · kind A · utility

43Cited by
5References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 10, 1986
Grant dateMay 16, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 10, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/4486
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of operating a digital data processor includes the supplying to the digital data processor of a branch and return on address (BAROA) instruction having an operation code field, a memory entry address field and a memory exit address field. This method also includes for such branch and return on address instruction the steps of loading the operation code field into an instruction register, loading the memory exit address field into an address register and loading the memory entry address field into a program counter. This method further includes storing the next sequential address following the address of the current BAROA instruction into a register stack, and then fetching from memory and executing a sequence of instructions starting with the instruction residing at the memory entry address provided by the branch and return on address instruction. The program counter is incremented each time an instruction is executed. In this manner, the program counter provides the memory addresses of the instructions to be fetched. This method further includes the steps of comparing the memory address in the program counter with the exit address in the address register and loading a ret…

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