Parallel string processor and method for a minicomputer
US5073864A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 12, 1990 |
| Grant date | Dec 17, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 12, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2207/025
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A processor is disclosed for use in a computer system for comparing a number of bytes simultaneously in order to locate a control character in a string of data. The processor includes a register for holding the data bytes, a register for storing the control characters, a comparison circuit for simultaneously comparing the bytes of the first register with the bytes of the second register, and a circuit for generating indicator bits when a match has been found between the two registers. Microcode instructions cause the system to branch to a predetermined memory location when the control character has been located and to branch to a second predetermined memory location when no control character is found in the data string. The parallel string processor includes a circuit which finds the indicator bits generated from the circuit which have a predetermined characteristic and thus identifies the position of a particular byte (e.g., control character) in the data word that has the selected predetermined characteristic. A number of different operations can be performed based upon the output of the circuit to accomplish in one instruction operations that previously required a large number o…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.