Patent · US Expired

Method and processor for selectively marking instructions as interruptible or uninterruptible and judging interrupt requests based on the marked instruction

US6029222A · kind A · utility

42Cited by
5References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJan 10, 1997
Grant dateFeb 22, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 10, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/3861
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Each of microcodes 1 has an interrupt prohibit bit 10 that specifies acceptance or nonacceptance of an interrupt request. Upon occurrence of an interrupt request, a processor refers to a value set in the interrupt prohibit bit 10 of the microcode 1 being currently executed. When "0" is set to the interrupt prohibit bit 10, the processor accepts the interrupt request, and when "1" is set to the interrupt prohibit bit 10, the processor rejects the interrupt request and starts executing a succeeding microcode. This allows the processor to safely execute certain instructions without interruption, as indicated by the interrupt prohibit bit 10 contained in the microcode 1 being currently executed.

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