Patent · US Active

Method for performing swap operation and apparatus for implementing the same

US7484061B1 · kind B1 · utility

0Cited by
2References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 6, 2005
Grant dateJan 27, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 3, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/0893
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided to enable provision of requested data within two clock cycles when performing a swap operation between an accessible memory cell and a background memory in a computer. In a first clock cycle, memory addresses to be used in the swap operation are decoded. In a high phase of a second clock cycle, requested data is restored from the background memory to an accessible memory cell. Because the data previously stored in the accessible memory cell is duplicated in a shadow memory cell, the restoration of data to the accessible memory cell is performed without data loss. In a low phase of the second clock cycle, the requested data is available for reading. During a third cycle, data is saved from the shadow memory cell to the background memory, and the shadow memory cell is made consistent with the accessible memory cell.

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