US 8,943,299 B2Granted

Operating a stack of information in an information handling system

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsKattamuri Ekanadham, Brian R. Konigsburg, David S. Levitan, Jose E. Moreira, David Mui, Il Park

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A pointer is for pointing to a next-to-read location within a stack of information. For pushing information onto the stack: a value is saved of the pointer, which points to a first location within the stack as being the next-to-read location; the pointer is updated so that it points to a second location within the stack as being the next-to-read location; and the information is written for storage at the second location. For popping the information from the stack: in response to the pointer, the information is read from the second location as the next-to-read location; and the pointer is restored to equal the saved value so that it points to the first location as being the next-to-read location.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method of operating a stack of information, wherein a first pointer is for pointing to a next-to-read location within the stack and a second pointer is for pointing to a next-to-write location within the stack, and wherein each stack entry includes an address field storing an operand of a push operation and an index field storing an index of a stack entry being a predecessor to the first pointer, and wherein the method is performed by an information handling system, the method comprising:

pushing information onto the stack, wherein the pushing includes:
saving a value of the first pointer, which points to a first location within the stack as being the next-to-read location;
updating the first pointer so that it points to a second location within the stack as being the next-to-read location;
and writing the information for storage at the second location;
and
popping the information from the stack, wherein the popping includes:
reading the information from the second location as the next-to-read location;
and restoring the first pointer to equal the saved value so that it points to the first location as being the next-to-read location.

5 more elements

A system for operating a stack of information, wherein a pointer is for pointing to a next-to-read location within the stack, and wherein each stack entry includes an address field storing an operand of a push operation and an index field storing an index of a stack entry being a predecessor to the pointer, the system comprising:

one or more execution units for pushing information onto the stack and for popping the information from the stack;
wherein the pushing includes:
saving a value of the pointer, which points to a first location within the stack as being the next-to-read location;
updating the pointer so that it points to a second location within the stack as being the next-to-read location;
and writing the information for storage at the second location;
and
wherein the popping includes:
reading the information from the second location as the next-to-read location;
and restoring the pointer to equal the saved value so that it points to the first location as being the next-to-read location.

6 more elements

A system for operating a stack of information, wherein a first pointer is for pointing to a next-to-read location within the stack, wherein a second pointer is for pointing to a next-to-write location within the stack, and wherein each stack entry includes an address field storing an operand of a push operation and an index field storing an index of a stack entry being a predecessor to the first pointer, and comprising:

one or more execution units for pushing information onto the stack and for popping the information from the stack;
wherein the pushing includes:
saving a value of the first pointer, which points to a first location within the stack as being the next-to-read location;
updating the first pointer so that it points to a second location within the stack as being the next-to-read location;
writing the information for storage at the second location;
and updating the second pointer so that it points to a third location within the stack, wherein the third location is adjacent to the second location;
and
wherein the popping includes:
reading the information from the second location as the next-to-read location;
and restoring the first pointer to equal the saved value so that it points to the first location as being the next-to-read location.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/817,609Filed 17 Jun 2010
Published: US 2011/0314259 A122 Dec 2011
Granted: 27 Jan 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G06F 9/30
Using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs: arrangements for executing machine…
G06F 9/30134
Organisation of register space, e.g. banked or distributed register file: register stacks; shift registers
G06F 9/30163
Decoding the operand specifier, e.g. specifier format: with implied specifier, e.g. top of stack
G06F 9/3861
Concurrent instruction execution, e.g. pipeline or look ahead: recovery, e.g. branch miss-prediction, exception handling