Method and apparatus for handling multiple condition codes as for a parallel pipeline computer

Claim 3

The method set forth in Claim 1 further comprising the steps of: reading first and second condition values from respective first and second ones of said condition value fields; combining said first and second condition values to produce a third condition value; and storing said third condition value in one of said purality of condition value fields.

Claim 4

The method set forth in Claim 1 wherein said computer system includes first and second processing stages each of which may execute instructions of said first and second type and wherein: said step B includes the step of assigning selected ones of said instructions of said first type, which are executed on said first processing stage, to set condition values in a first one of said condition value fields to the substantial exclusion of any other condition value field; and said step C includes the step of conditioning the instructions of said second type which correspond to said selected instructions of said first type to test condition values in said first one of said condition value fields to the substantial exclusion of any other condition value field.

Claim 5

The method set forth in Claim 1 wherein the computer system includes a pipelined processor which executes a sequence of instructions including an instruction of said second type followed immediately by an instruction of said first type, wherein: said step B includes the steps of: conditioning said instruction of said second type to test a condition value in a first one of said condition value fields; and conditioning said instruction of said first type to set a condition value in a second one of said condition value fields; and said method further includes the step of overlapping the execution of the instructions of first and second type.

Claim 6

In a computer system for processing data items including means for processing instructions of a first type which produce condition values based on the values of selected ones of said data items and means for processing instructions of a second type which test said condition values, condition handling apparatus comprising: condition storage means for separately storing the condition values produced by a plurality of instructions of said first type into multiple condition value fields; and condition testing means for separately testing the condition values in said multiple condition value fields responsive to a respective multiple instructions of said second type.

Claim 7

In a computer system for processing data items including means for processing instructions of a first type which produce condition values based on the values of selected ones of said data items and means for processing instructions of a second type which test said condition values, condition handling apparatus comprising: condition storage means for separately storing the condition values produced by a plurality of instructions of said first type into multiple condition value fields; and condition testing means for separately testing the condition values in said multiple condition value fields responsive to a respective multiple instructions of said second type.

Claim 8

The condition handling apparatus set forth in Claim 5, further comprising: means for combining a plurality of said separately stored condition values to generate a further condition value for storage by said condition storage means.

Claim 9

The condition handling apparatus set forth in Claim 5, wherein: said computer system includes first and second processing stages each of which executes instructions of said first and second type and each of which is coupled to said condition storage means and to said condition testing means; said condition setting means includes means for storing condition values produced by selected instructions of said first type which are executed by said first and second processing stages into respective first and second ones of said condition value fields; and said condition testing means includes means or testing condition values stored in said first and second condition value fields in response to instructions of said second type which are executed by said first and second processing stages, respectively.

Claim 10

The condition handling apparatus set forth in Claim 5, wherein said computer system includes a pipeline processor coupled to said condition setting means and to said condition testing means which overlaps the execution of an instruction of said second type that tests a condition value in a first one of said multiple condition value fields with the execution of an instruction of said first type that sets a condition value in a second one of said multiple condition value fields.