Data alignment circuit

Claim 1

In a computer system, which includes a memory for storing at least one data block, said computer system having a plurality of predefined computer words including data words having a plurality of data formats, each data format having a predetermined number of characters within the data word, and each data format having a common character boundary, an alignment network for aligning said data words comprising: (a) shift network means, having a first set of input terminals, a second set of input terminals, and a set of output terminals, for operatively connecting selected ones of said first and second set of input terminals to said output terminals in response to a shift control signal, said shift network means including n shifters, each shifter having a first grouping of m input terminals, a second grouping of m-1 input terminals, and m output terminals, the m input terminals of all n shifters comprising the first set of input terminals of said shift network means, the m-1 input terminals of all n shifters comprising the second set of input terminals of said shift network means, and the m output terminals of all n shifters comprising the set of output terminals of said shift network means, the first grouping of m input terminals of each shifter adapted to receive corresponding bits of each character in consecutive character order of a first predetermined data word format having the largest number of characters, the second grouping of m-1 input terminals of each shifter adapted to receive corresponding bits of each character in consecutive character order of said first predetermined data word format excluding the corresponding low order bit of each character, and the m output terminals corresponding to the first grouping of the m input terminals such that when the shift count control signal has a value of zero, the data bit applied to the first grouping of m input terminals are coupled unaltered to the m output terminals, n having a value equal to the smallest number of bits utilized to define a single character of said first predetermined data word format, m having a value equal to the number of characters contained in said first predetermined data word format, and said shift count control signal having a value equal to the ratio of the number of characters within the common character boundary of the data word to be shifted to the number of characters within the common character boundary of the first predetermined data word format, multiplied by the number of character locations desired to be shifted.