Equal nine apparatus for supporting absolute value subtracts on decimal operands of unequal length

Claim 1

A digit equal nine apparatus for indicating if the difference from subtracting two operands is equal to the digit nine comprising: A. a programmable read-only memory (PROM) having an address input including higher order and lower order bits, the higher order bits having one operand applied thereto and the lower order bits having a second operand applied thereto, said first and said second operands making up an address to read out the contents of a storage location in said PROM in which is stored a number that is equal to the difference between said two operands, and also stored in said addressed storage location is a digit equal nine bit that indicates if the number in the addressed PROM storage location has the value nine, said PROM having a first output on which a digit equal nine signal is placed responsive to said digit equal nine bit when said storage location is addressed using said two operands, said digit equal nine signal having a first state and a second state, said first state indicating that the result of the subtraction of said two operands is a digit other than the digit nine, said second state indicating that the result of the subtraction of said two operands is the digit nine, B. an AND gate having a first data input for receiving said digit equal nine signal from said PROM output, a second input, and an output, C. a flip-flop having a data input coupled to said AND gate output for receiving said digit equal nine signal, said flip-flop having a reset input for receiving a reset signal which places said flip-flop in a first state, said flip-flop also having a clocking input for receiving a clock signal which indicates that said PROM has subtracted said two operands applied to its address input, whereby said flip-flop will remain in said first state until the second state of said digit equal nine signal is on said first output from said PROM and in response thereto said flip-flop changes to its second state, and said flip-flop remains in said second state to indicate that the result of the subtraction performed by said PROM using said two operands is equal to the digit nine until said flip-flop is reset by said reset signal at the beginning of a subsequent subtraction operation, and said flip-flop also has an output on which is a first signal when said flip-flop is in its first state and on which is a second signal when said flip-flop is in its second state, said first signal providing an indication that the result of the subtraction by said PROM is other than the digit nine, said second signal providing an indication that the subtraction result is equal to the digit nine, and said flip-flop output also being applied to said second input of said AND gate, and D. means for inhibiting the clocking of said flip-flop so that operands applied to the address input of said PROM can be subtracted without changing the state of said flip-flop.