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US5581778A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Advanced massively parallel computer using a field of the instruction to selectively enable the profiling counter to increase its value in response to the system clock

Assignee: Sarnoff Corp
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Filing: 1995-04-04
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Granted: 1996-12-03
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Expires: 2015-04-04
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Abstract

Abstract A parallel computing system comprising N blocks of processors, where N is an integer greater than 1. Each block of the N blocks of processors contains M processors, where M is an integer greater than 1. Each processor includes an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a local memory and an input/output (I/O) interface. The computing system also contains a control means, connected to each of the M processors, for providing identical instructions to each of the M processors, and a host means, coupled to each of the control means within the N blocks of processors. The host means selectively organizes the control means of each of the N blocks of M processors into at least two groups of P blocks of M processors, P being an integer less than or equal to N. In operation, the host means causes the control means within each group of P blocks of M processors to provide each group of P blocks of M processors respectively different identical processor instructions. To facilitate communications amongst the processors, the parallel computing system includes an interprocessor communications channel that selectively interconnects the processors.

Inventors

  • 👤 Danny Chin
  • 👤 Joseph E. Peters, Jr.
  • 👤 Herbert H. Taylor, Jr.

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-06 12:05
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F15/00; G06F15/76; G06F15/80; G06F15/8007; G06F15/8015; G06F15/8023; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/30; G06F9/38; G06F9/3885; G06F9/3887; G06F9/38873

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 3
Claim 1
Independent Claim 135 words
A parallel computing system comprising: a plurality of processors, wherein each processor comprising: a source of a system clock signal, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), means for indicating local data conditions in the processor; a local memory, an input/output (I/0) interface, and a profiling counter having a counter value which is incremented in response to the system clock signal, when the profiling counter is enabled; control means, coupled to said plurality of processors, for providing identical processor instructions to each of the plurality of processors; and host means, coupled to said control means, for providing control instructions and processor instructions to the control means; wherein each of said processor instructions and each of said control instructions include a field which is used to selectively enable and disable the profiling counters in the plurality of processors.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 135 words
A parallel computing system comprising: a plurality of processors, wherein each processor comprising: a source of a system clock signal, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), means for indicating local data conditions in the processor; a local memory, an input/output (I/0) interface, and a profiling counter having a counter value which is incremented in response to the system clock signal, when the profiling counter is enabled; control means, coupled to said plurality of processors, for providing identical processor instructions to each of the plurality of processors; and host means, coupled to said control means, for providing control instructions and processor instructions to the control means; wherein each of said processor instructions and each of said control instructions include a field which is used to selectively enable and disable the profiling counters in the plurality of processors.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 119 words
The system of claim 1 wherein: the control means is responsive to a first control instruction to load a profiling counter of the control means with either an immediate count value or a count value obtained from a data register coupled to the control means, and to a second control instruction to store the count value into the data register; and each of said plurality of processors is responsive to a first processor instruction to load the profiling counter of the processor with either an immediate count value or a count value obtained from the local memory of each of said plurality of processors, and to a second processor instruction to store the count value into the local memory.

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1999-12-03 2000-06-03 2000-12-03 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2003-12-03 2004-06-03 2004-12-03 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2007-12-03 2008-06-03 2008-12-03 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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