Patent US6006028A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6006028A
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Test program generator
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1994-05-17
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Granted: 1999-12-21
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Expires: 2014-05-17
Abstract
Abstract An architecture-independent test program generator for producing test programs for checking the operation of a hardware processor design comprises means for storing data representing the processor instruction set and resources, and logic for generating, for subsequent storage or processing, test programs from said stored data, characterized in that the data is a separate declarative specification, the generator comprising logic for extracting said data from the storage means, and in that the relationships between the processor resources and semantic entities associated with each instruction are modelled in said declarative specification.
Inventors
- 👤 Aharon Aharon
- 👤 Yossi Malka
- 👤 Yossi Lichtenstein
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 02:41
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/36; G06F11/3668; G06F11/3672; G06F11/3684; G06F8/00; G06F8/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
102 words
A test program generator for producing test programs for checking the operation of a hardware processor design, said test program generator comprising: storing means for storing data representing a processor instruction set and resources, said stored data being represented as a separate declarative specification, said separate declarative specification being a representation of relationships between semantic entities associated with each instruction and between said semantic entities and said processor resources; extracting means for extracting said data from said storage means and for transforming said data into internal data structures; and test program generating means for generating test programs from said internal data structures.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
102 words
A test program generator for producing test programs for checking the operation of a hardware processor design, said test program generator comprising: storing means for storing data representing a processor instruction set and resources, said stored data being represented as a separate declarative specification, said separate declarative specification being a representation of relationships between semantic entities associated with each instruction and between said semantic entities and said processor resources; extracting means for extracting said data from said storage means and for transforming said data into internal data structures; and test program generating means for generating test programs from said internal data structures.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
48 words
The test program generator of claim 1 wherein said separate declarative specification is further organized into a tree structure, a first level of said tree structure comprising syntax describing an instruction and a last level of said tree structure comprising possible values and relations between said semantic entities.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
49 words
The test program generator of claim 2 wherein said generating means further comprises means for generating instances of said instruction and means for traversing said tree structure in a depth first order and generating an instance of each semantic entity in accordance with choices made at previous traversal steps.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
The test program generator of claim 1 wherein testing knowledge relevant to generation of useful test pro(grams is modelled in said stored data.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The test program generator of claim 2 wherein generation functions are incorporated into said separate declarative specification, said generation functions comprising testing knowledge that is relevant to generation of useful test programs.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
The test program generator of claim 5 wherein said generation functions are tailorable by a user so that desired types of test cases can be generated.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
The test program generator of claim 5 comprising means for testing generated semantic entity instances in accordance with validation criteria, said generation of said semantic entity instances being repeated if a generated instance does not satisfy said validation criteria.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
39 words
The test program generator of claim 6 comprising means for testing generated semantic entity instances in accordance with validation criteria, said generation of said semantic entity instances being repeated if a generated instance does not satisfy said validation criteria.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
The test program generator of claim 7 wherein said validation criteria are tailorable by said user to prevent undesired types of test cases from being generated.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
The test program generator of claim 1 wherein said separate declarative specification is in a database external to said generating means.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
68 words
A method for creating test programs for checking the operation of a hardware processor design, said method comprising the steps of: storing data representing a processor instruction set and resources in a separate declarative specification, said declarative specification containing relationships between semantic entities associated with each instruction and between said semantic entities and processor resources; extracting said data from storage; and generating test programs from said extracted data.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
68 words
A method for creating test programs for checking the operation of a hardware processor design, said method comprising the steps of: storing data representing a processor instruction set and resources in a separate declarative specification, said declarative specification containing relationships between semantic entities associated with each instruction and between said semantic entities and processor resources; extracting said data from storage; and generating test programs from said extracted data.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said separate declarative specification is organized in a tree structure, a first level of said tree structure comprising syntax of a instruction and a last level of said tree structure comprising possible values and relations between semantic entities.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 12 wherein said generation step further comprises the steps of: generating instances of said instruction; traversing said tree structure in a depth first order; and generating an instance of each semantic entity according to choices made at previous traversal steps.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 13 wherein said storing step further comprises the step of storing generation functions.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 14 and wherein said generating an instance step is performed under control of said generation functions, said generation functions being such that desired types of test cases are generated.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
EP0413133A2
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-12-20 | 2003-06-21 | 2003-12-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-12-20 | 2007-06-21 | 2007-12-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-12-20 | 2011-06-21 | 2011-12-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |