Douglas A Wells

US Patent:

44930275, Jan 8, 1985

Filed:

May 22, 1981

Appl. No.:

6/266526

Inventors:

Lawrence H. Katz - Oregon City OR
Douglas M. Wells - Chapel Hill NC
Michael S. Richmond - Pittsboro NC
Richard A. Belgard - Saratoga CA
Walter A. Wallach - Raleigh NC
David H. Bernstein - Ashland MA
John K. Ahlstrom - Mountain View CA
John F. Pilat - Raleigh NC
David A. Farber - Durham NC
Richard G. Bratt - Wayland MA

Assignee:

Data General Corporation - Westboro MA

International Classification:

G06F 300
G06F 922
G06F 936
G06F 946

US Classification:

364200

Abstract:

A method for executing call and return instructions in a digital computer system operating under control of microcode. The microcode may specify calls to and returns from sequences of microinstructions. A call microinstruction sequence corresponds to the call instruction. The call microcode in turn calls other microinstruction sequences for deriving pointers representing the location of the called procedure and of arguments from operands in the call instruction. As the call microcode obtains each argument pointer, it places the pointer on the stack. After it has obtained all of the argument pointers, it passes the pointer to the called procedure and a pointer to the argument pointers to a general call microinstruction sequence. That microinstruction sequence locates the called procedure, makes a new frame including the argument pointers, and saves the state necessary to resume execution of the call microinstruction sequence itself. It then obtains the state necessary to commence execution of the called procedure and causes execution of that procedure to commence.

US Patent:

45546266, Nov 19, 1985

Filed:

Aug 20, 1984

Appl. No.:

6/642732

Inventors:

Lawrence H. Katz - Oregon City OR
Douglas M. Wells - Chapel Hill NC
Richard G. Bratt - Wayland MA

Assignee:

Data General Corporation - Westboro MA

International Classification:

G05F 900

US Classification:

364200

Abstract:

A digital data processing system using process synchronization techniques which comprise processing await logic for suspending the execution of a program controlled by a process, virtual processor await logic for performing an await operation at the virtual processor level and for temporarily inhibiting the loading of state items for the execution of the program, virtual processor advance logic for performing an advance operation at the virtual processor level to cease the inhibition of the loading of such state items, and process advance logic for causing the processor of the system to resume execution of the suspended program which is under control of the process.

US Patent:

46334068, Dec 30, 1986

Filed:

Aug 20, 1984

Appl. No.:

6/642731

Inventors:

Lawrence H. Katz - Oregon City OR
Douglas M. Wells - Chapel Hill NC
Richard G. Bratt - Wayland MA

Assignee:

Data General Corporation - Westboro MA

International Classification:

G06F 944

US Classification:

364200

Abstract:

A data processing system having a flexible internal structure, protected from and effectively invisible to users, with multilevel control and stack mechanism and capability of performing multiple, concurrent operations, and providing a flexible, simplified interface to users. The system is internally comprised of a plurality of separate, independent processors, each having a separate microinstruction control and at least one separate, independent port to a central communications and memory node. The communications and memory node is an independent processor having separate, independent microinstruction control and comprised of a plurality of independently operating, microinstruction controlled processors capable of performing multiple, concurrent memory and communications operations. Addressing mechanisms allow permanent, unique identification of information and an extremely large address space accessible and common to all such systems. Addresses are independent of system physical configuration.