Digital Equipment Corporation

Helen C McGreal

Michael J Seaman

Neal Andrew Crook

John M Lenthall

An access request prioritization and summary device for determining the current highest priority among n entities. The device includes a bitmap having n bit storage locations. Each one of the n bit storage locations corresponds to one of the entities and is used to store a value which represents when the corresponding entity is available for prioritization. A plurality of combinational logic blocks are connected to the bitmap so that each one of the combinational logic blocks receives a preselected portion of the values stored in the n bit storage locations of the bitmap. Each one of the combinational logic blocks has a token signal input and a token signal output. The token signal inputs and outputs are coupled together to form a series of token signal links between the combinational logic blocks. When certain preselected highest priority determination conditions occur within one of the combinational logic blocks, the combinational logic block generates a token signal which serves as the token signal to the respective succeeding combinational logic block. Each combinational logic block is capable of receiving a token signal from the previous combinational logic block and is responsive to the input of a token signal to determine a current highest priority from the values which it received as input signals.

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Galway, Ireland

Helen C McGreal