The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 11, 2005
Filed:
Feb. 21, 2002
John Alan Miller, Portland, OR (US);
Michael J. St. Clair, Portland, OR (US);
John Alan Miller, Portland, OR (US);
Michael J. St. Clair, Portland, OR (US);
Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
An instruction pipeline in a microprocessor includes one or more of the pipelines maintaining a return buffer. Upon detecting a call instruction, a pipeline will push the return address onto its return buffer. The pipeline will then determine if the call instruction was detected by a second pipeline and will send the return address to the second pipeline if the call was not detected by the second pipeline. Upon detecting a return instruction, the pipeline will pop the return address at the top of its return buffer. The return address may then be used in the instruction pipeline. The pipeline will send a request to a third pipeline to fill its return buffer with entries from the third pipeline's return buffer. The pipeline will determine if the return instruction was detected by a second pipeline and will send the return address at the top of its return buffer to the second pipeline if the return was not detected by the second pipeline.