Abstract: A disposable cup includes a sidewall and a plurality of first, second, and third flaps arranged along a top end of the sidewall. The flaps are bendable along respective creases in the sidewall to a stacking configuration, an open configuration, and a closed configuration. In the stacking configuration, the first, second, and third flaps extend upward from and are aligned with the sidewall, which allows for multiple cups to be nested and stacked. In the open configuration, the first, second, and third flaps are downwardly bendable to respective positions along an exterior surface of the sidewall, which allows for full access to a liquid in the cup and drawing on the surface of the liquid contained within the cup in the form of latte art. In the closed configuration, the first, second and third flaps together define a concave cover to the cup and an elevated spout for drinking the liquid.

Abstract: A spill resistant disposable cup is comprised of a sheet of flexible material rolled into a cylindrical or frustoconical shape sealed at its edges and with a sealed bottom. The cup has at least three tabs that can be folded down in an overlapping manner to close the top of the cup. The tabs contain an interlocking mechanism to lock folded tabs in place. Two of the tabs are spaced apart to define a gap and a drinking opening when the tabs are folded down. The tabs can be shaped to form an internal sealing edge that provides resistance from leakage and spills if the cup is tipped when full.

Abstract: A method of retiring operations to a cache. Initially, a first operation is queued in a stack such as the store queue of a retire unit. The first operation is then copied, in a first transfer, to a latch referred to as the miss latch in response to a resource conflict that prevents the first operation from accessing the cache. The first operation is maintained in the stack for the duration of the resource conflict. When the resource conflict is resolved, the cache is accessed, in a first cache access, with the first operation from the stack. Preferably, the first operation is removed from the stack when the resource conflict is resolved and the first cache access is initiated. In the preferred embodiment, the first operation is maintained in the miss latch until the first cache access results in a cache hit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for increasing instruction level parallelism using a buffer pointer assignment scheme is implemented whereby rename buffers are assigned during dispatch even though the physical rename registers may not yet be available. These virtual rename buffers are assigned by a buffer pointer assignment table. A virtual bit implemented along with each of the physical rename registers is flipped when an instruction corresponding to the entry stored within a particular physical rename register is completed and the result written to the architected register. Thus, at dispatch time, rename registers are assigned as if there were more rename buffers than there existed physical rename registers.

Abstract: A deallocation pipelining circuit for use in a cache memory subsystem. The pipelining circuit is configured to initiate a storeback buffer (SBB) transfer of first line data stored in a first line of a cache memory array if the deallocation pipelining circuit detects a cache miss signal corresponding to the first line and identifies the first line data as modified data. The deallocation pipelining circuit is configured to issue a storeback request signal to a bus interface unit after the completion of the SBB transfer. The circuit initiates a bus interface unit transfer of the first line data after receiving a data acknowledge signal from the bus interface unit. The pipelining circuit is still further configured to deallocate the first line of the cache memory after receiving a request acknowledge signal from the bus interface unit.

Abstract: A cache has an array for holding data or instruction values, a buffer connected to the array, and means for accessing the buffer to retrieve a value for a processing unit. The accessing means uses wires having a pitch which is substantially equal to a wire pitch of the cache array. Multiplexers can be used with a plurality of such buffers to create a common output path. The cache can be interleaved, with the array being a first subarray, and the buffer being a first buffer, and further comprising a second subarray and a second buffer, wherein the first and second buffers separate the first and second subarrays. The invention can be applied to a store-back buffer as well as a reload buffer.

Abstract: An interleaved data cache array which is divided into two subarrays is provided for utilization within a data processing system. Each subarray includes a plurality of cache lines wherein each cache line includes a selected block of data, a parity field, a content addressable field containing a portion of an effective address (ECAM) for the selected block of data, a second content addressable field contains a real address (RCAM) for the selected block of data and a data status field. Separate effective address ports (EA) and a real address port (RA) permit parallel access to the cache without conflict in separate subarrays and a subarray arbitration logic circuit is provided for attempted simultaneous access of a single subarray by both the effective address port (EA) and the real address port (RA). A normal word line is provided and activated by either the effective address port or the real address port through the subarray arbitration.

Abstract: A computer processing unit is provided that includes an apparatus for generating an address of the next instruction to be completed. The apparatus includes a first table for storing a plurality of entries each corresponding to a dispatched instruction, each entry comprising an identifier that identifies the corresponding instruction and a status bit that indicates if the corresponding instruction is completed; a second table for storing a plurality of entries each corresponding to dispatched branch instructions, each entry comprising the same identifier stored in the first table, a target address of the dispatched branch instruction and a resolution status field that indicates at least if the corresponding branch instruction has been resolved taken or has been resolved not taken; program counter update logic that, in each machine cycle, updates a program counter to store and output the address of the next instruction to be completed according to the entries stored in the first table and the second table.

Abstract: In response to dispatching a condition register modifying instruction to an execution unit, a condition register rename buffer is associated with such a condition register modifying instruction. The instruction is then executed in the execution unit. Following the execution of the condition register modifying instruction, condition register data is set in the condition register rename buffer to reflect the result of such instruction execution. Additionally, an indicator is set to indicate the condition register data is valid. At the time for completing the condition register modifying instruction, the condition register data is transferred from the condition register rename buffer to the architected condition register, thereby permitting condition register modifying instructions to be dispatched, executed, and finished before the condition register is available to complete each condition register modifying instruction.

Abstract: In response to reloading an instruction from main memory for storing in an instruction cache in a superscalar data processing system, a particular instruction category in which the instruction belongs is selected from multiple instruction categories. Types of data processing system resources required for instruction execution and a quantity of each type of resource required are determined. Thereafter, a plurality of decode bits are calculated, wherein the decode bits represent a particular instruction category in which the instruction belongs and the type and quantity of each data processing system resource required for execution of the instruction. Thereafter, the instruction and the predecode bits are stored in instruction cache.

Abstract: Logic circuitry provides a fast resolution of conditional branch instructions in a high-performance superscalar processor. The logic circuitry facilities early (fast) resolution of a subset of conditional branches located within the first position of the primary instruction buffer within the processor enabling the overall branch processing logic to bypass history table-based prediction logic for such branches without crossing the cycle boundary. Thus, penalties associated with possible mispredictions for this subset of conditional branches are avoided.

Abstract: A fast adder/subtracter using a decoder and shifting function instead of conventional full-adders is disclosed. The circuit is optimized for the addition of multiple operands up to 4-5 binary bits in magnitude. Using this method a subtraction operation can be performed at no added cost with respect to addition (compared to the conventional method requiring complementing one of the operands). Addition and subtraction of multiple operands is implemented by simple multiple shift operations. The multiple shift operations can be implemented as a chain of series NMOS pulldown devices with a precharged load providing considerable speed advantage over conventional solutions. Fast overflow detection may be implemented by or-ing the higher order bits in the shifter.