Patents by Inventor Robert D. Nuckolls

Robert D. Nuckolls has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Branch prediction structure with branch direction entries that share branch prediction qualifier entries
    Patent number: 7380110
    Abstract: An efficient branch prediction structure is described that bifurcates a branch prediction structure into at least two portions where information stored in the second portion is aliased amongst multiple entries of the first portion. In this way, overall storage (and layout area) can be reduced and scaling with a branch prediction structure that includes a (2N)K×1 branch direction entries and a (N/2)K×1 branch prediction qualifier entries is less dramatic than conventional techniques. An efficient branch prediction structure includes entries for branch direction indications and entries for branch prediction qualifier indications. The branch direction indication entries are more numerous than the branch prediction qualifier entries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert D. Nuckolls, Rabin A. Sugumar, Chandra M. R. Thimmannagari