Patent ID: 6457174
Filing Date: 2002-09-24
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A program linking apparatus for linking and executing one program with another program using a microprocessor, the program linking apparatus comprising:a first read only semiconductor memory having a first storage area which stores a first program, the first storage area being located in a storage space within the program linking apparatus, the storage space being represented by an absolute address system, wherein the first program includes an executable instruction and a data set associated with the executable instruction, the data set consisting of an instruction identifier which identifies the executable instruction and an instruction address which shows a location of the executable instruction in the first program, the instruction address being an offset address showing a location of the executable instruction relative to a beginning location of the first program; a second read only semiconductor memory having a second storage area which stores a second program, the second storage area being located in the storage space so as not to overlap the first storage area, wherein the second program includes a call instruction which calls the executable instruction, the call instruction including an instruction identifier that identifies the executable instruction; absolute address obtaining means for storing beginning location information that shows an absolute address of the beginning location of the first program in the storage space, and for having the microprocessor (a) obtain the instruction identifier which is included in the call instruction in the second program, (b) obtain the data set in the first program that includes the same instruction identifier as the obtained instruction identifier, and (c) obtain an instruction location address that shows a location of the executable instruction in the storage space, using the instruction address included in the obtained data set and the beginning location information; and executing means for having the microprocessor execute the executable instruction stored in the location shown by the obtained instruction location address, to execute the executable instruction called by the call instruction.