Patent ID: 7376813

Claim:
A data processing apparatus comprising: a data register file including a plurality of data registers for storing data, said plurality of data registers of said data register file denominated by register number; an execution unit having an input connected to said data register file, a multiplexer having a plurality of inputs receiving data from bits of corresponding equally sized sections of contiguous bits of said input of said input of said execution unit, an output and a select input, said multiplexer coupling data from a selected one of said plurality of inputs corresponding to said select input to said output, and an output having a contiguous section of least significant bits connected to said output of said multiplexer; and an instruction decode unit responsive to received instructions including at least one section select register move instruction, each section select register move instruction including a first source register field, a second source register field, a destination register field and each section select register move instruction having a selected one of an immediate constant form and a register form, said instruction decode unit responsive to a received section select register move instruction to supply data from a first one of said plurality of data registers denominated by a register number of said first source register field to said input of said execution unit, supply a predetermined set of bits of said second source register field to said select input of said multiplexer if said section select register move instruction has said immediate form, supply a predetermined set of bits of one of said plurality of data registers denominated by a register number of said second source register field to said select input of said multiplexer if said section select register move instruction has said register form, and store data at said output of said execution unit in a third one of said plurality of data registers denominated by a register number of said destination register field.