EP0303288A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Peripheral repeater box
Assignee: Digital Equipment Corp
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Filing: 1988-08-12
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2008-08-12
Abstract
Abstract In a system which includes a data transmitting device, a repeater, and a data receiving device, the repeater accumulating input data in packets from the transmitting device and retransmitting it to the receiving device, a memory structure for the data which includes a data buffer a receive queue having a plurality entries, each entry capable of storing the starting address of a packet in the data buffer in order of receipt, and a transmit queue for storing the starting addresses of packets for transmitting to said receiving device is provided in the repeater. In operation, only addresses are transferred from receive queue to transmit queue with the data remaining in the buffer. Preferably the buffer and queues are circular.
Inventors
- 👤 Bruce Eric Newman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 10:06
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F5/00; G06F5/06; G06F5/065
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
109 words
In a system which includes a data transmitting device; a repeater; and a data receiving device, the repeater accumulating input data in packets from said transmitting device and retransmitting said packets to said receiving device, a memory structure for storing said data in said repeater comprising: (a) a data buffer; (b) a receive queue having a plurality entries, each entry capable of storing the starting address of packets in said data buffer received from said transmitting device; (c) a transmit queue for storing the starting addresses of packets for transmitting to said receiving device; and (d) means to transfer said addresses from said receive queue to said transmit queue.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
109 words
In a system which includes a data transmitting device; a repeater; and a data receiving device, the repeater accumulating input data in packets from said transmitting device and retransmitting said packets to said receiving device, a memory structure for storing said data in said repeater comprising: (a) a data buffer; (b) a receive queue having a plurality entries, each entry capable of storing the starting address of packets in said data buffer received from said transmitting device; (c) a transmit queue for storing the starting addresses of packets for transmitting to said receiving device; and (d) means to transfer said addresses from said receive queue to said transmit queue.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
A system according to claim 1 wherein in each of said buffer and said queues is circular.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
124 words
A system according to claim 2 wherein each queue entry had an address with an upper part and a lower part and the number of entries in said queue part changes from a maximum value to zero when an increment is added to the last entry of said queue to generate a carry and wherein said system includes pointers for pointing to addresses in said queues and further including means for generating said pointers comprising a first register for storing said upper address and a second register for storing a lower address, the carry from said second register not coupled to said first register whereby when said maximum value is exceeded the address will go back to its beginning value in a circular manner.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
86 words
A system according to claim 3 comprising a plurality of transmitting devices, a buffer and a receive queue associated with each of said transmitting devices, said means to transfer transferring addresses from each of said receive queues to said transmit queue when data is received and further comprising means for establishing a base receive queue address and means for adding to said base receive queue address a number associated with each transmitting device to define the upper address of the receive queue for that transmitting device.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
A system according to claim 4 and further including means for sensing receipt of data from any of said transmitting devices, said means including a register for storing the number of the transmitting device from which said data is coming.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
53 words
A system according to claim 5 wherein said data receiving device includes means to transmit data to said transmitting devices through said repeater and said transmitting devices include means for receiving data and further including a receive queue associated with receiving device and a transmit queue associated with each of said transmitting devices.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
A system according to claim 6 wherein said receiving device comprises a host and said transmitting devices comprise peripherals providing data input to said host.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
A system according to claim 7 wherein said repeater includes receiver/transmitters for each of said peripherals and said host.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system according to claim 8 wherein said repeater includes a processor and said means for sensing include means to generate an interrupt to said processor.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
63 words
A system according to claim 7 wherein said queue addresses include a front pointer address indicating the first entry and a rear pointer indicating the next free space for an entry, and means for incrementing said rear pointer each time a new entry is made and for incrementing said front pointer each time a buffer address is transferred from one queue to another.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
69 words
A system according to claim 10 and further including a table having a receive entry for each of said buffers and a transmit entry for each of said buffers, the receive entry storing the address of the next free location in said buffer into which received data can be stored and the transmit entry storing the address of the next byte of data from said buffer to be transmitted.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
105 words
In a system which includes a data transmitting device; a repeater; and a data receiving device, a method of communicating between the data transmitting device and the data receiving device comprising: (a) accumulating input data from said transmitting device at said repeater in a data buffer; (b) entering into a receive queue having a plurality entries, the starting addresses of said packets in said data buffer received from said transmitting device; (c) transferring said addresses from said receive queue to a transmit queue for storing the starting addresses of packets for transmitting to said receiving device; and (d) retransmitting said packets to said receiving device.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
105 words
In a system which includes a data transmitting device; a repeater; and a data receiving device, a method of communicating between the data transmitting device and the data receiving device comprising: (a) accumulating input data from said transmitting device at said repeater in a data buffer; (b) entering into a receive queue having a plurality entries, the starting addresses of said packets in said data buffer received from said transmitting device; (c) transferring said addresses from said receive queue to a transmit queue for storing the starting addresses of packets for transmitting to said receiving device; and (d) retransmitting said packets to said receiving device.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method according to claim 12 wherein in each of said buffer and said queue is circular.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
120 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein each queue entry had an address with an upper part and a lower part and the number of entries in said queue part changes from a maximum value to zero when an increment is added to the last entry of said queue to generate a carry and wherein pointers for pointing to addresses in said queues are provided and further including generating said points by storing said upper address in a first register, storing said lower address in a second register, the carry from said second register not coupled to said first register whereby when said maximum value is exceeded the address will go back to its beginning value in a circular manner.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
80 words
The method according to claim 14 wherein a plurality of transmitting devices are provided and further including associating a buffer and a receive queue with each of said transmitting devices; transferring addresses from each of said receive queues to said transmit queue when data is received; establishing a base receive queue address and adding to said base receive queue address a number associated with each transmitting device to define the upper address of the receive queue for that transmitting device.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method according to claim 15 further including sensing receipt of data from any of said transmitting devices and storing the number of the transmitting device from which said data is coming.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method according to claim 16 wherein said data receiving device includes means to transmit data to said transmitting devices through said repeater and said transmitting devices include means for receiving data and further including associating a receive queue with said receiving device and a transmit queue with each of said transmitting devices.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 17 wherein said receiving device comprises a host and said transmitting devices comprise peripherals providing data input to said host.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method according to claim 18 wherein said repeater includes a processor and further including generating an interrupt to said processor when sensing receipt of data.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method according to claim 17 wherein said queue addresses include a front pointer address indicating the first entry and a rear pointer address indicating the next free space for an entry, and further including incrementing said rear pointer each time a new entry is made and incrementing said front pointer each time a buffer address is transferred from one queue to another.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
70 words
The method according to claim 20 and further including storing in a table a receive entry for each of said buffers and a transmit entry for each of said buffers, the receive entry storing the address of the next free location in said buffer into which received data can be stored and the transmit entry storing the address of the next byte of data from said buffer to be transmitted.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
204 words
A method of operating a memory device having a finite total amount of physical memory space in connection with at least one operating device and a central processing unit comprising the steps of: (a) allocating a preselected amount of said finite total amount of physical memory space, with a beginning and an end, for said at least one operating device; (b) selectively transmitting data from said at least one operating device to said central processing unit; (c) operating said central processing unit to transfer said transmitted data from said at least one operating device to within said preselected amount of physical memory space allocated for said at least one operating device until said central processing unit reaches the end of said preselected amount of physical memory space; (d) upon reaching the end of said preselected amount of physical memory space, further operating said central processing unit to continue to transfer said transmitted data, by transferring said transmitted data to the beginning of said preselected amount of physical memory space without interrupting transfer of said transmitted data, whereby causing said preselected amount of physical memory space end to be connected to the beginning thereby causing said preselected amount of physical memory space to paibe circular.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
204 words
A method of operating a memory device having a finite total amount of physical memory space in connection with at least one operating device and a central processing unit comprising the steps of: (a) allocating a preselected amount of said finite total amount of physical memory space, with a beginning and an end, for said at least one operating device; (b) selectively transmitting data from said at least one operating device to said central processing unit; (c) operating said central processing unit to transfer said transmitted data from said at least one operating device to within said preselected amount of physical memory space allocated for said at least one operating device until said central processing unit reaches the end of said preselected amount of physical memory space; (d) upon reaching the end of said preselected amount of physical memory space, further operating said central processing unit to continue to transfer said transmitted data, by transferring said transmitted data to the beginning of said preselected amount of physical memory space without interrupting transfer of said transmitted data, whereby causing said preselected amount of physical memory space end to be connected to the beginning thereby causing said preselected amount of physical memory space to paibe circular.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
111 words
The method according to claim 22, comprising the further steps of: (a) providing at least one output device; (b) operating said central processing unit to transfer said transmitted data from within said preselected amount of physical memory space to said at least one output device until said central processing unit reaches the end of said preselected amount of physical memory space; and (c) upon reaching the end of said preselected amount of physical memory space, further operating said central processing unit to continue to transfer said transmitted data, by transferring said transmitted data from the beginning of said preselected amount of physical memory space without interrupting transfer of said transmitted data.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
23 words
The method according to either of claims 22 or 23 wherein said at least one operating device comprises at least one peripheral device.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method according to claim 23 wherein said at least one output device comprises a second central processing unit.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
72 words
The method according to claim 23, comprising the further steps of: (a) providing a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter; (b) operating said universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter to receive transmitted data from said at least one operating device; (c) upon receiving said transmitted data, operating said universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter to interrupt said central processing unit; (d) upon interruption of said central processing unit, operating said central processing unit in accordance with step (c) of claim 1.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method according to claim 26, comprising the further steps of: (a) operating said central processing unit to transfer said transmitted data from within said preselected amount of physical memory to said universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter; (b) operating said universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter to transfer said transmitted data to said at least one output device.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method according to claim 25 wherein said second central processing unit is operatively associated with a computer graphics system.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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