Universal connector device for bus networks in host computer/co-processor computer system

Claim 1

A connector device for use in communication of data between the central processing unit (CPU) bus of a host computer system which bus consists of a plurality of continuous electrical conductors and the CPU bus of a first or a second co-processor computer system which bus consists of a plurality of continuous electrical conductors, between the CPU bus of the host computer system and one or more expansion cards used with the host computer system, and between the CPU bus of the first or second co-processor computer system and one or more expansion cards used with the first or second co-processor computer system using a bridge card having a host computer system CPU bus connector and a co-processor computer system CPU bus connector, the connector device comprising: a plurality of host computer system expansion slots electrically coupled to the continuous electrical conductors of the CPU bus of the host computer system, each of the host computer system expansion slots extending along a first direction and being spaced from each other along a second direction; a first plurality of co-processor computer system expansion slots electrically coupled to the continuous electrical conductors of the CPU bus of the first co-processor computer system, each of the first plurality of co-processor computer system expansion slots extending along the first direction and being spaced from each other along the second direction, wherein the plurality of host computer system expansion slots and the first plurality of co-processor computer system expansion slots are spaced from each other in the first direction and partially offset from each other in the second direction to form an in-line pair in the first direction from at least one of the plurality of host computer system expansion slots and at least one of the first plurality of co-processor computer system expansion slots to accept simultaneously (1) the host computer system CPU bus connector and the co-processor computer system CPU bus connector of the bridge card in the in-line pair, (2) a host computer system expansion card in a host computer system expansion slot, and (3) a co-processor computer system expansion card in a co-processor computer system expansion slot; and a second plurality of co-processor computer system expansion slots spaced from the first plurality of co-processor computer system expansion slots and electrically coupled to continuous electrical conductors of a CPU bus of the second co-processor computer system when used with the first plurality of co-processor computer system expansion slots wherein at least one of the plurality of host computer system expansion slots, at least one of the first plurality of co-processor computer system expansion slots, and at least one of the second plurality of co-processor computer system expansion slots form an in-line configuration in the first direction.