×

Telecommunications interface for unified handling of varied analog-derived and digital data streams

  • US 5,515,373 A
  • Filed: 01/11/1994
  • Issued: 05/07/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
Patent Images

1. In a computer having a data processor, a data communications port and an instruction memory, a general-purpose data communications method for communicating between said computer and a portable data communications device connected to said computer by a point-to-point computer cable, said method comprising the steps of:

  • determining from a data communications device a desired data communications mode from among a first data communications mode, well-suited to at least analog-derived data, in which data to be communicated is inserted into recurring time slots, and a second data communications mode, well-suited to at least asynchronous digital data, in which data to be communicated is assembled into data packets;

    sending a signal from the data communications port to the data communications device to cause the data communications device to send data identifying itself;

    receiving in accordance with a predetermined data transmission convention data from the data communications device identifying the data communications device as being of one of a number of first predetermined types of data communications devices;

    when the desired data communications mode is the second data communications mode, sending data to the data communications device identifying one or more of;

    a maximum data speed supported by the computer, a maximum data frame size that the computer will receive from the data communications device, and a maximum data frame size that the computer will send to the data communications device; and

    when the desired data communications mode is the second data communications mode, receiving in response to the data sent to the data communications device data from the data communications device identifying one or more of;

    a maximum data speed supported by the data communications device, a maximum data frame size that the data communications device will receive from the computer, and a maximum data frame size that the data communications device will send to the computer;

    wherein the second data communications mode includes a polled receive mode in which a data exchange is preceded by exchange of a poll frame in one direction between the computer and the data communications device and an acknowledgment frame in an opposite direction between the computer and the data communications device, and a direct memory access receive mode in which data packets are allowed to be sent without notification, and wherein the data sent to the data communications device identifies a receive mode of the computer and an expected receive mode of the data communications device.

View all claims
  • 2 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×