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Processor upgrade system for a personal computer

  • US 5,848,250 A
  • Filed: 06/06/1995
  • Issued: 12/08/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1993
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An upgradable computer system, comprising:

  • a motherboard having a first central processing unit (CPU) and a clock oscillator having a predetermined first frequency for providing said CPU with a timing signal;

    a CPU expansion socket, said CPU socket electrically connected and mounted on said motherboard, said CPU expansion socket adapted to receive an upgrade CPU on said motherboard to upgrade the computer system, said upgrade CPU selected from a predetermined group of CPUs of different predetermined types, said predetermined types including CPUs from predetermined different families, wherein one of said predetermined types and families includes one or more predetermined signals disposed at different predetermined pin locations relative to another one of said different predetermined types;

    means carried by said motherboard for automatically sensing the presence of a CPU in said expansion socket;

    means carried by said motherboard for automatically determining the type and family of said upgrade CPU installed in said expansion socket;

    means carried by said motherboard for automatically disabling said first CPU in the event that said sensing means detects the presence of said upgrade CPU in said expansion socket, said disabling means including means for preventing said clock oscillator timing signals from driving said first CPU and automatically enabling said upgrade CPU and storing in memory the type and family of said upgrade CPU present in the computer system;

    means carried by said motherboard for automatically rerouting said predetermined signals to predetermined pin locations on said CPU expansion socket depending on the type of upgrade CPU installed in said expansion socket; and

    means carried by said motherboard for initializing hardware in the computer system for specifically functioning in accordance with the type and family of said second CPU installed in the computer system.

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