System for transmission and recovery of digital data using video graphics display processor and method of operation thereof

• US 6,040,843 A
• Filed: 10/29/1998
• Issued: 03/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SPARTA, Inc. (New Port Group Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SPARTA, Inc. (New Port Group Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, John J., Kenyon, Stephen C., Anderson, Michael E., Monroe, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US09/181,850
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 345/507, 345/508, 345/203, 345/501, 345/526
• US Class Current: 345/530
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques

Abstract

A system (30) for outputting digital data stored in a memory of a computer (12) in accordance with the invention includes a graphics display processor (20), coupled to the memory, for processing the digital data stored in the memory to produce at least one serial data stream including clock information, which is a function of a clock signal representative of a rate at which the at least one display formatted serial data stream is outputted, and display information for use in controlling a video monitor; a video channel (24), coupled to the display processor, for outputting the at least one serial data stream produced by the graphics display processor; a data processing memory (52); and a data processing system (40, 44 and 50) for processing the at least one serial data stream in response to the clock information and for removing at least the display information and controlling storing of the at least one of the at least one serial data stream with the display information removed which contains the digital data read from the memory of the computer system.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a computer system memory which stores digital data;

a video monitor which displays information;

a graphics display processor, coupled to the computer system memory, which processes the digital data stored in the computer system memory to produce at least one data stream including the digital data and which outputs information to be displayed by the video monitor;

a video channel, coupling the video monitor to the graphics display processor, which outputs the information to be displayed to the video monitor and which outputs the at least one data stream including the digital data; and

a system, coupled to the video channel, which processes the at least one data stream including the digital data outputted from the video channel.

2. A computer system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

one of the at least one data stream contains a clock signal and display information and another of the at least one data stream contains the digital data and the display information; and

the system processes the at least one data stream in response to the clock information, removes at least the display information and controls storing of the at least one of the at least one data stream with the display information removed in another memory of the system coupled to the video channel.

3. A computer system in accordance with claim 1 herein:

one of the at least one data stream includes the digital data with at least a portion of the one of the at least one data stream being encoded with self-clocking information which permits the clock signal representative of a rate at which the one of the at least one data stream is outputted by the video channel to be derived from processing the portion of the one of the at least one data stream outputted from the video channel by the system coupled to the video channel.

4. A computer system in accordance with claim 1 therein:

the system coupling the video channel to the graphics display processor comprises a removable memory used for backup of the computer system memory.

5. A computer system in accordance with claim 2 wherein:

the system coupling the video channel to the graphics display processor comprises a removable memory used for backup of the computer system memory.

6. A computer system in accordance with claim 3 wherein:

the system coupling the video channel to the graphics display processor comprises a removable memory used for backup of the computer system memory.

7. A computer system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.

8. A computer system in accordance with claim 2 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.

9. A computer system in accordance with claim 3 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.

10. A computer system in accordance with claim 4 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.

11. A computer system in accordance with claim 5 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.

12. A computer system in accordance with claim 6 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.

13. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the system is removable from the computing system without altering the operation of the computing system.

14. A system in accordance with claim 2 wherein:

the system is removable from the computing system without altering the operation of the computing system.

15. A system in accordance with claim 3 wherein:

the system is removable from the computing system without altering the operation of the computing system.

16. In a computer system including a computer system memory which stores digital data, a video monitor which displays information, a graphics display processor, coupled to the computer system memory, which processes the digital data stored in the computer system memory to produce at least one data stream including the digital data and which outputs information to be displayed by the video monitor, a video channel, coupling the video monitor to the graphics display processor, which outputs the information to be displayed to the video monitor and which outputs the at least one data stream including the digital data, and a system, coupled to the video channel, which processes the at least one data stream including the digital data, a method comprising:

outputting digital data stored in the computer system memory to the graphics display processor;

processing the outputted digital data with the graphics display processor to produce at least one data stream containing the digital data; and

outputting the at least one data stream from the video channel to the system.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein:

one of the at least one data stream contains a clock signal and display information and another of the at least one data stream contains the digital data and the display information; and

the system processes the at least one data stream in response to the clock information, removes at least the display information and controls storing of the at least one of the at least one data stream with the display information removed in another memory of the system coupled to the video channel.

18. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein:

one of the at least one data stream includes the digital data with at least a portion of the one of the at least one data stream being encoded with self-clocking information which permits the clock signal representative of a rate at which the one of the at least one data stream is outputted by the video channel to be derived from processing the portion of the one of the at least one data stream outputted from the video channel by the system coupled to the video channel.

19. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein:

the system coupling the video channel to the graphics display processor comprises a removable memory used for backup of the computer system memory.

20. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein:

the system coupling the video channel to the graphics display processor comprises a removable memory used for backup of the computer system memory.

21. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein:

the system coupling the video channel to the graphics display processor comprises a removable memory used for backup of the computer system memory.

22. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.

23. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.

24. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.

25. A method in accordance with claim 19 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.

26. A method in accordance with claim 20 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.

27. A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein:

the at least one data stream is a serial data stream.