Accessory based resource offset mechanism for a PCI bus in a printer
First Claim
1. A computing device, comprising:
- (a) a processor;
(b) an accessory device removably coupled to the computing device, the accessory having memory thereon and resources defined in the memory that are shareable with the computing device; and
,(c) executable instructions stored in a memory of the computing device for execution by the processor, and wherein in response to execution of the instructions the processor communicates with the accessory via the accessory resources without prior knowledge of the address arrangement of the accessory resources in the accessory memory, the communication occurring by referencing at least two offset values in the accessory memory for identifying each resource.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A peripheral device (such as a printer) locates shareable resources on an accessory by using an offset mechanism on the accessory. The offset mechanism includes one or more offset values stored in a first memory location on the accessory. The one or more offset values are indicative of offsets of one or more resources within the accessory memory. The one or more accessory resources are shareable with the peripheral device. A further offset value is stored in a second memory location on the accessory. The further offset value is indicative of an offset for determining the first memory location on the accessory. Additionally, a base address is stored in yet another memory location on the accessory and provides a general reference point for locating the first memory and accessory resources as mapped into the peripheral'"'"'s memory. In a preferred embodiment, the offset mechanism of the present invention is implemented as an enhanced feature of the PCI Local Bus Specification. For example, the first memory location is disposed in the PCI defined Memory Address Space of the accessory, and the second memory location and base address are both disposed in the PCI defined Configuration Address Space of the accessory. Advantageously, the present invention enables a peripheral device to locate resources on an accessory without knowing in advance where the resources are located on the accessory.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A computing device, comprising:
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(a) a processor; (b) an accessory device removably coupled to the computing device, the accessory having memory thereon and resources defined in the memory that are shareable with the computing device; and
,(c) executable instructions stored in a memory of the computing device for execution by the processor, and wherein in response to execution of the instructions the processor communicates with the accessory via the accessory resources without prior knowledge of the address arrangement of the accessory resources in the accessory memory, the communication occurring by referencing at least two offset values in the accessory memory for identifying each resource. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An accessory, comprising:
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(a) a connection for removably coupling the accessory to a computing device; (b) a memory; (c) a base address stored in a first register in the memory, the base address being indicative of a base reference location for identifying resources in the memory; (d) a first offset value stored in a second register in the memory, the first offset value being indicative of an offset relative to the base address for a third register within the accessory memory; and
,(e) one or more second offset values stored in the third register, the one or more second offset values being indicative of offsets relative to the base address for one or more of the resources, and wherein the one or more resources are shareable with the computing device; and
,wherein upon connection with the computing device the resources are made available to the computing device without the computing device having prior knowledge of the address arrangement of the resources in the accessory memory, the resources made available by means of the computing device referencing the base address, the first offset value, and the one or more second offset values. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of establishing communication between a computing device and an accessory, comprising:
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(a) removably coupling the accessory to the computing device, the accessory having memory thereon and resources defined in the memory that are shareable with the computing device; and
,(b) executing instructions stored in a memory of the computing device to reference at least two offset values stored in the accessory memory for identifying a location of each of the shareable resources, wherein the computing device communicates with the accessory via the shareable resources without prior knowledge of the address arrangement of the shareable resources in the accessory memory. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions configured to reference at least two offset values stored in a memory of an accessory for identifying a location of a shareable resource in the memory without prior knowledge of an address of the shareable resource in the memory, the instructions further configured to enable a computing device to communicate with the accessory via the shareable resource.
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21. A method of communicating between a computing device and an accessory, comprising, executing instructions to reference at least two offset values stored in a memory of the accessory for identifying a location of a shareable resource in the accessory memory without prior knowledge of the address of the shareable resource in the accessory memory, wherein the computing device is enabled to communicate with the accessory via the shareable resource.
Specification