Unique serial protocol minicking parallel bus

• US 6,715,022 B1
• Filed: 05/20/2000
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shamrock Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: Mobility Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Ahern, Frank W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Sumati
• Application Number:
  US09/819,054
• Time in Patent Office: 1,410 Days
• Field of Search: 710/305-315
• US Class Current: 710/314
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4045 where the bus bridge performs an extender function

Abstract

A bridge accessible by a host processor can expand access over a first bus to a second bus. The first bus and the second bus are each adapted to separately connect to respective ones of a plurality of bus-compatible devices. Allowable ones of the devices include memory devices and input/output devices. The bridge has a link, together with a first and a second interface. The first interface is coupled between the first bus and the link. The second interface is coupled between the second bus and the link. The first interface and the second interface are operable to (a) send information serially through the link in a format different from that of the first bus and the second bus, (b) approve an initial exchange between the first bus and the second bus in response to pending transactions having a characteristic signifying a destination across the bridge, (c) exchange information between the first bus and the second bus according to a predetermined hierarchy giving the first bus a higher level than the second bus, and (d) allow the host processor, communicating through the first bus, to individually address different selectable ones of the bus-compatible devices on the second bus, including memory devices and input/output devices that may be present: (i) using on the first bus substantially the same type of addressing as is used to access devices the first bus, and (ii) without first employing a second, intervening one of the bus-compatible devices on the second bus.

Claims

1. A method of communicating first parallel data provided to a first interface coupled to a first bus and having a first register to a remote interface coupled to a second bus and having a remote register, comprising the steps of:

loading the first parallel data into the first register;

serializing the first parallel data;

transferring the serialized data via a serial link to the remote interface without requiring or receiving a signal from the remote interface before sending the serialized data to the remote interface;

deserializing the serialized data into second parallel data;

loading the second parallel data into the remote register such that the remote register second parallel data mirrors the first register first parallel data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first bus and the second bus are based on PCI, PCMCIA or CardBus interface standards.

3. An interface, comprising:

a first interface coupled to a first bus and having;

a first register storing first parallel data received from the first bus; and

a serializer serializing the parallel data;

a module adapted to transfer the serialized data from the serializer to a remote interface without requiring or receiving a signal from the remote interface before sending the serialized data to the remote interface, the remote interface coupled to a second bus and having;

a deserializer deserializing the serialized data into second parallel data; and

a remote register storing the second parallel data received from the deserializer;

such that the second parallel data in the remote register mirrors the first parallel data in the first register.

4. The interface of claim 3, wherein the first bus and the second bus are based on PCI, PCMCIA or CardBus interface standards.