Methods and apparatus for a tablet computer system incorporating a reprogrammable circuit module

• US 9,417,894 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ryft Systems, Inc. (Jacobs Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ryft Systems, Inc. (Jacobs Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Giganti, John, Baum, Richard, Bibbee, Ann Nelson, Bresnan, Timothy Patrick, Nguyen, Thuy-Tien Thi, Shockey, Harry Todd, Wihl, Peter Reza, Huo, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Choudhury, Zahid
• Application Number:
  US14/213,903
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/7867 with reconfigurable architecture

Abstract

A portable housing includes a sensing device, a set of memory modules, and a reconfigurable circuit module. The reconfigurable circuit module can be configured to receive sensed data associated with a sensing device. In response to receiving the sensed data, the reconfigurable circuit module can be configured to transition from a first configuration to a second configuration. While in the second configuration, the reconfigurable circuit module can be configured to retrieve data from at least one memory module from the set of memory modules. The reconfigurable circuit module can be configured to compare the retrieved data to the sensed data, and as a result, produce matched data. The reconfigurable circuit module can be configured to define and/or send a search result based on the matched data.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of memory modules disposed within a portable housing and configured to store data; and

a reconfigurable circuit module disposed within the portable housing and operatively coupled to the plurality of memory modules, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to be operatively coupled to a sensing device and a host processor, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to receive a representation of sensed data generated at the sensing device, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to receive the representation of the sensed data from the host processor when a frequency associated with the sensed data meets a criterion, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to receive the representation of the sensed data from the sensing device and not the host processor when the frequency associated with the sensed data does not meet the criterion,

the reconfigurable circuit module configured to transition from a first configuration to a second configuration in response to receiving the representation of the sensed data, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to retrieve, based on the representation of the sensed data and when in the second configuration, data stored in at least one memory module from the plurality of memory modules, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to compare the retrieved data to the representation of the sensed data to produce matched data, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to send a data match result based on the matched data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reconfigurable circuit module is configured to determine, based on the representation of the sensed data and when in the second configuration, a set of addresses of data from the plurality of memory modules, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to retrieve the data stored in the plurality of memory modules based at least in part on the set of addresses.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reconfigurable circuit module is configured to be operatively coupled to the host processor disposed within the portable housing, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to determine, based on a data match request defined by the host processor and based at least in part on the sensed data, a set of addresses of data stored in the plurality of memory modules, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to retrieve the data stored in the plurality of memory modules based at least in part on the set of addresses.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of memory modules are configured to store data having a plurality of addresses, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to be operatively coupled to the host processor disposed within the portable housing, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to determine, based on a data match request defined by the host processor and based at least in part on the sensed data, a set of addresses from the plurality of addresses and of data from the plurality of memory modules, the set of addresses being different from the plurality of addresses, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to retrieve the data stored in the plurality of memory modules based at least in part on the set of addresses.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reconfigurable circuit module is configured to retrieve a portion of the data from the plurality of memory modules, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to send the data match result to the host processor, the data match result including a representation of the portion of the data.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reconfigurable circuit module is configured to receive a data match request via a user-interface, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to retrieve, based at least in part on the data match request and when in the second configuration, the data stored in the plurality of memory modules.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transition from the first configuration to the second configuration includes reconfiguring a plurality of logic components of the reconfigurable circuit module.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reprogrammable circuit module is a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each memory module from the plurality of memory modules is a flash memory module.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of memory modules disposed within a portable housing and configured to store data having a plurality of addresses; and

a reconfigurable circuit module disposed within the portable housing and operatively coupled to the plurality of memory modules, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to be operatively coupled to a host processor operatively coupled to a sensing device, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to receive a representation of sensed data generated at the sensing device, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to receive the representation of the sensed data from the host processor when a frequency associated with the sensed data meets a criterion, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to receive the representation of the sensed data from the sensing device and not the host processor when the frequency associated with the sensed data does not meet the criterion,

the reconfigurable circuit module configured to transition from a first configuration to a second configuration in response to receiving the representation of the sensed data, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to determine, based on the representation of the sensed data and when in the second configuration, a set of addresses from the plurality of addresses and of data from the plurality of memory modules, the set of addresses being different from the plurality of addresses, the reconfigurable circuit module configured search the data from the plurality of memory modules based at least in part on the set of addresses, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to define a search result based at least in part on the search, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to send a representation of the search result to the host processor.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the transition from the first configuration to the second configuration includes reconfiguring a plurality of logic components of the reconfigurable circuit module.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the representation of the sensed data is received at the reprogrammable circuit module based at least in part on a request from a user via a user-interface.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the reconfigurable circuit module is configured to retrieve a portion of the data from the plurality of memory modules, the search result including a representation of the portion of the data.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of memory modules disposed within a portable housing and configured to store data; and

a reconfigurable circuit module disposed within the portable housing and operatively coupled to the plurality of memory modules, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to be operatively coupled to a sensing device and a host processor, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to receive a representation of sensed data generated at the sensing device, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to receive the representation of the sensed data from the host processor when a frequency associated with the sensed data meets a criterion, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to receive the representation of the sensed data from the sensing device and not the host processor when the frequency associated with the sensed data does not meet the criterion,

the reconfigurable circuit module configured to transition from a first configuration to a second configuration in response to receiving the representation of the sensed data, the transition from the first configuration to the second configuration including reconfiguring a plurality of logic components of the reconfigurable circuit module, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to retrieve, based on the representation of the sensed data and when in the second configuration, data stored in at least one memory module from the plurality of memory modules, the reconfigurable circuit module configured to compare the retrieved data to the representation of the sensed data to produce matched data.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the reprogrammable circuit module is configured to be modified by a driver module.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the reconfigurable circuit module is configured to send a data match result based on the matched data.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the reconfigurable circuit module is configured to transition from the first configuration to the second configuration at least in part in response to receiving an indication from a user via a user-interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the reprogrammable circuit module is a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).