HIGH-SPEED INTERNAL WIRELESS BUS

• US 20080102755A1
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Timothy, Chandley, Adrian, Barkley, Warren
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

Multiple computing devices are connected together using a high-speed wireless link. The wireless link enables expansion of available resources to the host device, such as one or more of volatile memory resources, non-volatile memory resources, and additional processor resources.

Claims

1. A method of connecting a first computing device with a second computing device on a wireless network, the method comprising:

detecting at the first computing device the presence of the second computing device on the wireless network;

creating a wireless bridge between the first computing device and the second computing device with front-side buses, the wireless bridge including wireless interfaces for receiving communications placed on a front-side bus and transmitting the received communications via the wireless network and for receiving communications transmitted via the wireless network and placing the received communications onto a front-side bus, wherein a front-side bus of the first computing device is connected to an access controller for controlling communications placed onto the front-side bus; and

permitting access by the first computing device to critical resources of the second computing device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless network is an Ultra Wideband (UWB) network.

3. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of creating by the first computing device a single logical computing entity from the resources of the first computing device and the critical resources of the second computing device.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the critical resources of the second computing device include one or more of the central processing unit, volatile memory and non-volatile memory of the second computing device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of permitting access by the first computing device includes issuing credentials by the first computing device to the second computing device.

6. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of receiving by the first computing device a list of available critical resources from the second computing device.

7. The method according to claim 6 further including the step of creating by the first computing device a single logical computing entity from the resources of the first computing device and the critical resources of the second computing device.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the first computing device manages the critical resources of the second computing device.

9. The method according to claim 7 further including the steps of

receiving by the first computing device an interrupt request from the second computing device;

and

terminating the high-speed wireless bridge between the first computing device and the second computing device.

10. A computer-readable medium having thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method of connecting a first computing device with a second computing device on a wireless network, the instructions including instructions for:

detecting at the first computing device the presence of the second computing device on the wireless network;

creating a wireless bridge between the first computing device and the second computing device, the wireless bridge including wireless interfaces for receiving communications placed on a front-side bus and transmitting the received communications via the wireless network and for receiving communications transmitted via the wireless network and placing the received communications onto a front-side bus, wherein a front-side bus of the first computing device is connected to an access controller for controlling communications placed onto the front-side bus;

permitting access by the first computing device to resources of the second computing device; and

creating by the first computing device a single logical computing entity from the resources of the first computing device and the resources of the second computing device.

11. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the wireless network is an Ultra Wideband (UWB) network.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the resources of the second computing device include one or more of the central processing unit, volatile memory and non-volatile memory of the second computing device.

13. The computer-readable medium according to claim 12, including instructions for receiving by the first computing device a list of available critical resources from the second computing device.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 13 further comprising:

means responsive to the means for establishing, for obtaining a list of available resources from said second computing device.

19. The mobile computing device of claim 13 further comprising:

means for managing the critical resources of said second computing device.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 13 further comprising:

means for establishing a high-speed wireless communication link between the central processing unit and critical computing resources of a third computing device via the front-side bus.

14. A computing device comprising:

a central processing unit;

a first front-side bus coupling the central processing unit with a first front-side bus port of a NorthBridge;

a wireless interface for receiving communications placed on a front-side bus and transmitting the received communications via a wireless network and for receiving communications transmitted via the wireless network and placing the received communications onto a front-side bus

a second front-side bus coupling the wireless interface to a second front-side bus port of the NorthBridge; and

means for establishing a high-speed wireless communication link between the central processing unit and critical computing resources of another computing device via the wireless network.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 14 wherein the critical resources of said second computing device include a central processing unit, non-volatile memory and volatile memory.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 14 further comprising:

means for determining a set of available resources from said another computing device; and

means for creating a single logical computing entity from the mobile computing device resources and the critical resources of said second computing device.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 16 wherein the means for establishing includes an Ultra Wideband (UWB) network.