High-speed internal wireless bus

• US 8,005,470 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chandley, Adrian M., Barkley, Warren V., Moore, Timothy M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghebretinsae; Temesgh
• Assistant Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US11/847,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20080102755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/553, 455/556, 455/557, 455/466, 455/552, 455/412, 455/456.1, 455/419, 455/420, 455/502, 710/305, 710/62, 710/29, 710/301, 375/219, 709/228, 709/200, 709/212, 709/215, 709/216, 345/531
• US Class Current: 455/420
• 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 first computing device having a first central processing unit, a first memory, and a first front-side bus that connects the first central processing unit to the first memory, the second computing device having a second central processing unit, a second memory, and a second front-side bus that connects the second central processing unit to the second memory, 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, the wireless bridge including wireless interfaces for

under control of a first access controller of the first computing device, the first access controller being directly connected to the first front-side bus,

receiving communications placed on the first front-side bus;

transmitting the received communications via the wireless network to the second computing device;

receiving communications transmitted via the wireless network from the second computing device; and

placing the received communications onto the first front-side bus; and

under control of a second access controller of the second computing device, the second access controller being directly connected to the second front-side bus,

receiving communications transmitted via the wireless network from the first computing device;

placing the received communications onto the second front-side bus;

receiving communications placed on second front-side bus; and

transmitting the received communications via the wireless network to the first computing device; and

permitting access by the first computing device to critical resources of the second computing device by sending communications between the first computing device and the second computing device via the wireless bridge.

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 storage 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, the first computing device having a first front-side bus and the second computing device having a second front-side bus;

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 the first front-side bus and transmitting the received communications via the wireless network to be placed on the second front-side bus and for

receiving via the wireless network communications placed on the second front-side bus and placing the received communications onto the front-side bus, wherein the first front-side bus of the first computing device is connected to an access controller for controlling communications placed onto the first 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 storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the wireless network is an Ultra Wideband (UWB) network.

12. The computer-readable storage 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 storage 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.

14. A mobile 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 first communications placed on the first front-side bus and transmitting the received first communications via a wireless network to a second computing device for placement on a second front-side bus of the second computing device and for receiving second communications transmitted via the wireless network that were placed on the second front-side bus of the second computing device and placing the received second communications onto the first front-side bus, the second communications being responsive to the first communications; and

a component that establishes a high-speed wireless communication link between the central processing unit and critical computing resources of the second computing device via the wireless network so that the first communications of the mobile computing device are processed by the second computing device and the second computing device responds to the first communications with the second communications.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 14 wherein the critical resources of the 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 wireless network includes an Ultra Wideband (UWB) network.

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

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

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

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

20. The mobile computing device of claim 14 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.