# US 11,443,713 B2 · Billboard for context information sharing

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- Number: US 11,443,713 B2
- Document ID: US11443713B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/885,982
- Filed: 2020-05-28
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2020-01-30
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Apple Inc.
- Inventors: Helena Deirdre O'Shea; Matthias Sauer; Jorge L. Rivera Espinoza
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11443713B2

## CPC

- G06F 13/385: {for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices}
- G09G 5/006: {Details of the interface to the display terminal (specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04)}
- G06F 1/3209: Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
- G06F 1/3234: Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
- G06F 1/3287: by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
- G06F 12/1458: {by checking the subject access rights}
- G06F 13/105: {where the program performs an input/output emulation function}
- G06F 13/4027: {using bus bridges (G06F13/4022 takes precedence)}
- G06F 13/4221: {being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus}
- G06F 13/4282: {on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus (on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247)}
- G06F 21/70: Protecting specific internal or peripheral components, in which the protection of a component leads to protection of the entire computer
- H04L 12/12: Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
- H04L 12/2861: {Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers}
- H04L 12/40071: {Packet processing; Packet format (adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific network H04N21/2381, H04N21/4363, H04N21/4381; packet switches H04L49/00; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90)}
- G06F 12/1483: {using an access-table, e.g. matrix or list}
- G06F 2212/1052: Security improvement
- G09G 2358/00: Arrangements for display data security
- Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
- Y02D 30/50: in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

Embodiments relate to a billboard circuit that stores context information received from various component circuits in an electronic device. The context information indicates an operating status of the corresponding component circuit, system or shared resources. The stored context information may be retrieved by one or more component circuits when events (e.g., turning on of a component circuit) are detected. By using the billboard circuit, a component circuit may detect changes in the operating status of other components circuits and configure or update its operations even when the changes occurred while the component circuit was asleep or disabled. The billboard circuit may monitor updating of the context information by the component circuit and initiate notification to other components circuits when certain entries of the context information is updated.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic device comprising:
a multi-drop bus;
a first integrated circuit configured to generate context information indicating an operating status of the first integrated circuit, and send the context information over the multi-drop bus at a first time;
a billboard circuit configured to:
receive the context information from the first integrated circuit via the multi-drop bus at a first time,
store the context information, and
send the context information over the multi-drop bus at a second time subsequent to the first time; and
a second integrated circuit configured to:
receive the context information from the billboard circuit over the multi-drop bus at the second time, and
process the received context information to adjust an operation of the second integrated circuit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second integrated circuit is in a disabled state at the first time and is in an active state at the second time.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first integrated circuit is part of a first system and the second integrated circuit is part of a second system performing distinct functions relative to the first system.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the billboard circuit is included in a coexistence hub device that further comprises a processor circuit configured to receive an operation policy representing predetermined scenarios of operating combinations in the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit and generate a command sent to the first integrated circuit or the second integrated circuit for coordinating operations of the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the billboard circuit is included in an application processor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the billboard circuit comprises:
memory for storing the context information,
a security check circuit configured to grant access to reading or writing operations the context information responsive to receiving a reading request or a wiring request from the first integrated circuit or the second integrated circuit.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the memory further stores (i) a time stamp associated with the context information, and (ii) a device address of the first integrated circuit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the billboard further comprises a status check circuit configured to determine whether the first integrated circuit or the second integrated circuit is active.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the billboard is further configured to send a notification to the second integrated circuit responsive to updating of the context information representing predetermined event at the first integrated circuit.

### Claim 10

A coexistence hub device, comprising:
an interface circuit configured to communicate over a multi-drop bus that is connected to integrated circuits in an electronic device, the integrated circuits comprising a first integrated circuit and a second integrated circuit;
a processor circuit configured to implement an operation policy representing predetermined scenarios of operating combinations in the integrated circuit and rules for resolving the scenarios by at least sending a command over the multi-drop bus to update an operation of at least one of the integrated circuits according to the operation policy; and
a billboard circuit configured to:
receive context information from the first integrated circuit over the multi-drop bus at a first time, the context information indicating an operating status of the first integrated circuit,
store the context information, and
send the stored context information to the second integrated circuit over the multi-drop bus at a second time subsequent to the first time.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The coexistence hub device of claim 10, wherein the other of the integrated circuits is in a disabled state at the first time and is in an active state at the second time.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The coexistence hub device of claim 10, wherein the one of the integrated circuits is part of a first system and the other of the integrated circuits is part of a second system performing distinct functions relative to the first system.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The coexistence hub device of claim 10, wherein the billboard circuit comprises:
memory for storing the context information,
a security check circuit configured to grant access to reading or writing operations the context information responsive to receiving a reading request or a wiring request from the one of the integrated circuits or the other of the integrated circuits.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The coexistence hub device of claim 13, wherein the memory further stores (i) a time stamp associated with the context information, and (ii) a device address of the first integrated circuit.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The coexistence hub device of claim 13, wherein the billboard further comprises a status check circuit configured to determine whether the one of the first integrated circuits or the other of the integrated circuits is active.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The coexistence hub device of claim 13, wherein the billboard further comprises a notification circuit configured to send a notification to the second integrated circuit responsive to updating of the context information representing predetermined event at the first integrated circuit.

### Claim 17

A method for operating integrated circuits in an electronic device, comprising:
receiving, at a billboard circuit, context information from a first integrated circuit via a multi-drop bus at a first time, the context information indicating an operating status of the first integrated circuit;
storing the context information in memory of the billboard circuit;
detecting an event at a second integrated circuit;
retrieve, at the billboard circuit, the context information from the memory responsive to detecting the event; and
send the context information from the billboard circuit to the second integrated circuit over the multi-drop bus at a second time subsequent to the first time.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising granting access to the memory for storing the context information responsive determining that the first integrated circuit has authority to write the context information in the memory.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising granting access to read the context information responsive to determining that the second integrated circuit has authority to read the context information from the memory.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the first integrated circuit is part of a first system and the second integrated circuit is part of a second system performing distinct functions relative to the first system.