End-point sharing of communication bus interface
OwnerJeffrey K. Jeansonne, Tim L. Zhanginventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A computer peripheral comprises a bus interface to a communication bus, a first component-bus bridge communicable with the bus interface and a first endpoint adapted for communication with a first component, a second component-bus bridge different from the first component-bus bridge and communicable with the bus interface and a second endpoint adapted for communication with a second component, and an automatic endpoint selector responsive to a control signal and adapted to enable one and disable the other of the first and second component-bus bridges for sharing the bus interface.
Claims40
A computer peripheral, comprising:
- a bus interface to a communication bus;
- a first component-bus bridge communicable with the bus interface and a first endpoint adapted for communication with a first component;
- a second component-bus bridge different from the first component-bus bridge and communicable with the bus interface and a second endpoint adapted for communication with a second component;
- and
- an automatic endpoint selector responsive to a control signal and adapted to enable one and disable the other of the first and second component-bus bridges for sharing the bus interface.
A system, comprising:
- a peripheral device communicatively coupled to a processor-based device via a communication bus, comprising:
- an interface to the communication bus;
- a housing adapted to receive at least one selected component of a plurality of components;
- a first component-bus bridge communicable with the interface;
- a second component-bus bridge different from the first component-bus bridge and communicable with the interface;
- and
- an automatic selector responsive to insertion of the at least one selected component and adapted to enable one and disable the other of the first and second component-bus bridges.
A multi-component device, comprising:
- means for communicatively bridging a first component interface with an externally hosted communication bus;
- means for communicatively bridging a second component interface different from the first component interface with the externally hosted communication bus;
- and
- means for mutually exclusively engaging one of the means for communicatively bridging the first and second components in response to a triggering event.
A method of forming a multi-component device, comprising:
- providing a plurality of communication bridges between a communication bus interface and different component interfaces;
- coupling the different component interfaces to an automatic selector able to enable one and disable others of the different component interfaces in response to a component event associated with the specific interface.
A method of communicating with a multi-component device, comprising:
- engaging one interface of different component interfaces upon a component event;
- and
- switchably bridging the one interface between the different component interfaces with a communication bus interface in response to the component event.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.