Method and apparatus for serial bus communication

A system comprising.

• a plurality of footprint devices each having a footprint device specific communication protocol and configured to generate output signals using the footprint device specific communication protocol;
• a controller configured to generate input signals, for controlling the footprint devices, using a standard bus communication protocol, and
• a plurality of tophat devices, each connected to a respective one of the plurality of footprint devices, each tophat device comprising a data transport device configured to identify the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device connected to that tophat device, convert output signals generated by the footprint device connected to that tophat device from the footprint device specific communication protocol to the standard bus communication protocol, and convert input signals directed to the footprint device connected to that tophat device from the standard bus communication protocol to the footprint device specific communication protocol, and
• a serial communication bus connecting the plurality of tophat:
• devices to the controller, said serial communication bus configured to transmit the input signals from the controller to the plurality of tophat devices and the output signals from the plurality of tophat devices to the controller using said standard bus communication protocol.

A method of providing serial bus communication to a plurality of footprint devices having various footprint device specific communication protocols, comprising.

• receiving input signals transmitted via a serial communication bus using a standard bus communication protocol and output signals transmitted from a footprint device using a footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device;
• converting the input signals from the standard bus communication protocol to the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device;
• converting the output signals from the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device to the standard bus communication protocol;
• transmitting the input signals to the footprint device using the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device;
• and
• transmitting the output signals via the serial communication bus using the standard bus communication protocol.

An apparatus for providing serial bus communication to a plurality of footprint devices having various footprint device specific communication protocols, comprising;

• means for receiving input signals transmitted via a serial communication bus using a standard bus communication protocol and output signals transmitted from a footprint device using a footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device;
• means for converting the input signals from the standard bus communication protocol to the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device;
• means for converting the output signals from the footprint device specific communication protocol of the footprint device to the standard bus communication protocol;
• means for transmitting the input signals to the footprint device using the print device specific communication protocol of the footprint devices and
• means for transmitting the output signals via the serial communication bus using the standard bus communication protocol.