CPU socket supporting socket-to-socket optical communications

An integrated circuit socket for receiving an integrated circuit device having signal requirements associated therewith, said integrated circuit device including plural electrically conductive pin connections, said socket comprising:

• a socket body;
• electrical connecting means within said body for electrically connecting with the conductive pins of said integrated circuit device;
• communicating means for communicating data between said socket body and an external device;
• and
• active circuit means within said socket body and electrically connected between said electrical connecting means and said communicating means for translating data received from said external device to said signals required by said integrated circuit device and for translating data produced by said integrated circuit device for transmission to said external device,
• wherein said further connection means includes programmable electrical signal level converting means connected to said active circuit means for translating signals received from said external device to electrical signal levels required by said integrated circuit device, and
• wherein:
• said active circuit means includes memory means for storing signal level characteristics corresponding to said integrated circuit device;
• and
• said programmable converting means includes means for adjusting said electrical signal levels in response to said stored signal level characteristics.

An integrated circuit socket for receiving any one of plural standard integrated circuit device having particular standard signal requirements associated therewith, said plural standard integrated circuit devices having different electrical signal protocols associated therewith, said received integrated circuit device including plural electrically conductive pin connections, said socket comprising:

• a socket body;
• plural electrical pin connecting means defined within said socket body for electrically connecting with corresponding plural conductive pins of any one of said plural integrated circuit devices;
• communicating means for communicating data between said socket body and an external device, said communicating means including means for transceiving data in a generic protocol, said generic protocol being independent of the received integrated circuit device;
• and
• active circuit means within said socket body and electrically connected between said electrical connecting means and said communicating means for translating data received from said generic protocol to said protocol associated with said specific received integrated circuit device and for translating data produced by said received integrated circuit device in said protocol associated therewith to said generic protocol for transmission to said external device.

An integrated circuit socket for receiving any one of plural standard integrated circuit device having particular standard signal requirements associated therewith, said received integrated circuit device including plural electrically conductive pin connections, said socket comprising:

• a socket body;
• plural electrical pin connecting means defined within said body for electrically connecting with corresponding plural conductive pins of said received integrated circuit device;
• communicating means for communicating data between said socket body and an external device, said communicating means including means for transceiving data in a generic protocol, said generic protocol being independent of the received integrated circuit device;
• and
• active circuit means within said socket body and electrically connected between said electrical connecting means and said communicating means for translating data received from said generic protocol to said signals required by said received integrated circuit device and for translating data produced by said received integrated circuit device to said generic protocol for transmission to said external device,
• wherein:
• said active circuit means includes:
• means for storing signal characteristic parameters corresponding to each of said plural integrated circuit devices, and
• means for selecting the parameters corresponding to said received integrated circuit device from said stored characteristic parameters;
• and
• said translating means includes emulating means for providing an emulated electrical signal interface to said received integrated circuit device in response to said selected stored parameters and further in response to signals received from said external device.

An integrated circuit socket for receiving any one of plural standard integrated circuit device having particular standard signal requirements associated therewith, said received integrated circuit device including plural electrically conductive pin connections, said socket comprising:

• a socket body;
• plural electrical pin connecting means defined within said body for electrically connecting with corresponding plural conductive pins of said received integrated circuit device;
• communicating means for communicating data between said socket body and an external device, said communicating means including means for transceiving data in a generic protocol, said generic protocol being independent of the received integrated circuit device;
• and
• active circuit means within said socket body and electrically connected between said electrical connecting means and said communicating means for translating data received from said generic protocol to said signals required by said received integrated circuit device and for translating data produced by said received integrated circuit device to said generic protocol for transmission to said external device wherein said communicating means includes:
• means for assigning an address to said socket;
• means for receiving data together with an intended destination address associated therewith;
• and
• means connected to said address assigning means for discriminating between received data intended for said socket and received data intended for a destination other than said socket in response to said assigned address and said received intended destination address.

An integrated circuit socket for receiving an electrical integrated circuit device dual in line package, said device package having particular standard signal requirements associated therewith, said received integrated circuit device package including plural electrically conductive pin connections, said socket comprising:

• a socket body;
• plural electrical pin connecting means defined within said body for electrically connecting with corresponding plural conductive pins of said received integrated circuit device package;
• optical communicating means, connected to said pin connecting means and also operatively connected to an optical local area network communicating data-encoded optical signals in a generic network protocol, said optical communicating means for communicating optically encoded data between said socket body and said local area network, said optical communications means providing a node on said local area network having a network address associated therewith, said communicating means including means for transceiving optically encoded data in said generic network protocol;
• electrical data converting means connected to said optical communicating means for converting between optical and electrical data signals, said electrical data converting means including message buffering means connected to said electrical data converting means for buffering data to be optically transmitted by said optical communicating means and for buffering data to received by said optical communicating means;
• and
• electrical interface means connected between said electrical data converting means and said pin connecting means for providing particular electrical timing signals to said integrated circuit device package required by said received integrated circuit device package, and for applying electrical data signals to said received integrated circuit device package in a format and at an electrical level required by said package in response to said received buffered data.

An intelligent socket for receiving, supporting and interfacing with a conventional integrated circuit device having conventional electrical input and output signal requirements, said integrated circuit device including plural electrically conductive pin connections, said intelligent socket including:

• a socket body detachably accepting and supporting said integrated circuit device;
• plural conductive electrical signal connectors disposed on said socket body for electrically connecting with the electrically conductive pin connections of said integrated circuit device;
• optical communicating means operatively coupled to said socket body for receiving and transmitting optical signals;
• and
• active circuit means, disposed within said socket body and operatively connected between said plural electrical connectors and said optical communicating means, for providing electrical input signals to said integrated circuit device in response to said optical signals received by said communicating means and for controlling said communicating means to transmit optical signals responsive to electrical output signals provided by said integrated circuit device.

A data system comprising:

• (a) a first intelligent socket for detachably receiving, supporting and electrically interfacing with a first integrated circuit device having plural electrically conductive pin connections, said first intelligent socket including:
• a first socket body supporting said first integrated circuit device,
• a first set of conductive electrical signal connectors disposed on said socket body for electrically coupling with the electrically conductive pins of said first integrated circuit device, and
• first active circuit means, disposed within said first socket body and operatively connected to said first set of electrical connectors, for communicating electrical signals with said first integrated circuit device in a first signalling protocol particular to said first integrated circuit device;
• (b) a second intelligent socket for detachably receiving, supporting and interfacing with a second integrated circuit device having electrically conductive pin connections, said second intelligent socket including:
• a second socket body supporting said second integrated circuit device;
• a second set of conductive electrical signal connectors disposed on said second socket body for electrically coupling with the electrically conductive pins of said second integrated circuit device, and
• second active circuit means, disposed within said second socket body and operatively connected to said second set of electrical connectors, for communicating electrical signals to and from said second integrated circuit device in a second electrical signalling protocol different from said first signalling protocol, said second protocol being particular to said second integrated circuit device;
• and
• (c) optical communication means, coupled between said first socket body and said second socket body, for communicating optical signals between said first and second active circuit means, said optical signals having a generic optical data signalling protocol different from said first and second electrical signalling protocols;
• wherein said first active circuit means within said first socket body includes first protocol conversion means for generating electrical signals in said first electrical signalling protocol in response to said optical data signalling protocol signals communicated by said optical communications means, and said second active circuit means within said second socket body includes second protocol conversion means for generating signals in said second electrical signalling protocol in response to said generic optical data signalling protocol signals communicated by said optical communications means.