Back to results
US 5,845,133 AGranted
Virtualized functions within a microprocessor
AssigneeCyrix Corporation
InventorAndrew D. Funk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for virtualizing external pins and their internal functions within a microprocessor employing an operating system independent interrupt and N subhandlers to virtual the equivalent functions of the pins ordinarily performed by extrinsic circuitry internal to the microprocessor.
Claims17
A processing system that virtualizes functions within a microprocessor comprising:
- (a) a microprocessor;
- (b) system logic coupled to the microprocessor with a system management interrupt line and an address/data bus;
- and,
- (c) a system management handler, responsive to the system management interrupt line being asserted, wherein the system management interrupt line is asserted responsive to a source that is external to the microprocessor and which occurs asynchronous to instructions being executed in the microprocessor, to identify the source of the system management interrupt line being asserted, and to perform an equivalent function ordinarily performed by dedicated circuitry internal to the microprocessor.
1 more element
A processing system for virtualizing functions within a microprocessor comprising:
- (a) processing means for executing machine code;
- (b) system logic means, coupled to the processing means, for generating an operating system independent interrupt, wherein the operating system independent interrupt is asserted responsive to a source that is external to the processing means and which occurs asynchronous to instructions being processed in the processing means;
- and,
- (c) system management handler means, responsive to the system logic means, for identifying the source of the operating system independent interrupt and for performing an equivalent function ordinarily associated with assertion of the source of the operating system independent interrupt, with dedicated circuitry internal to the processing means.
1 more element
A method to virtualize functions within a microprocessor comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving an operating system independent interrupt that is caused by a source that is external to the microprocessor and which occurs asynchronous to instructions being executed in the microprocessor;
- (b) querying the source in step (a) for an identity;
- and,
- (c) performing an equivalent function of the source identified in step (b) ordinarily performed by dedicated circuitry internal to the microprocessor.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.