Method and apparatus for extending the range between a computer and computer peripherals

A range extension system for connecting a computer at one site to peripherals and a video terminal at a second site using a single pair of wires for a peripheral communications channel and video channels for video signals from the computer, where the direction from the computer towards the peripherals and the video terminal is the downstream direction, a master transmitter for transferring a plurality of peripheral information and for transferring video signals downstream, the master transmitter comprising:

• a video buffer coupled for receiving computer video signals, the video buffer having a transmitter for transmitting computer video signals over the video channel in the downstream directions;
• means for multiplexing, encoding, and framing peripheral information from the computer;
• and
• a master communication link coupled to one end of the single pair of wires, the master communication link further being coupled to the means for multiplexing, the master communication link having an amplifier for transmitting the framed peripheral information downstream, thereby providing peripheral information to a slave station at the other end of the pair of wires wherein each frame includes dedicated portion for bits of different peripheral device packets.

A system for operatively linking a computer to a keyboard and a mouse through a communication link extender, comprising:

• a master transceiver operatively linking the computer to one end of the communication link extender, and receiving a stream of computer data packets from the computer, sampling the computer data packets into a stream of consecutive computer samples, and loading the consecutive computer samples sample-by-sample into a stream of consecutive master frames;
• a slave transceiver operatively linking the first and second peripheral devices to a distal end of the communication link extender;
• receiving streams of keyboard data, keyboard clock, mouse data and mouse clock signals from the keyboard and mouse, sampling the keyboard data, keyboard clock, mouse data and mouse clock signals into respective streams of keyboard data samples, keyboard clock samples, mouse data samples, and mouse clock samples;
• loading consecutive ones of the keyboard data samples, keyboard clock samples, mouse data samples, and mouse clock samples into sample locations of consecutive slave frames;
• the master transceiver, at a first time, sending one of the master frames in the stream of consecutive master frames to the slave transceiver via the communication link extender, to be decoded with others of said master frames at the slave transceiver into the stream of computer data packets in near real time;
• and
• the slave transceiver, at a second time, sending one of the slave frames in the stream of consecutive slave frames to the master transceiver via the same communication link extender, to be decoded with others of said master frames at the master transceiver into the streams of keyboard data, keyboard clock, mouse data and mouse clock signals in near real time wherein each frame includes dedicated portion for bits of different peripheral device packets.

A method of extending data transmission between a computer and a peripheral device, comprising:

• receiving a stream of computer data and sampling the stream of computer data into a stream of computer data samples;
• framing the stream of computer data samples into computer-side frames;
• receiving a stream of peripheral device data from the peripheral device and sampling the peripheral device data into a stream of peripheral data samples;
• creating a peripheral-side frame having X number of dedicated frame locations, N number of said frame locations being dedicated to the peripheral device data, where N is an integer less than X;
• loading N of the stream of peripheral data samples into a created peripheral-side frame;
• and
• sending the peripheral-side frames to the computer and the computer-side frames to the peripheral device via a common communication extender channel;
• and
• re-creating the computer data and the peripheral device data respectively from the computer-side frames and the peripheral-side frames.

A method of operatively linking a computer to a keyboard through a communication link extender, comprising:

• receiving a stream of keyboard data bytes and keyboard clocks;
• sampling the keyboard data bytes into keyboard data sample bits;
• sampling the keyboard clocks into keyboard clock sample bits;
• and
• loading one keyboard data sample bit together with one keyboard clock sample bit into a common frame, and repeating the loading step for each next keyboard data sample bit and each next keyboard clock sample bit into a next common frame in a sequence of common frames;
• transmitting the sequence of common frames;
• and
• re-creating the stream of keyboard data bytes and the keyboard clocks from the sequence of common frames.

A method of operatively linking a computer to a keyboard and mouse through a communication link extender, comprising:

• receiving a stream of keyboard data bytes and keyboard clocks;
• receiving a stream of mouse data bytes and mouse clocks;
• sampling the keyboard data bytes into keyboard data sample bits and the keyboard clocks into keyboard clock sample bits;
• sampling the mouse data bytes into mouse data sample bits and the mouse clocks into mouse clock sample bits;
• loading a keyboard data sample bit, a mouse data sample bit, a keyboard clock sample bit, and a mouse clock sample bit into a common frame, and repeating the loading step for each next keyboard data sample bit, and each next keyboard clock sample bit, mouse data sample bit, and mouse clock sample bit into a next common frame in a sequence of common frames;
• transmitting the sequence of common frames;
• and
• re-creating the stream of keyboard data bytes, keyboard clocks, mouse data bytes and mouse clocks from the sequence of common frames.