# US 6,725,313 B1 · Communications system and method with multilevel connection identification

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 6,725,313 B1
- Document ID: US6725313B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 09/721,044
- Filed: 2000-11-21
- Granted: 2004-04-20
- Earliest claimed: 1998-11-13
- Assignees: Sonics, Inc.
- Inventors: Drew Eric Wingard; Geert Paul Rosseel; Jay S. Tomlinson; Lisa A. Robinson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6725313B1

## CPC

- H04L 12/403: with centralised control, e.g. polling
- G06F 13/385: {for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices}
- G06F 13/4243: {with synchronous protocol}
- H04L 12/66: Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A communication system. One embodiment includes at least two functional blocks, wherein an first functional block communicates with a second functional block by establishing a connection, wherein a connection is a logical state in which data may pass between the first functional block and the second functional block. One embodiment includes a bus coupled to each of the functional blocks and configured to carry a plurality of signals. The plurality of signals includes a connection identifier that indicates a particular connection that a data transfer is part of, and a thread identifier that indicates a transaction stream that the data transfer is part of.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A communication system comprising:
at least two functional blocks, wherein a first functional block communicates with a second functional block by establishing a connection, wherein the connection is a logical state in which data may pass between the first functional block and the second functional block; and
a communication medium configured to carry a plurality of signals between interface modules;
an initiator functional block configured to send transfer requests having a thread identifier to indicate a transaction stream that a data transfer is part of;
an initiator interface module coupled to the communication medium, and coupled to receive the initiator functional block transfer requests, said initiator interface module mapping a received thread identifier to a connection identifier, said connection identifier configured to be sent with a transfer request from the initiator interface module over the communication medium, the connection identifier comprising a multi-bit value that encodes information including a transfer priority, a transfer order, and a functional block that originated the transfer, the connection identifier is one of a plurality of connection identifiers associated with the initiator functional block;
a target interface module coupled to the communication medium, and coupled to a target functional block.

### Claim 2

A communication system comprising:
at least two functional blocks, wherein a first functional block communicates with a second functional block by establishing a connection, wherein the connection is a logical state in which data may pass between the first functional block and the second functional block; and
a communication medium configured to carry a plurality of signals between interface modules;
an initiator interface module coupled to the communication medium, and coupled to an initiator functional block;
a target interface module coupled to the communication medium to receive transfer requests having a connection identifier, said received connection identifier having been previously configured to be sent with a transfer request from the initiator interface module over the communication medium, the connection identifier comprising a multi-bit value that encodes information including a transfer priority, a transfer order, and a functional block that originated the transfer, the connection identifier is one of a plurality of connection identifiers associated with the initiator functional block, said target interface module mapping a received connection identifier to a thread identifier to indicate a transaction stream that a data transfer is part of; and
a target functional block coupled to the target interface module to receive transfer requests having the thread identifier.