Dual utilization of a physical port of an electronic device
AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.
InventorsPhillip Remaker, Roger Karam
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electronic device has a physical port, and a control circuit coupled to the physical port. The control circuit is arranged to electrically sense the physical port, and operate the physical port as one of an Ethernet port and an RS-232 port based on electrically sensing the physical port. In some arrangements, the physical port operates as an Ethernet port at one time and an RS-232 port at another time. In some arrangements, the electronic device senses for Ethernet signals and RS-232 signals concurrently. In other arrangements, the electronic device senses for Ethernet signals and RS-232 signals at different times in an alternating manner.
Claims20
A method of communicating through a physical port of an electronic device, the method comprising:
- electrically sensing the physical port by a control circuit coupled to (i) the physical port, (ii) an Ethernet circuit arranged to exchange Ethernet signals through the physical port, and (iii) an RS-232 circuit arranged to exchange RS-232 signals through the physical port;
- operating, by the control circuit, the physical port as one of an Ethernet port and an RS-232 port based on electrically sensing the physical port;
- isolating, by switching circuitry of the control circuit, the Ethernet circuit from the physical port when the control circuit operates the physical port as the RS-232 port;
- isolating, by the switching circuitry of the control circuit, the RS-232 circuit from the physical port when operating the physical port as the Ethernet port.
An electronic device, comprising:
- a physical port;
- an Ethernet circuit arranged to exchange Ethernet signals through the physical port;
- an RS-232 circuit arranged to exchange RS-232 signals through the physical port;
- and
- a control circuit coupled to (i) the physical port, (ii) the Ethernet circuit and (iii) the RS-232 circuit, the control circuit being arranged to:
- electrically sense the physical port, and
- operate the physical port as one of an Ethernet port and an RS-232 port based on electrically sensing the physical port;
- the control circuit including switching circuitry arranged to (i) isolate the Ethernet circuit from the physical port when operating the physical port as the RS-232 port, and (ii) isolate the RS-232 circuit from the physical port when operating the physical port as the Ethernet port.
An electronic device, comprising:
- a physical port;
- a control circuit coupled to the physical port, the control circuit being arranged to:
- electrically sense the physical port, and
- operate the physical port as one of an Ethernet port and an RS-232 port based on electrically sensing the physical port;
- an Ethernet circuit coupled to the control circuit;
- and
- an RS-232 circuit coupled to the control circuit;
- wherein the control circuit is further arranged to, at a time after operating the physical port as one of the Ethernet port and the RS-232 port based on electrically sensing the physical port, operate the physical port as the other of the Ethernet port and the RS-232 port based on further electrically sensing the physical port;
- wherein the control circuit, when operating the physical port as one of the Ethernet port and the RS-232 port based on electrically sensing the physical port, is arranged to isolate the RS-232 circuit from the physical port while sending Ethernet signals from the Ethernet circuit through the physical port;
- and
- wherein the control circuit, when operating the physical port as the other of the Ethernet port and the RS-232 port based on further electrically sensing the physical port, is arranged to isolate the Ethernet circuit from the physical port while sending RS-232 signals from the RS-232 circuit through the physical port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.