Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Input/output data processing – Peripheral configuration
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-28
2001-07-24
Lee, Thomas (Department: 2182)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Input/output data processing
Peripheral configuration
C710S010000, C713S310000, C713S324000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06266714
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer system for playing audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive during an audio CD play mode of the computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Operating a CD-ROM drive in a computer system has required booting an operating system and loading and utilizing a CD-ROM drive application. The RAM-based CD-ROM device driver of the CD-ROM drive application allowed for operation of the CD-ROM drive. The lengthy duration of the booting process for an operating system and the considerable user interaction required by a CD-ROM drive application render playing an audio CD in the CD-ROM drive of a computer system, as opposed to in a conventional audio CD player, undesirable. An audio CD player, unlike a CD-ROM drive of a computer system, does not involve a timely initialization process and substantial user interaction. As such, despite the CD-ROM drive present in conventional computer systems, users have maintained a separate audio CD player in place of the portable computer. In addition, where a user is away from his or her audio CD player, a conventional computer system due to its initialization and user interaction requirements is unsuited to playing an audio CD as quickly and easily as allowed by a conventional audio CD player. Thus, because of the initialization process and user interaction required, portable computer users would often carry a separate audio CD player for music listening even though the portable computer had music playing capability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the present invention, a computer system is capable of playing audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive independent of an operating system by using an embedded CD-ROM drive application or a CD-ROM drive controller. The computer system of the present invention includes an audio CD mode switch for selectively activating the computer to function as a computer (in a PC mode) or to play audio CDs without a time consuming operating system start up (in an audio CD mode). The audio CD mode switch can activate either a non-volatile memory region which stores system BIOS code for loading an operating system and a CD-ROM drive application associated with the operating system or a non-volatile memory region storing an embedded CD-ROM drive application for audio playback. Thus, the present invention provides a pseudo-embedded architecture for a portable computer with audio CD capability independent of an operating system.
The audio CD mode switch of the present invention is enabled when the main power switch of the computer is in an “off” state. When the audio CD mode switch is in an “on” state, the computer system enters an audio CD mode and either loads the embedded CD-ROM drive application or enables the CD-ROM drive controller of the CD-ROM to receive a CD button selection and transmit the selection to the CD-ROM drive. The embedded CD-ROM drive application includes power-on-self test (POST) code for selectively powering and initializing hardware devices in the computer system, an embedded CD-ROM device driver for driving the CD-ROM drive to process audio CDs, initialization code for the embedded CD-ROM device driver, and system management interrupt/keyboard controller interface code.
For the keyboard controller embodiment of the present invention, system management interrupt/keyboard controller interface code is used to process a CD button selection. When selection of a CD button is detected, a keyboard controller fetches the keycode corresponding to the selected CD button. The keyboard controller next generates a system management interrupt (SMI) which hands off control from the keyboard controller to the SMI handler placing the computer in a system management mode. The SMI handler fetches a keycode from the keyboard controller and places the keycode in a keycode cache. The handler then generates a non-maskable interrupt (NMI) for calling the embedded CD-ROM device driver to drive the CD-ROM drive to process the selected CD button command. When the computer system exits the system management mode, the NMI is serviced such that the embedded CD-ROM device driver is called. The embedded CD-ROM driver serving as a NMI handler fetches the keycode from the keycode cache and drives the CD-ROM drive to process the keycode after the processor has received and serviced an interrupt request from the CD-ROM drive.
Alternatively, in the CD-ROM drive controller embodiment of the present invention, a CD-ROM drive controller instead of a keyboard controller is used to scan the CD buttons. The CD button selection is then transmitted to the CD-ROM drive by the CD-ROM drive controller. Thus, the present invention by using either a keyboard controller, embedded code, and the SMI handler in the keyboard controller embodiment or a CD-ROM drive controller in the CD-ROM drive controller embodiment allows for audio CD functionality without use of an operating system.
In addition, the portable computer of the present invention preferably provides the CD buttons and the audio CD mode switch on the external surface of the portable computer. In this way, audio CD functionality may be achieved while the portable computer system case is in a closed state.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4149043 (1979-04-01), Itoh et al.
patent: 4497021 (1985-01-01), Fukuda et al.
patent: 4852073 (1989-07-01), Shinohara et al.
patent: 4898483 (1990-02-01), Iizuka
patent: 4926373 (1990-05-01), Takenaka
patent: 5138600 (1992-08-01), Aoyagi
patent: 5262940 (1993-11-01), Sussman
patent: 5377358 (1994-12-01), Nakamura
patent: 5404546 (1995-04-01), Stewart
patent: 5477129 (1995-12-01), Myslinski
patent: 5560024 (1996-09-01), Harper et al.
patent: 5579524 (1996-11-01), Kikinis
patent: 5592640 (1997-01-01), Minoura
patent: 5603040 (1997-01-01), Frager et al.
patent: 5617571 (1997-04-01), Tanaka
patent: 5630144 (1997-05-01), Woog et al.
patent: 5632037 (1997-05-01), Maher et al.
patent: 5634798 (1997-06-01), Suh
patent: 5657445 (1997-08-01), Pearce
patent: 5745772 (1998-04-01), Klein
patent: 5768164 (1998-06-01), Hollon, Jr.
patent: 5796984 (1998-08-01), Pearce et al.
patent: 5815679 (1998-09-01), Liu
patent: 5838983 (1998-11-01), Atkinson
patent: 5881318 (1999-03-01), Liebenow
patent: 5892502 (1999-04-01), Hiller
patent: 5898600 (1999-04-01), Isashi
patent: 5910933 (1999-06-01), Moore
patent: 6038612 (2000-03-01), Liow
patent: 0564092 A2 (1993-10-01), None
patent: 0588084 A2 (1994-03-01), None
patent: 09-101848 (1997-04-01), None
Intel486™SL Microprocessor SuperSet Programmer's Reference Manual, Intel Corp., Nov. 1992, pp. 6-29 through 6-53.
Enhanced IDE 95/96 Guide, Western Digital, Mar. 17, 1995, pp.17 through 42.
Pentium™Processor User's Manual Vol. 3: Architecture and Programming Manual, Intel Corp., 1994, 20-1 through 20-9.
The Computer Desktop Encyclopedia, Alan Freedman, 1996, pp. 47, 226, 258, 479-480.
Intel48™SL Microprocessor SuperSEt Programmer's Reference Manual, Intel Corp., Nov. 1992.
Frank Caruthers, Senior Editor, Perspectives on OEM Integration, “Battery-management circuitry gets smarter, ” Computer Design's OEM Integration, May 1994, 4 pp.
Victor R. Volkman, “Advanced Power Management for DOS,” Windows/DOS Developer's Journal, Jul. 1992, pp. 19-23.
Forlenza Daniel V.
Frost Kevin R.
Jacobs William E.
Memo Gregory B.
Mondshine James L.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld & LLP
Compaq Computer Corporation
Du Thuan
Lee Thomas
LandOfFree
Audio CD play subsystem capable for playing audio CDs in a... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Audio CD play subsystem capable for playing audio CDs in a..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Audio CD play subsystem capable for playing audio CDs in a... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2441067