Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Intrasystem connection – Bus expansion or extension
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-12
2003-04-15
Auve, Glenn A. (Department: 2181)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Intrasystem connection
Bus expansion or extension
Reexamination Certificate
active
06549967
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains generally to computers, and more particularly to a system for adding functionality to a computer system in a modular fashion.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to
FIG. 1
, there is shown a prior art computer system
10
with a PCI bus
18
and PCI card
22
. As used herein, the term “PCI” shall refer to the standard specified in the PCI Local Bus Specification, Revision 2.2, 1998, and all past or future superceded or superceding standards or other standards equivalent thereto or backward or forward compatible in whole or in part therewith. Further, terms such as “PCI bus”, “PCI card” and “PCI slot” shall mean cards, busses or slots compatible or compliant with a PCI standard. A main board
12
includes a main board chip set
14
mounted thereon. Chip set
14
includes a PCI controller
16
, which is connected to a PCI slot
20
over PCI bus
18
. PCI card
22
includes a PCI card controller
24
, which in turn includes a link controller circuit
26
, which connects to link interface
30
through proxy link
28
. Link interface
30
interfaces to CODEC or network PHY circuit
32
, which in turn provides an I/O connection
34
. A CPU or processor mounted on the main board communicates with and controls chip set
14
.
The above described PCI bus
18
is used to attach various I/O functions to the computer main board
12
in a modular fashion. Typically, computer systems are provided with one or more PCI card slots
20
to provide equipment manufacturers and end users the ability to add custom features to the system. The present invention, as described below, provides an improvement to the above described prior art system and its PCI bus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides method and apparatus for providing PCI board functionality wherein, in one example embodiment, the control logic for a PCI card is mounted on the main board of a computer system having a PCI bus and PCI slots to receive PCI cards. The PCI card functionality is controlled from the PCI control logic on the main board using a proxy link to the PCI card functionality, wherein the proxy link is routed over the PCI bus. Further, such embodiment provides that a standard PCI card, with the control logic mounted thereon, may also function normally when inserted in one of the PCI slots in the system. This and many other embodiments are described in more detail below.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5805839 (1998-09-01), Singhal
patent: 5967796 (1999-10-01), Hartfiel et al.
patent: 6134613 (2000-10-01), Stephenson et al.
patent: 6189058 (2001-02-01), Jones et al.
Auve Glenn A.
Schwegman Lundberg Woessner & Kluth P.A.
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