Communications: electrical – Visual indication – Using light emitting diodes
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-10
2003-12-02
Pham, Toan N (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Visual indication
Using light emitting diodes
C439S490000, C361S788000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06657548
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 89207905, filed on May 11, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system status light indicator device embedded in a connecting port. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system status light indicator device embedded in a connecting port which can clearly indicate to users the causes of breakdowns via the warning light indicators during the booting-up process.
2. Description of Related Art
When we turn on the power of a personal computer, the central processing unit (CPU) inside the PC may start executing a series of commands; the commands can be approximately divided into three categories according to the functions:
1. System Configuration Analysis (SCA) analyzes the CPU type, the size of memory, the number and types of floppy and hard disks, yes or no to install the floating processor as an important reference for the other actions.
2. The Power On Self Test (POST) program tests the status of hardware such as the memory, chipsets, CMOS, stored data, keyboard and disk drives; once an error is found, it will report the problems.
3. The address allocation of the operating system (like the MS-DOS, Windows 95/98) and loads it up via what is called the “Bootstrap Loader” short program, passes the control of the computer to the operating system and officially ends the boot-up action.
The program organized by the above commands is called the Basic Input Output System (BIOS) program, therefore, the BIOS can be said as first program executed after the personal computer is turned on. If it cannot run the BIOS program normally while in the process of booting-up the computer, generally, the hardware can withstand certain problems; the problems should first be removed before continuing further operations, thereby ensuring that the computer is running in the optimal mode.
However, in order not to infringe to the copyrights of the BIOS originally made by IBM, the BIOS programs designed by different vendors may process them with the same function but different program codes, using the error message data in the above-described POST program procedure as an example, the boot-up warnings of the BIOS programs of three different vendors (IBM, AWARD, AMI), are defined differently and listed in the tables below:
TABLE I
Boot-up Warnings for the BIOS of IBM
Beep
Meaning
None
Power supply and CPU breakdown
Continuous
Memory breakdown
Short
System self-test, normal condition
Two short
Error found during self-test and it is displayed
on the monitor
Continuous short
Power supply and motherboard breakdown
One long and one short
Errors on the motherboard
One long and two short
Errors on the display
One long and three short
Errors on the EGA card
Three long
Errors on the keyboard controller
TABLE II
Boot-up Warnings for the BIOS of AWARD
Beep
Meaning
One short
Not an error, indicates system turn-on
One long and two short
Errors on the EGA card
Two short
There are errors and is indicated on the monitor
One long and three short
Errors on the keyboard controller
TABLE III
Boot-up Warnings for the BIOS of AMI
Beep
Meaning
1
Defects on the memory regain chipset
2
Errors found while checking the first 64K of memory
3
Defects on the first 64K of memory and are
unreadable
4
Clock on the motherboard is out of order
5
CPU breakdown
6
keyboard controller breakdown, disabled to enter the
protected mode
7
Errors on the abnormal interrupt of CPU
8
Errors on the read- write memory display region
9
Errors on the checking value of ROM
10
Errors on the read-write of CMOS shutoff register
11
Errors on the cache
From the tables above, we find that the boot-up warnings set by different PC vendors make use of long and short beep combinations to indicate problems that arise during the booting-up process to users. However, since the specifications set by each vendor are not the same, and most users would not remember the meanings of the different warning signals; there is no point in having quick self-maintenance for understanding the meanings of different boot warnings in the internal process of computers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is to provide a system status light indicator embedded in a connecting port suitable for use for a BIOS program; when the BIOS program detects that errors have occurred on the peripheral devices of the computer, it will send out a set of the warning signals.
The system status light indicator embedded in a connecting port comprises of an error message processor and a plurality of light emitting diodes (LED). Firstly, the BIOS program starts checking the peripheral devices of the computer, and as soon as the BIOS program detects errors, it will send out a set of warning signals to the error message processor, and retrieves the error message data previously stored in the error message processor that correspond to the warning signals. Thus, based on the light indications of the system boot-up warning status, the user can consult the user's manual in which the light indications corresponding to the error signals are stated, and can know precisely where the problem lies. The above-described error message indicates the causes of the breakdowns via the error message signal.
Since the causes of breakdowns have been recorded in the error message processor, when the BIOS program detects the peripheral device errors, the cause of breakdown can be found by consulting the light indications corresponding to the error signals recorded in the user's manual. Thus, the user knows exactly what the problem lies, and without having to guess what a beep signifies, or having to inspect each device one by one. The direct use of a newly designed universal serial bus (USB) connecting port and a printer connecting port provides many embedded LED lights that display the system status and which do not require definitions of special input/output shields.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5685741 (1997-11-01), Dewey et al.
patent: 6501897 (2002-12-01), German et al.
patent: 6503105 (2003-01-01), Johnsen
Asustek Computer Inc.
Pham Toan N
Rabin & Berdo P.C.
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