Patent · US Expired

Expandable communication system using data concentration

US5280586A · kind A · utility

45Cited by
9References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 3, 1991
Grant dateJan 18, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 3, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F13/4022
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A communication system including one or more host adapters connected to a host computer, each adapter having multiple serial communication ports for transferring data between the computer and several TTY devices. Several of the adapter's serial ports include a high speed serial link for communicating with a data concentrator. The adapter automatically detects the presence of a concentrator connected to a switchable port and switches to the high speed link. Each concentrator includes multiple serial ports for communicating with TTY devices, and a high speed serial link for communicating with the adapter's high speed link. The concentrators allow more than one TTY device to share a single adapter serial port. Data from all of the TTY devices is accumulated into an adapter data buffer during a configurable time period or until a certain amount of data is accumulated, at which time the adapter interrupts the computer and transfers the accumulated data to the computer in one transfer operation. Likewise, the computer accumulates data for the TTY devices and transfers this data to the adapter in one transfer operation. Communication between the adapters and concentrators through the high…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.