Patent · US Expired

Device and method for interprocessor communication using mailboxes owned by processor devices

US5608873A · kind A · utility

17Cited by
20References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 3, 1996
Grant dateMar 4, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 3, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F15/167
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A device and method for providing inter-processor communication in a multi-processor architecture. A post office RAM has a plurality of mailboxes. Each mailbox is write-accessible by one port, but is read-accessible by the other ports. Thus, a processor device on a port has write-access to one mailbox, but can read the other mailboxes in the post office. A transmitting processor communicates with a receiving processor, by utilizing the post office. The transmitting processor writes information into its own mailbox, and signals a receiving processor. The receiving processor determines which of the processor devices signalled it, and reads the information in the transmitting processor's mailbox.

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