Multiple interface input/output port for a peripheral device
US5832244A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 20, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 3, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 20, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/4068
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A multiple interface input/output port allows communication between an interface bus of a peripheral device and any one of a plurality of different types of interface buses that may be provided in a host computer. An interface bus detection circuit detects which type of interface bus the peripheral device is connected to on the host computer, and communications are then routed through an appropriate interface adapter that enables communication between the interface buses of the peripheral device and host computer. The interface bus detection circuit compares signal levels on selected ones of the lines of the interface bus of the host computer to a reference potential to determine which of the selected lines are grounded. The circuit then identifies the type of interface bus to which it is connected based on the determination of which of the selected lines of the interface bus are grounded.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.