Patent · US Expired

Platform-independent communications protocol supporting communications between a processor and subsystem controller based on identifying information

US6078968A · kind A · utility

32Cited by
5References
55Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 17, 1997
Grant dateJun 20, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 17, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F13/385
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus implement a communications protocol whereby a host application program can communicate with a computer subsystem without the use of special driver software. In this way, the application program is able to invoke virtually any vendor-unique function on a compatible subsystem controller using only standard read/write system calls. This avoids platform dependency and greatly improves the portability of the application program.

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