Patent · US Expired

Dynamically varying interrupt bundle size

US6195725A · kind A · utility

28Cited by
4References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateDec 14, 1998
Grant dateFeb 27, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 14, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/4812
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system generates interrupts in response to events and dynamically accommodates for changing rates of event generation. A number of events may be bundled together to generate one or more interrupts instead of generating an interrupt for each event. For example, in connection with network controllers, each time a frame is received, it may be stored and bundled with a predetermined number of other frame receipt events to decrease the number of interrupts which must be handled. If a timer times out before all of the predetermined events have occurred, the ensuing bundle size may be decreased. Conversely, if all of the events occur before the timer times out, the ensuing bundle may be increased in size. In this way, the system dynamically accommodates for increased or decreased event activity, optimizing the number of interrupts that may be necessary.

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