System and method for an interactive broadband system-on-chip with a reconfigurable interface
US7526791B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 24, 2002 |
| Grant date | Apr 28, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 27, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/6377
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed, in an interactive broadband set-top box receiving broadband signals from a headend, to facilitate communications with an installed card within the set-top box using a single IC chip that processes the broadband signals. The single IC chip is configured to a PCMCIA PC-card mode such that PC card signals are multiplexed to certain I/O pins of the single IC chip. In the PCMCIA PC-card mode, the single IC chip attempts to detect the presence of and identify an installed card in the set-top box. If an installed card is present and is identified as a POD module, then the single IC chip is reconfigured from the PCMCIA PC-card mode to a POD mode such that POD-compatible signals are multiplexed to certain existing I/O pins of the single IC chip when operating in the POD mode.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.