Robert James Thompson

Title: Robert James Thompson and Network Switch Testing

Introduction

Robert James Thompson is an inventor associated with Sunnyvale, California, and Advanced Micro Devices Corporation. His patent describes a way to test a network switch chip’s expansion port by converting its data into a format that standard test equipment can receive.

Latest Patents

Thompson is credited with 1 patent: “Arrangement for Testing Network Switch Expansion Port Data by Converting to Media Independent Interface Format.” The method outputs frame data from a switch’s expansion port, converts it from the port’s protocol into a network protocol such as the IEEE 802.3-based Media Independent Interface (MII) protocol, and sends the converted data to an MII-compatible test device. This approach enables validation of the expansion port without requiring another network switch chip.

Career Highlights

The available information associates Thompson with Advanced Micro Devices Corporation and identifies his work on testing network switch expansion ports. The patent’s approach uses protocol conversion to make expansion-port data accessible to existing test equipment.

Collaborations

Melissa D. Cooper is identified as Thompson’s coworker. The available information does not specify her role in the patent or the work described in it.

Conclusion

Robert James Thompson’s patent presents a practical method for testing network switch expansion ports by converting their data into a standard MII format, reducing the need for additional switch hardware during validation.