The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 19, 1992
Filed:
Jan. 02, 1991
Jack J Stiffler, Hopkinton, MA (US);
James M Nolan, Holliston, MA (US);
Peter Mark, Boston, MA (US);
David Harvey, Brookline, MA (US);
Sequoia Systems, Inc., Marlborough, MA (US);
Abstract
Computer system resources shared by several central processing units are allocated by allowing one processing unit to temporarily gain exclusive access to a particular shared resource. Access to a particular resource is controlled by a memory location which contains information representing the current state of the resource and the identity of any processing element currently utilizing the resource. In the case where several resources are interchangeable, the memory location may also contain information regarding the busy/idle states of other interchangeable resources. The memory location can be interrogated by any of the processing elements via command and address information. If the contents of the memory location indicate that the associated resource is not in use, then the interrogating processing element immediately obtains control of the resource. If the resource is in use, the identity of the processing element currently using the resource and any stored resource state information is returned to the interrogating processing element which can then continue processing without the resource or choose another idle resource.