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:
Dec. 28, 1993
Filed:
Aug. 20, 1992
Bradley W Hamilton, Fort Collins, CO (US);
John W Slattery, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Kerry J Monroe, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
An automatically configurable I/O board and associated software avoids any need for jumpers, switches, or other configuration changes upon installation of the board. Utilization of the main computer capability to select addresses and values likely to be available involves an installation or other routine which arrives at a unique parameter through common commands and repetitive execution. Uniqueness of the parameter or address is accomplished by checking for use elsewhere in the system prior to operation of the board. Steps are taken to avoid any inappropriate changes in conflicting I/O boards by activating components on the board through use of a state machine, by using non-destructive commands for initial checks, by tristating unnecessary lines, and by re-initializing registers whenever a conflict is encountered. Additionally no address space is used to activate the board.