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:
Aug. 22, 1995
Filed:
Apr. 17, 1992
Stephen P Thompson, Delray Beach, FL (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A method and system for controlling access to a system bus in a computer system is provided. The system devices include a central processing unit, a memory controller for controlling access to system memory, and at least one input/output device having a coprocessor incorporated therein. The system bus electrically connects the system devices. Any one of the system devices may serve as a bus master of the system bus at any one time when communicating over the bus with each other or with system memory. Each of the at least one input/output device incorporates control logic therein for (i) monitoring bus activity to calculate the bus mastering time during which the memory controller and the at least one input/output device control the bus, and (ii) outputting an inhibit signal which denies access to the bus by the at least one input/output device if the calculated bus mastering time is equal to or greater than a predetermined bus mastering time period.