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:
Mar. 16, 1999
Filed:
Jun. 13, 1997
Mark Michael Schaffer, Cary, NC (US);
James N Dieffenderfer, Apex, NC (US);
Edward Hammond Green, III, Cary, NC (US);
Juan Guillermo Revilla, Cary, NC (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
Bus performance in a computer system having multiple devices accessing a common shared bus may be improved by providing a flexible bus arbiter. Bus access is controlled using a bus arbiter which is operationally connected to each of the devices. Each device has a fixed programmable priority level and a dynamic priority level associated with it. The dynamic priority level comprises an arbiter dynamic priority level and a master dynamic priority level. Access to the bus by a device is controlled based on the combination of the programmable fixed priority level and the dynamic priority level associated with each device. While the programmable fixed priority level and the arbiter dynamic priority level as set by the arbiter are not controlled by the master, the master dynamic priority level is controlled by the master. If master dynamic priority is enabled, it overrides the arbiter dynamic priority level. If master dynamic priority is not enabled but arbiter dynamic priority is enabled, master dynamic priority overrides the programmable fixed priority level.