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:
Jul. 11, 2000
Filed:
Dec. 19, 1997
Tae-hyeon Sim, Seoul, KR;
Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided to buffer commands sent from a computer to a peripheral device such as an optical disk data reproduction system, e.g., a CD-ROM drive, so that, even when execution of a command by a microcontroller of the peripheral device is not completed, additional commands from the computer can be queued. The apparatus includes: (1) an intention data detection unit for detecting intention data expressing that a packet command is to be sent from a computer and for outputting the detected result; (2) a command storage unit for buffering the packet command in response to a write signal and for outputting a buffered packet command, in response to a read signal, to a microcontroller of the optical disk data reproduction system, which processes the packet command; (3) a wait state control unit for outputting the write signal in response to the detected result and a command write signal indicating that the computer has sent the packet command, and for outputting a read signal in response to a command read signal which is generated by the microcontroller and instructs the packet command to be transferred; and (4) a command presence detection unit for determining whether an additional packet command can be buffered in the command storage unit. The performance of the entire computer system is improved, since a packet command can be sent from the computer to the optical disk data reproduction system even when execution of a previously sent command is not completed, as long as an empty buffer is available in the command storage unit.