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. 10, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 28, 2000
John B. Halbert, Beaverton, OR (US);
James M. Dodd, Shingle Springs, CA (US);
Chung Lam, Redwood City, CA (US);
Randy M. Bonella, Portland, OR (US);
Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for a memory system using a branching point-to-point memory bus architecture are disclosed. In one embodiment, a primary memory controller maintains a point-to-point bus connection with one memory module and that memory module maintains a separate point-to-point bus connection with a second module. Data passing between the memory controller and the second memory module passes through a buffer circuit on the first memory module. For data received from the memory controller, the buffer circuit also passes that data up a module bus segment to a first bank of memory devices. That bank of memory devices maintains a second module bus segment with a second bank of memory devices. Data passing between the buffer circuit and the second bank of memory devices passes through a pass-through circuit on the first bank of memory devices. In this manner, a point-to-point memory bus architecture can be maintained even when a memory module contains more than one bank of memory devices.