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:
Apr. 13, 2004
Filed:
Mar. 27, 2000
Donald Tavoletti, Warrington, PA (US);
Jeffrey T. Davis, Doylestown, PA (US);
Chris Del Sordo, Souderton, PA (US);
Jack M. Birnbaum, Southampton, PA (US);
General Instrument Corporation, Horsham, PA (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for providing abstraction layers in the hierarchical structure of a set-top terminal to enable the set-top's firmware to be compatible with different operating systems. An operating system (OS) kernel interface is provided using a first OS abstraction layer that is OS-independent, and a second abstraction layer that is OS-dependent. The interface enables the terminal's firmware to access the kernel's set of functions independently of the OS. The abstraction layers provide an interface for kernel functions for the following kernel constructs: Timers, Threads, Memory, Synchronization and Messaging. The invention benefits terminal manufacturers and developers as well as network operators by allowing set-top firmware to run without modifications due to a change in the set-top's OS.