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:
May. 04, 2004
Filed:
Dec. 14, 1999
Jiming Sun, Portland, OR (US);
Albert Tsang, Portland, OR (US);
Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
Firmware for a computer system reduces boot time utilizing the multi-tasking capabilities of a processor to perform at least two boot tasks simultaneously. The boot tasks can be divided into groups which are executed in parallel. To accommodate certain boot tasks which must be performed in sequence, the boot tasks can be arranged in groups which are executed sequentially. The tasks within each group are performed simultaneously. The boot time is also reduced by only enumerating hardware if the system hardware has been changed since the previous boot. The firmware determines if hardware has been changed by checking an electrical hardware latch which signals whether the computer case has been opened.