Using consecutive block IDs to keep track of data transferred across a serially linked bridge

Patent 6829670 Issued on December 7, 2004. Estimated Expiration Date:

November 1, 2020. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

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Inventor

Nakamura, Nobutaka

Application

No. 09702755 filed on 11/01/2000

US Classes:

710/310, Buffer or que control370/235, Flow control of data transmission through a network370/394, Sequencing or resequencing of packets to insure proper output sequence order714/748Request for retransmission

Examiners

Primary: Lefkowitz, Sumati

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P.

International Classes

G06F 1336
H04L 100
G08C 2502

Abstract

A PCI-PCI bridge is composed of two physically different controllers, i.e., a primary PCI serial transfer controller arranged at a PC, and a secondary PCI serial transfer controller arranged at a docking station. In data transfer between these controllers, preliminary transmission of block data having a block ID assigned thereto and a return of ACK having the block ID assigned thereto are performed asynchronously. The transmission party can determine which data item is the last the receiving party has received by employing a block ID assigned to NAK. When NAK is received from the receiving party, re-transmission from a block waiting for NAK is started. In this manner, data required to transmit a bus transaction between buses can be transferred accurately and speedily between two controllers.