Patents by Inventor Bill Nale

Bill Nale has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9619408
    Abstract: A semiconductor chip comprising memory controller circuitry having interface circuitry to couple to a memory channel. The memory controller includes first logic circuitry to implement a first memory channel protocol on the memory channel. The first memory channel protocol is specific to a first volatile system memory technology. The interface also includes second logic circuitry to implement a second memory channel protocol on the memory channel. The second memory channel protocol is specific to a second non volatile system memory technology. The second memory channel protocol is a transactional protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Bill Nale, Raj K. Ramanujan, Muthukumar P. Swaminathan, Tessil Thomas, Taarinya Polepeddi
  • Publication number: 20160283318
    Abstract: Error correction in a memory subsystem includes a memory device generating internal check bits after performing internal error detection and correction, and providing the internal check bits to the memory controller. The memory device performs internal error detection to detect errors in read data in response to a read request from the memory controller. The memory device selectively performs internal error correction if an error is detected in the read data. The memory device generates check bits indicating an error vector for the read data after performing internal error detection and correction, and provides the check bits with the read data to the memory controller in response to the read request. The memory controller can apply the check bits for error correction external to the memory device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Inventors: Debaleena Das, Bill Nale, Kuljit S. Bains, John B. Halbert
  • Publication number: 20160210251
    Abstract: A semiconductor chip comprising memory controller circuitry having interface circuitry to couple to a memory channel. The memory controller includes first logic circuitry to implement a first memory channel protocol on the memory channel. The first memory channel protocol is specific to a first volatile system memory technology. The interface also includes second logic circuitry to implement a second memory channel protocol on the memory channel. The second memory channel protocol is specific to a second non volatile system memory technology.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: Bill NALE, Raj K. RAMANUJAN, Muthukumar P. SWAMINATHAN, Tessil THOMAS, Taarinya POLEPEDDI
  • Publication number: 20160211973
    Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus method and apparatus for scrambling read data in a memory module. A read data packet having scrambled read data returned in response to a read request is received. The scrambler seed is updated in response to receiving the read data packet. The scrambler seed is used to descramble the scrambled read data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: Bill NALE, Jonathan C. JASPER, Jun ZHU, Tuan M. QUACH
  • Publication number: 20160210187
    Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for performing error handling operations using error signals A first error signal is asserted on an error pin on a bus to signal to a host memory controller that error handling operations are being performed by a memory module controller in response to detecting an error. Error handling operations are performed to return the bus to an initial state in response to detecting the error. A second error signal is asserted on the error pin on the bus to signal that error handling operations have completed and the bus is returned to the initial state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: Bill NALE, Jonathan C. JASPER, Murugasamy K. NACHIMUTHU, Jun ZHU, Tuan M. QUACH
  • Publication number: 20160188500
    Abstract: A plurality of completed writes to memory are identified corresponding to a plurality of write requests from a host device received over a buffered memory interface. A completion packet is sent to the host device that includes a plurality of write completions to correspond to the plurality of completed writes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 25, 2014
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventors: Brian S. Morris, Jeffrey C. Swanson, Bill Nale, Robert G. Blankenship, Jeff Willey, Eric L. Hendrickson
  • Publication number: 20160188258
    Abstract: In some embodiments a controller includes a memory activate pin, one or more combined memory command/address signal pins, and a selection circuit adapted to select in response to the memory activate pin as each of the one or more combined memory command/address signal pins either a memory command signal or a memory address signal. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventor: Bill Nale
  • Publication number: 20160179718
    Abstract: A sequence of read returns are to be sent to a host device over a transactional buffered memory interface, where the sequence includes at least a first read return to a first read request and a second read return to a second read request. A tracker identifier of the second read return is encoded in the first read return and the first read return is sent with the tracker identifier of the second read return to the host device. The second read return is sent to the host device after the first read return is sent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2014
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Brian S. Morris, Bill Nale, Robert G. Blankenship, Jeffrey C. Swanson
  • Publication number: 20160179604
    Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for using an error signal to indicate a write request error and write request acceptance performing error handling operations using error signals. A memory module controller detects a write error for a write request in a memory module and asserts an error signal on a bus to a host memory controller in response to detecting the write error.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Bill NALE, Jun ZHU, Tuan M. QUACH
  • Publication number: 20160179610
    Abstract: Data is sent from a memory buffer device to a host device over a link. An error in the data is determined. A read response cancellation signal is sent to the host device to indicate the error to the host device, where the read response cancellation signal is to be sent subsequent to the data being sent from the memory buffer device to the host device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2014
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Brian S. Morris, Bill Nale, Robert G. Blankenship, Eric L. Hendrickson
  • Publication number: 20160179679
    Abstract: A speculative read request is received from a host device over a buffered memory access link for data associated with a particular address. A read request is sent for the data to a memory device. The data is received from the memory device in response to the read request and the received data is sent to the host device as a response to a demand read request received subsequent to the speculative read request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Brian S. Morris, Bill Nale, Robert G. Blankenship, Yen-Cheng Liu
  • Publication number: 20160179742
    Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for providing a host memory controller write credits for write commands. A host memory controller coupled to a memory module over a bus determines whether a read data packet returned from the memory module indicates at least one write credit and increments a write credit counter in response to determining that the read data packet indicates at least one write credit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Bill NALE, Jun ZHU, Tuan M. QUACH
  • Publication number: 20160147678
    Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for selecting one of a plurality of bus interface configurations to use. Selection is made of a first bus interface configuration having a first bus width to send data over the bus in response to an interface parameter indicating a first interface parameter. Selection is made of a second bus interface configuration having a second bus width to send data over the bus in response to the interface parameter indicating a second interface parameter, wherein the first bus width has fewer bits than the second bus width.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Inventor: Bill NALE
  • Publication number: 20160148653
    Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for using a pre-clock enable (pre-CKE) command for power management modes. A host memory controller sends a pre-CKE command to a memory module over a bus indicating at least one power management operation to perform. The host memory controller further asserts a clock enable (CKE) signal to the memory module over the bus after sending the pre-CKE command to cause a memory module controller to execute the indicated at least one power management operation in response to the CKE signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Inventor: Bill NALE
  • Patent number: 9342453
    Abstract: A semiconductor chip comprising memory controller circuitry having interface circuitry to couple to a memory channel. The memory controller includes first logic circuitry to implement a first memory channel protocol on the memory channel. The first memory channel protocol is specific to a first volatile system memory technology. The interface also includes second logic circuitry to implement a second memory channel protocol on the memory channel. The second memory channel protocol is specific to a second non volatile system memory technology. The second memory channel protocol is a transactional protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Bill Nale, Raj K. Ramanujan, Muthukumar P. Swaminathan, Tessil Thomas, Taarinya Polepeddi
  • Publication number: 20160132269
    Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for setting high address bits in a memory module. A memory module controller in the memory module, having pins to communicate on a bus, determines whether high address bits are available for the memory module, uses a predetermined value for at least one high address bit with addresses communicated from a host memory controller in response to determine that the high address bits are not available to address a first address space in the memory module, and uses values communicated from the host memory controller on at least one of the pins used for the at least one high address bit in response to determine that the high address bits are available to address a second address space, wherein the second address space is larger than the first address space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Inventor: Bill NALE
  • Publication number: 20160117219
    Abstract: Techniques and mechanisms to provide selective access to data error information by a memory controller. In an embodiment, a memory device stores a first value representing a baseline number of data errors determined prior to operation of the memory device with the memory controller. Error detection logic of the memory device determines a current count of data errors, and calculates a second value representing a difference between the count of data errors and the baseline number of data errors. The memory device provides the second value to the memory controller, which is unable to identify that the second value is a relative error count. In another embodiment, the memory controller is restricted from retrieving the baseline number of data errors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Inventors: John B. Halbert, Kuljit S. Bains, Debaleena Das, Bill Nale
  • Publication number: 20160099044
    Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for a memory module to accept a command in multiple parts. A first half of a command is placed on a bus for a memory module in a first clock cycle. A chip select signal is placed on the bus for the memory module for the first half of the command. A second half of the command is placed on the bus in a second clock cycle following the first clock cycle, wherein the memory module accepts the second half of the command a delay interval from accepting the first half of the command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Bill NALE, Jun ZHU, Tuan M. QUACH
  • Publication number: 20160098195
    Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for determining a timing adjustment of output to a host memory controller in a first memory module coupled to a host memory controller and a second memory module over a bus. A determination is made of a timing adjustment based on at least one component in at least one of the first memory module and the second memory module. A timing of output to the host memory controller is adjusted based on the determined timing adjustment to match a timing of output at the second memory module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventor: Bill NALE
  • Publication number: 20160098366
    Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for method and apparatus for encoding registers in a memory module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Bill NALE, John V. LOVELACE, Murugasamy M. NACHIMUTHU, Tuan M. QUACH