Patents by Inventor David Vannier

David Vannier 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).

  • Computer system with interrupts transparent to its operating system and application programs
    Patent number: 5276888
    Abstract: A transparent system interrupt is invoked by the assertion of an electrical signal at an external pin of a microprocessor CPU chip. Upon assertion of this interrupt, the CPU begins program execution in a dedicated RAM area that is inaccessible both to the operating system and all application programs. A set of instructions, which may be unique to the system in which the CPU chip is installed, services the interrupt. Typically, the state of the CPU and associated components in the system immediately prior to assertion of the interrupt will be saved into the dedicated RAM area by the interrupt service routine. Recovery from the interrupt is accomplished upon recognition of an external event that invokes a RESUME instruction causing the CPU and associated components to be restored to exactly the same state that existed prior to the interrupt and in a manner entirely transparent to any program executing at the time of the interrupt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 4, 1994
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: James Kardach, Gregory Mathews, Cau Nguyen, Sung S. Cho, Kameswaran Sivamani, David Vannier, Shing Wong, Edward Zager
  • Transparent system interrupt
    Patent number: 5175853
    Abstract: A transparent system interrupt is invoked by the assertion of an electrical signal at an external pin of a microprocessor CPU chip. Upon assertion of this interrupt, the CPU begins program execution in a dedicated RAM area that is inaccessible both to the operating system and all application programs. A set of instructions, which may be unique to the system in which the CPU chip is installed, services the interrupt. Typically, the state of the CPU and associated components in the system immediately prior to assertion of the interrupt will be saved into the dedicated RAM area by the interrupt service routine. Recovery from the interrupt is accomplished upon recognition of an external event that invokes a RESUME instruction causing the CPU and associated components to be restored to exactly the same state that existed prior to the interrupt and in a manner entirely transparent to any program executing at the time of the interrupt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: James Kardach, Gregory Mathews, Cau Nguyen, Sung S. Cho, Kameswaran Sivamani, David Vannier, Shing Wong, Edward Zager