Patents Assigned to National Instruments Coporation
  • Patent number: 5987530
    Abstract: An apparatus and method is provided for caching data in a universal serial bus (USB) system. In one embodiment, the present invention employs a host computer coupled to an I/O device via a USB. The host computer includes a data cache for storing data retrieved from the I/O device. The data cache allows data to be returned to the host computer upon request without accessing the I/O device via a USB transaction. A cacheability look-up table and cache table are provided to ensure the integrity of data returned to the host computer. Requested data is returned from the I/O device if the cacheability look-up table indicates the requested data is noncacheable. Data is returned from the data cache if the cache table indicates the requested data is available in the cache as valid data. If the cache table indicates the requested data is not available in the cache as valid data, the requested data is returned from the I/O device along with data stored in predetermined I/O device addresses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: National Instruments Coporation
    Inventor: Andrew Thomson