Patents by Inventor Colin Helliwell

Colin Helliwell 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: 6760795
    Abstract: A data queue system comprises plural memory blocks defined in memory, and a queue which comprises a number of memory blocks each including a link to the following block in the data queue. A queue descriptor includes identities which identify: the final block in the queue, the memory location where the most recent read commit occurred (and optionally an offset from a predetermined location in that block), the memory location where the most recent write commit occurred (and optionally an offset from a predetermined location in that memory block), the size of the blocks, the memory location the most recent write occurred, the number of unused blocks, the number of blocks which contain data to be read, the type of data queue, the memory location where the most recent read occurred and the number of blocks which have been read since the most recent read commit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2004
    Assignee: Zarlink Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Alistair Goudie, Colin Helliwell, Marcus Jones
  • Publication number: 20020156764
    Abstract: A method of managing data stored in a queue in memory comprises reading data from a head of the queue, and updating the location of a ‘latest read’ pointer, separate from the memory blocks in which the data is stored, to a location corresponding to the end of the data. After transferring the data to a destination and upon receiving confirmation that the data transfer was successful, the location of a ‘committed read’ pointer is updated to point to a location corresponding to the end of the data. This allows uncommitted data to be stored without requiring a separate area of memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2001
    Publication date: October 24, 2002
    Applicant: Zarlink Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Alistair Goudie, Colin Helliwell, Marcus Jones
  • Publication number: 20020133648
    Abstract: A data queue system comprises plural memory blocks defined in memory, and a queue which comprises a number of memory blocks each including a link to the following block in the data queue. A queue descriptor includes identities which identify: the final block in the queue, the memory location where the most recent read commit occurred (and optionally an offset from a predetermined location in that block), the memory location where the most recent write commit occurred (and optionally an offset from a predetermined location in that memory block), the size of the blocks, the memory location the most recent write occurred, the number of unused blocks, the number of blocks which contain data to be read, the type of data queue, the memory location where the most recent read occurred and the number of blocks which have been read since the most recent read commit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2001
    Publication date: September 19, 2002
    Applicant: Zarlink Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Alistair Goudie, Colin Helliwell, Marcus Jones
  • Publication number: 20020129213
    Abstract: A method of storing a data packet in a memory divided into plural memory blocks comprises removing a header of the data packet into packet fragments, storing each packet fragment in a respective memory block with a respective header. A ‘packet start’ flag is then set in the header of the memory block containing the packet fragment corresponding to the start of the remainder of the data packet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2001
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Applicant: Zarlink Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Alistair Goudie, Colin Helliwell, Marcus Jones