Patents by Inventor David K. Ferguson

David K. Ferguson 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).

  • I/O descriptor cache for bus mastering I/O controllers
    Patent number: 7634587
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that includes an I/O descriptor cache that is accessed by a bus mastering I/O controller. The I/O descriptor cache stores descriptors that describe data to be transferred during corresponding I/O operations. The system also includes an I/O controller configured to control one or more I/O devices. This I/O controller is configured to access I/O descriptors stored in the I/O descriptor cache without having to access the main memory, thereby conserving I/O bandwidth and power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: David K. Ferguson, Robert L. Bailey, Brian D. Howard, Lesley B. Wynne