Patents by Inventor Dovard K Howard

Dovard K Howard 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).

  • Bus reset management by a primary controller card of multiple controller cards
    Patent number: 6715019
    Abstract: A communication system has multiple communication buses and multiple bus controller cards each supplying at least two independent channels of communication between one or more hosts and the communication buses. One of the controller cards is designated as a primary controller card for managing the communication buses and resetting the communication buses such that if a controller card is inserted to or removed from the system then the buses are reset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Anthony J Benson, James Lawrence White, Dovard K Howard
  • Communication bus controller including designation of primary and secondary status according to slot position
    Patent number: 6675242
    Abstract: A communication system with a plurality of interface slots includes control logic for determining and designating the status of one or more controller cards inserted in one of the slots such that: a controller card is designated as the primary card if it is inserted in an interface slot while the other slots are empty; a controller card in an interface slot with primary status retains its primary status while other controller cards are added or removed from the system; a controller card in an interface slot with a non-primary status assumes primary status if the controller card with non-primary status is plugged in a slot that after a power interruption is designated as the slot to assume primary status, or the controller card with primary status is removed from the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Anthony J Benson, James Lawrence White, Dovard K Howard
  • Master-slave communication bus controllers
    Publication number: 20020184424
    Abstract: A communication system with a plurality of interface slots includes control logic for determining and designating the status of one or more controller cards inserted in one of the slots such that: a controller card is designated as the primary card if it is inserted in an interface slot while the other slots are empty; a controller card in an interface slot with primary status retains its primary status while other controller cards are added or removed from the system; a controller card in an interface slot with a non-primary status assumes primary status if the controller card with non-primary status is plugged in a slot that after a power interruption is designated as the slot to assume primary status, or the controller card with primary status is removed from the system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2001
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Anthony J. Benson, James Lawrence White, Dovard K. Howard