Abstract: A method and apparatus implementing an enhanced protocol between an I2C master and an I2C slave. In various embodiments the invention permits greater addressability space and high priority access to the slave device. The enhanced protocol is implemented by the addition of command code data being transmitted which is recognized through an interface circuit inside the slave device. The invention provides an I2C solution for accessing high priority address space with one command byte, medium priority space with two command bytes and low priority space with three command bytes.

Abstract: A multiple agent system providing each of a plurality of agents, e.g., processors, to access a shared synchronous or asynchronous memory. In the case of synchronous memory, the clock signal from a super agent selected from among the plurality of agents provides a memory access clock signal to the other agents accessing the same shared memory. The other agents synchronize their respective address, data and control busses to those of the super agent, and output a representation of the same clock signal to the shared memory. In another aspect of the present invention, the shared memory is partitioned for use from among a plurality of groups of agents, each agent group comprising one or more agents. Any one of the agents may update a configuration register to flexibly reconfigure the amount of shared memory available to the agents as necessary.

Abstract: A dual processor system comprises a first processor coupled to a second processor by a system address bus and a data bus. The second processor has a control register having a control register system address, an internal memory, a data register having a data register system address and coupled to the internal memory, and an internal address generator coupled to the control register and to the internal memory. The control word is written into the control register when the first processor places a control word having a burst mode bit and a starting internal address on the data bus and asserts the control register system address on the system address bus. The second processor enters a burst mode in which the internal address generator selects consecutive memory locations of the internal memory, starting at the starting internal address specified in the control word stored in the control register, during subsequent data transfer cycles, when the control word has a burst mode bit indicating burst mode.

Abstract: A computer peripheral device suitable for operation with a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Bus or the like, has the ability to “wakeup” the bus from a cold state (e.g., D3cold) without the need to supply auxiliary power (e.g., 3.3 volts) to the entire device during the cold state. A modem in the preferred embodiment (although the invention is applicable to other peripheral devices), the device latches device status information from the main circuitry of the device (operating on 5 volts, for example) into a “keep alive” circuit connected to the auxiliary power supply upon the falling edge of a PCI reset signal (RST#). Additionally, the auxiliary power supply also powers a ring detect circuit for the detection of an incoming telephone call, which incoming call triggers a Power Management Event (PME#) signal for changing the state of the bus to an active state.

Abstract: A new modem architecture that substantially minimizes the cost of adding features to the modem, and substantially minimizes the time overhead associated with the slave-like interface between the modem controller and the modem signal processor. The architecture enables the signal processor to directly access the controller's memory resources so that the signal processor can make most efficient use of its own internal expensive high-speed memory.

Abstract: A data converter for converting a signal either from analog form to digital form or from digital form to analog form includes a storage register. The storage register receives and temporarily stores digital data samples. The digital data samples are transferable out of the storage register in the same sequence in which they were received. A digital signal processor coupled to the storage register is interruptible to transferred digital data samples either to or from the storage register. In this manner, the digital signal processor transfers multiple digital data samples either to or from the storage register during each interrupt rather than transferring a single data sample per interrupt, thereby reducing the number of interrupts necessary to transfer a given number of digital data samples.