Patents by Inventor Michael W. Knowles

Michael W. Knowles 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: 7308522
    Abstract: A method of enforcing the ordering of read and write transactions for an adapter unit connected to a strongly-ordered bus. The adapter unit has a set of read buffers and write buffers. Initiator write transactions and target read completion transactions are performed on the bus in the original order in which the transactions are received. An initiator read transaction request is enqueued in the read buffer but selectively awaits the performance of one or more pending initiator write transactions in the write buffer before the read transaction request is presented to the bus. In this way, initiator write transactions on which the read transaction request depends and pending in the write buffer are retired to the bus before the initiator read transaction request is performed, thus assuring that the initiator read transaction request is not performed ahead of the initiator write transaction on which the read transaction request depends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Tom A. Heynemann, Jeffrey A. Sprouse, Michael W. Knowles
  • Publication number: 20040225823
    Abstract: A method of enforcing the ordering of read and write transactions for an adapter unit connected to a strongly-ordered bus. The adapter unit has a set of read buffers and write buffers. Initiator write transactions and target read completion transactions are performed on the bus in the original order in which the transactions are received. An initiator read transaction request is enqueued in the read buffer but selectively awaits the performance of one or more pending initiator write transactions in the write buffer before the read transaction request is presented to the bus. In this way, initiator write transactions on which the read transaction request depends and pending in the write buffer are retired to the bus before the initiator read transaction request is performed, thus assuring that the initiator read transaction request is not performed ahead of the initiator write transaction on which the read transaction request depends.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2004
    Publication date: November 11, 2004
    Inventors: Tom A. Heynemann, Jeffrey A. Sprouse, Michael W. Knowles
  • Patent number: 6754737
    Abstract: A method of enforcing the ordering of read and write transactions for an adapter unit connected to a strongly-ordered bus. The adapter unit has a set of read buffers and write buffers. Initiator write transactions and target read completion transactions are performed on the bus in the original order in which the transactions are received. An initiator read transaction request is enqueued in the read buffer but selectively awaits the performance of one or more pending initiator write transactions in the write buffer before the read transaction request is presented to the bus. In this way, initiator write transactions on which the read transaction request depends and pending in the write buffer are retired to the bus before the initiator read transaction request is performed, thus assuring that the initiator read transaction request is not performed ahead of the initiator write transaction on which the read transaction request depends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Tom A. Heynemann, Jeffrey A. Sprouse, Michael W. Knowles
  • Publication number: 20030131174
    Abstract: A method of enforcing the ordering of read and write transactions for an adapter unit connected to a strongly-ordered bus. The adapter unit has a set of read buffers and write buffers. Initiator write transactions and target read completion transactions are performed on the bus in the original order in which the transactions are received. An initiator read transaction request is enqueued in the read buffer but selectively awaits the performance of one or more pending initiator write transactions in the write buffer before the read transaction request is presented to the bus. In this way, initiator write transactions on which the read transaction request depends and pending in the write buffer are retired to the bus before the initiator read transaction request is performed, thus assuring that the initiator read transaction request is not performed ahead of the initiator write transaction on which the read transaction request depends.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2001
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Inventors: Tom A. Heynemann, Jeffrey A. Sprouse, Michael W. Knowles
  • Publication number: 20030131175
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of enforcing the ordering of read and write transactions for an adapter unit connected to a strongly-ordered bus. The adapter unit has a set of read buffers and write buffers. Initiator write transactions and target read completion transactions are performed on the bus in the original order in which the transactions are received. An initiator read transaction request is enqueued in the read buffer but selectively awaits the performance of one or more pending initiator write transactions in the write buffer before the read transaction request is presented to the bus. In this way, initiator write transactions, on which the read transaction request depends, pending in the write buffer are retired to the bus before the initiator read transaction request is performed, thus assuring that the initiator read transaction request is not performed ahead of the initiator write transaction on which the read transaction request depends.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2001
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Inventors: Tom A. Heynemann, Jeffrey A. Sprouse, Michael W. Knowles
  • Patent number: 6487628
    Abstract: A peripheral control interface provides access to a system area network for a plurality of peripheral devices connected to the PCI through an I/O bus. A plurality of virtual data channels is defined in local memory to which outstanding requests from peripherals are assigned. Physical channel engines implement the order requests through the assigned virtual data channel with accessed data stored in local memory. A subsequent request by a peripheral can then be immediately fulfilled from data stored in memory. Data channel context stored in memory includes the number of outstanding requests by a user to whom the channel is dedicated, and a physical channel engine can pre-fetch data in response to a plurality of outstanding requests from a peripheral thereby eliminating latency in fulfilling requests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Peter H. Duong, Michael W. Knowles