Patents by Inventor Rick Hennessy

Rick Hennessy 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).

  • Method and apparatus for developing and debugging portable computers via a peripheral interface slot
    Patent number: 6321349
    Abstract: A portable computer includes a housing having an outside surface. A processor is contained within the housing and has a bus port and a debug port. A debug connector is mounted at the outside surface of the computer housing and is operatively connected to the debug port. The computer housing can include at least one peripheral interface slot defined by a portion of the outside surface of the computer, and the debug connector can be located in the peripheral interface slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventor: Rick Hennessy
  • Enabling access to a selected one of two detected same type peripheral devices connected to separate peripheral slots in a computer
    Patent number: 6178469
    Abstract: A computer has a processor having a bus port operatively connected to a first bus and being operative to selectively access one of a plurality of peripheral devices operatively connected to the bus via at least one of a series of identifiers. The computer also has a peripheral selector for detecting the presence of one or more of the peripheral devices operatively connected to the first and second peripheral ports, for assigning a first of the identifiers to the first peripheral port if one of the peripheral devices is operatively connected to a first peripheral port that is connected to the bus, and for assigning the same first identifier to a second peripheral port that is operatively connected to the bus if the presence of one of the peripheral devices at the first peripheral port is not detected and the presence of one of the peripheral devices at the second peripheral port is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation
    Inventors: Rick Hennessy, David LeClair, Sanjeev Kumar, John Mallard
  • Peripheral identification using bypassable impedances connected in series
    Patent number: 6138182
    Abstract: A computer includes a multi-bit analog-to-digital converter, which is mounted within the computer's housing and has a digital output operatively connected to a bus port of the computer's processor. The computer also includes a local passive identification network that has a first node operatively connected to an analog input of the converter and further nodes respectively electrically connected to pins of a multi-contact local interface connector. A passive peripheral device identification network including a plurality of nodes each electrically connected to a multi-contact peripheral identification connector can mate with the multi-contact local connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: Digital Equipment Corporation
    Inventors: Rick Hennessy, Scott L. Pirdy