David J Braun

US Patent:

6385756, May 7, 2002

Filed:

Mar 23, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/274990

Inventors:

David P. Braun - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Conexant Systems, Inc. - Newport Beach CA

International Classification:

G06F 1750

US Classification:

716 1, 716 8

Abstract:

A functionality selection system that selects the operation of a function within a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device is capable of performing a plurality of functions. The functions are already embedded in the semiconductor device and available for selection. The functionality selection system operates prior to encapsulation of the semiconductor device. The availability of performing the functionality selection just prior to encapsulation provides numerous advantages over conventional functionality selection systems. By performing the selection of the semiconductor devices functionality to just prior to encapsulation, the lag time between a customers order and a shipment of the semiconductor device is shortened. The lag time can be shortened to only two weeks in contrast to many conventional selection systems that have lag times as long as three months. The invention is also a functionality identification system.

US Patent:

6389033, May 14, 2002

Filed:

Jan 25, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/237146

Inventors:

Conrad A. Maxwell - Irvine CA
David P. Braun - Irvine CA
George C. Sneed - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Conexant Systems, Inc. - Newport Beach CA

International Classification:

H04L 1240

US Classification:

370438, 370489

Abstract:

A system and method for performing signal acceleration on data packets communicated across an AC-link bus directly interconnecting a codec to a codec controller. The system positions an accelerator directly in the communication path between the codec and its respective codec controller, so that the accelerator is arranged to receive signals traveling through the AC-link bus. This arrangement allows data manipulation to be performed by the accelerator on the data packets communicated across the AC-link bus, where the processed data packets are output by the accelerator back onto the AC-link bus. The accelerator is arranged to have real-time access to the input and output data streams traveling through the AC-link bus, so that data manipulation can be performed without multiple communications to the codec controller or host computer CPU.

US Patent:

6434633, Aug 13, 2002

Filed:

Nov 2, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/432141

Inventors:

David P Braun - Irvine CA
Mark E Miller - Mission Viejo CA
Randy Nuss - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Conexant Systems, Inc. - Newport Beach CA

International Classification:

G06F 300

US Classification:

710 15, 710 23, 710 46, 710 64, 710266

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for facilitating AC-link communications between a controller and a slow peripheral of a codec is disclosed. In one embodiment, the GPIO_INT bit (i. e. bit in slot in the AC-links SDATA_IN line) is utilized as an interrupt flag to indicate when data requested by the controller from the slow peripheral is returned and is available to be read by the controller. The GPIO_INT bit can also be used to indicate when a write into the slow peripheral is completed. In this embodiment, a âperipheral ready bitâ or a âperipheral ready signalâ originated from the slow peripheral is used to set the GPIO_INT bit. Another embodiment is directed to controllers which ignore the GPIO_INT bit as a source of interrupt. To accommodate these controllers, one of the GPIO bits is used to send the value of the âperipheral ready bitâ to the controller. Upon receipt of the peripheral ready bit as one of the GPIO bits from the codec, the controller would interrupt the host CPU and the host CPU is made aware that the data requested from the slow peripheral is returned and is available to be read.

US Patent:

6466584, Oct 15, 2002

Filed:

Sep 30, 1998

Appl. No.:

09/165592

Inventors:

Conrad A. Maxwell - Irvine CA
David P. Braun - Irvine CA
George C. Sneed - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Conexant Systems, Inc. - Newport Beach CA

International Classification:

H04J 322

US Classification:

370465, 370458, 375222

Abstract:

A system and method for performing a digital subscriber line (DSL) transmission over an AC-link bus directly connecting a modem codec to a codec controller. The codec and codec controller connected to the AC-link bus are configured for a particular industry-defined AC-link bus protocol defining a data packet having multiple time-division multiplexed (TDM) data slots, where the present invention redefines the protocol of the AC-link bus in order to allow a high bandwidth DSL transmission to be performed using the data packets transmitted over the AC-link bus. The present invention redefines the AC-link bus protocol to provide at least one additional TDM data slot in the data packet for handling DSL modem transmission data streams. The reconfigured data packet provides additional bandwidth capabilities which allow high-bandwidth DSL modem transmissions to be sent in the data packets transmitted over the AC-link bus, which where not previously achievable using the industry-defined AC-link protocol.

US Patent:

6473870, Oct 29, 2002

Filed:

Dec 11, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/734848

Inventors:

Conrad A. Maxwell - Irvine CA
David P. Braun - Irvine CA
Tom Lau - Coto de Caza CA

Assignee:

Conexant Systems, Inc. - Newport Beach CA

International Classification:

G06F 1100

US Classification:

714 38, 710 11

Abstract:

A system and method for providing soft modem and soft audio copy protection for hardware interfaces and software code utilized in an AC 97 architecture to prevent against unauthorized copying. The system confirms that a codec connected to the AC 97 architecture is provided by a desired supplier. The system performs a sample rate negotiation to determine an operating sample rate for data transfer. When the system provides a desired sample rate which does not correspond to a sample rate appearing in a predefined set of sample rates supported by an AC 97 architecture, the system expects the codec to echo back a predesignated sample rate during the sample rate negotiation indicating that a desired sample rate has been received which does not correspond to one of the supported sample rates. When the system determines that the predesignated sample rate has been echoed back, the copy protection system recognizes the codec as being provided by an authorized supplier and authorizes the codec for operation. However, the system disables the attached codec when it determines that the predesignated sample rate has not been echoed back from the codec in response to reading an unsupported sample rate from the control register.

US Patent:

6529975, Mar 4, 2003

Filed:

Nov 2, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/432434

Inventors:

Mark E Miller - Mission Viejo CA
David P Braun - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Conexant Systems, Inc. - Newport Beach CA

International Classification:

G06F 1312

US Classification:

710 64, 710 69, 710 15, 710266

Abstract:

In one embodiment, a single designated register in a codec is utilized by a controller to address and control a large number of expansion registers belonging to various expansion devices. The controller can write to or read from the designated register through an AC-link while complying with the AC 97 specification. The address and data bits in the designated register are used to write to or read from a target register in an expansion device. The designated register is selected from one of the registers available to a design engineer in accordance with the AC 97 specification. An example of an expansion device that can be addressed and controlled through the designated register is an SSD device. In another embodiment, two designated registers in the codec register set are utilized. The controller can write address information into one of the designated registers while complying with the AC 97 specification.

US Patent:

6766383, Jul 20, 2004

Filed:

Sep 27, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/672160

Inventors:

Mark E. Miller - Mission Viejo CA
David P. Braun - Irvine CA

Assignee:

Conexant Systems, Inc. - Newport Beach CA

International Classification:

G06F 1328

US Classification:

710 22, 710 23, 710 29, 710 33, 709212

Abstract:

Packet-Based Direct Memory Access. The present invention overcomes the oftentimes hardware consumptive and complex implementation of conventional direct memory access (DMA) that employs descriptors. The descriptors that must are employed by conventional DMA must be set up by software, and the handshaking between the hardware and software is typically very cumbersome. The packet-based DMA performed in accordance with the present invention is operable and adaptable to various types of cell-based DMA modes. A flow control regulator, or flow control state machine, is used to control the packet-based DMA performed in accordance with the present invention. Two different multiplexors (MUXs) are employed, one for each of the transmit and the receive packet-based DMA transfers, to select the various cases of packet-based DMA. The present invention is operable within various modes including asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cell-based asynchronous digital subscriber loop (ADSL) applications. An efficient implementation using registers to control the packet-based DMA transfers is provided by the present invention.

US Patent:

7706215, Apr 27, 2010

Filed:

Dec 9, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/297404

Inventors:

David A. Braun - Redmond WA, US
Hugh C. Vidos - Sammamish WA, US
Matthew Goyer - Seattle WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G11B 17/00

US Classification:

369 3032, 369 3036

Abstract:

Application program interfaces for controlling an external media changer from a computer are provided. The application program interfaces allow for loading and identification of discs in a media changer. The application program interfaces can further allow for control of media changer functions such as locking of media changer elements and playback of disc content for discs in the media changer.