Hardware Defined Anything In A Platform With Swappable Pods, Message Interface, Sandboxes And Memory Superposition
Patent No. US10985943 (titled "Hardware Defined Anything In A Platform With Swappable Pods, Message Interface, Sandboxes And Memory Superposition") was filed by Xtreamedge Inc on Jul 15, 2018.
What is this patent about?
’943 is related to the field of data processing systems, specifically addressing the need for flexible hardware solutions in environments with evolving data formats and processing requirements. Traditional software-based systems can be slow, while dedicated hardware is expensive and time-consuming to redesign for each new application. The patent aims to bridge this gap by providing a reconfigurable hardware platform suitable for tasks like video processing, where standards are constantly changing.
The underlying idea behind ’943 is to create a programmable hardware platform that allows users to define and modify data processing circuits without requiring a complete hardware redesign. This is achieved by using a programmable logic device (PLD) , such as an FPGA, divided into two key regions: a routing region and a user-configurable region. The routing region provides a fixed communication infrastructure, while the user-configurable region allows for the implementation of custom data processing logic.
The claims of ’943 focus on a programmable device featuring a PLD with two distinct regions. The first region contains a hardware or firmware-based router equipped with a port that facilitates communication with the second region. The second region comprises one or more sandboxes , each containing user-definable programmable electronic circuits within the PLD. A key aspect of the claims is the inclusion of a lockable bridge within the port, which can be secured to prevent unauthorized user access to the sandboxes and their programmable circuits, and unlocked to enable user access.
In practice, the invention allows a system designer to create a server with swappable modules, each containing a PLD. A portion of the PLD is dedicated to routing data between modules using a standardized messaging protocol. The remaining portion of the PLD is available for the user to implement custom hardware accelerators or processing pipelines tailored to specific applications. The lockable bridge provides a security mechanism to prevent tampering with the core routing functionality while still allowing users to customize their processing logic.
This approach differs from traditional systems that rely heavily on either fixed hardware or general-purpose processors. By using a PLD with a dedicated routing infrastructure and user-configurable sandboxes, the invention offers a balance between performance and flexibility. The Module Message Interface (MMI) network enables communication between modules, while the sandboxes allow for the implementation of custom hardware functions, resulting in a system that can be easily adapted to new data processing requirements without requiring a complete hardware overhaul.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the late 2010s when ’943 was filed, at a time when data processing systems commonly relied on processors and operating systems to manage data flow, hardware-based solutions were often considered for performance-critical applications. However, designing and implementing dedicated hardware for each new application or data format was a complex and time-consuming process. When hardware or software constraints made flexible and reconfigurable data processing architectures non-trivial, systems typically relied on fixed hardware configurations or software-based emulation to handle diverse data processing tasks.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner allowed the claims because the closest prior art (Earl et al.) does not teach or suggest a second region comprising one or more sandboxes with user-definable programmable electronic circuits of the PLD, wherein the port comprises a bridge being lockable to prevent user access, and unlockable to enable user access, to each of the sandboxes and the user-definable programmable electronic circuits therein. Another reference (Mies et al.) also fails to teach or suggest this combination.
Claims
This patent contains 18 claims, with independent claims 1 and 10 directed to a programmable device for data flow processing in a user-configurable server, featuring a programmable logic device with regions, a router, and sandboxes. The dependent claims generally elaborate on the features and functionalities of the programmable device described in the independent claims, such as protocol translation, sandbox programmability, bridge security, resource analytics, and sandbox configuration.
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Date
Description
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US10985943
- Application Number
- US16035674
- Filing Date
- Jul 15, 2018
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Jul 15, 2038
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents