Patent ID: 7685392
Filing Date: 2010-03-23
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for providing indeterminate read data latency in a memory system, the method comprising: determining if a local data packet has been received; if the local data packet has been received, then storing the local data packet into a buffer device; determining if the buffer device contains one or more data packets; determining if an upstream driver for transmitting the one or more data packets to a memory controller via an upstream channel is idle; if the buffer device contains the one or more data packets and the upstream driver is idle, then transmitting a selected data packet of the one or more data packets to the upstream driver; determining if an upstream data packet has been received, the upstream data packet in a multi-transfer frame format that includes a single bit frame start indicator in a first transfer and an identification tag for use by the memory controller in associating the upstream data packet with its corresponding read instruction, the identification tag distributed over each transfer of multiple transfers for the entire upstream data packet; if the upstream data packet has been received and the upstream driver is not idle, then storing the upstream data packet into the buffer device, the buffer device configured to store both the local data packet and the upstream data packet as the one or more data packets; if the upstream data packet has been received and the buffer device does not contain the one or more data packets and the upstream driver is idle, then transmitting the upstream data packet to the upstream driver; and continuing to transmit any in-progress data packet if the upstream driver is not idle.