Patent ID: 7289823

Claim:
A dual-processor wireless-communications device comprising: a wireless transceiver for sending and receiving wireless data over a wireless network using wireless protocols; a base-band processor, coupled to control the wireless transceiver, for executing routines using a first operating system kernel including routines to transmit and receive wireless data through the wireless transceiver; a base-band frame buffer, coupled to the base-band processor, for storing base-band graphics data generated by routines executing on the base-band processor; an applications processor for executing application programs using a second operating system kernel; a shared memory having a first buffer that is written by the base-band processor and read by the applications processor; a transmit routine, executing on the base-band processor and coupled to the base-band frame buffer, the transmit routine writing a graphics-update message to the first buffer in the shared memory in response to the routines executing on the base-band processor updating the base-band graphics data in the base-band frame buffer; a shared mailbox, coupled to be written by the applications processor and by the base-band processor, having a plurality of mailbox locations, wherein writing to a first mailbox location in the shared mailbox generates a second interrupt to the applications processor; a receive driver, executed by the applications processor in response to the second interrupt, the receive driver reading the graphics-update message from the first buffer in the shared memory in response to the second interrupt; a copied frame buffer, coupled to the applications processor, having a copy of the base-band graphics data, the receive driver updating the copy of the base-band graphics data in the copied frame buffer in response to the graphics-update message; and a display, coupled to the applications processor, for displaying to a user the base-band graphics data from the copied frame buffer generated by the base-band processor and for displaying applications information to the user generated by the application programs; whereby the display is shared by passing messages through the shared memory using the shared mailbox.