Patent ID: 7552268

Claim:
A method for arbitrating a read operation at a bridge device, wherein the bridge device is coupled to first and second buses, wherein an initiator device is coupled to the first bus, wherein a bus protocol requires that the initiator perform retries in order to complete the read operation with a target device coupled to the second bus, the method comprising: determining transaction history information related to a prior read request by the initiator, the transaction history relating to a result of the prior read request; determining whether data associated with the prior read request will be available in a predetermined storage location; predicting whether a read request will be re-tried because the read request will not be fulfilled if the initiator is granted access to the second bus based on a combination of inputs including the transaction history and data availability in the predetermined storage location before allowing the read request to be sent to an arbitrator, the read request associated with the initiator; masking the read request and one or more read requests being re-tried associated with the initiator such that the read request and one or more read requests being re-tried are not sent to the arbitrator configured to arbitrate access to the second bus when the prediction indicates the read request will be re-tried and the data is not available; and allowing the read request being re-tried to be sent to the arbitrator such that the arbitrator may arbitrate access to the second bus with the read request being re-tried for the read request when the prediction indicates the data will be available when the read request is allowed access to the second bus.