Patent ID: 7668967

Claim:
A method for controlling a flow of communication between a host and a data storage device, comprising: maintaining a plurality of data transport streams active; receiving, at the host, a request from the data storage device to initiate a first data transfer; acknowledging the request; receiving, at the host and from the device, an asserted first stream identification (stream ID) for the first transport steam; determining whether to authorize the first transport stream; initiating a first burst of data for a first transport stream between the host and the data storage device comprising authorizing the initiation of the first burst of the first transport stream when it is determined to authorize the first transport stream; interrupting the first burst of the first transport stream prior to completing the communication of the first burst of data of the first transport stream and maintaining the first transport stream active; initiating a first burst of data for a second transport stream while maintaining the first transport stream active; interrupting the first burst of the second transport stream prior to completing the communication of the first burst of data of the second transport stream while maintaining the first transport stream active, and maintaining the second transport stream active; continuing the first burst of the first transport stream while maintaining the second transport stream active; receiving an asserted second stream ID designating a third transport stream prior to receiving the asserted first stream ID; and determining that the third transport stream is not to be authorized; and denying authorization to initiate a first burst of the third transport stream.