Patent ID: 6845131

Claim:
A system of transmitting data through a linkage using voltage differential signaling technology, the linkage having a transmitting portion and a receiving portion with each said portion having a plurality of differential signal fines therebetween, comprising: (a) means associated with the transmitting portion, for powering down the transmitting portion from a power-up state to a power-down state in response to a power control instruction to power down; (b) means associated with the transmitting portion, for powering up the transmitting portion from the power-down state to the power-up state in response to a power control instruction to power up; (c) means associated with the receiving portion for preserving the integrity of the state of the logic associated therewith in the face of a decrease in data received from the transmitting portion while the transmitting portion is powering down and remains in power-down state; and (d) means associated with the receiving portion and the transmitting portion for maintaining the linkage sufficiently for transferring said power-up control instruction from the transmitting portion to the receiving portion, while the transmitting portion is powering down and remains in power-down state.