Patent ID: 6912609

Claim:
A process of operating first and second arbiters to arbitrate ownership of a bus coupling a controlled device to first and second circuits, wherein the first circuit comprises a first master device and first controller and the second circuit comprises a second master device and second controller, the process including steps of: a) operating the first arbiter to assert a first ownership signal to the first circuit so that the first controller may conduct transactions between the first master device and the controlled device; b) operating the second arbiter to assert a request signal in response to a condition that the second master device is ready to conduct a data transfer transaction with the controlled device; c) operating the first arbiter in response to the asserted request signal to assert a first acknowledge signal as long as the first ownership signal is asserted, the first arbiter de-asserting the first acknowledge signal after assertion of the first acknowledge signal and de-assertion of any first ownership signal; d) operating the second arbiter in response to a de-asserted first acknowledge signal to assert a second ownership signal to the second circuit so that the second controller may conduct transactions between the second master device and the controlled device; and e) operating the second arbiter in response to completion of a data transfer transaction between the second master device and the controlled device to de-assert the request and second ownership signals.