Patent ID: 7231479

Claim:
A method for round robin selection, comprising: providing an apparatus, comprising: a plurality of units each coupled to receive a different one of a plurality of request signals, an input signal, and a grant signal, wherein each unit produces a pointer signal; wherein the units are grouped to form a plurality of banks such that each bank includes at least two of the units; wherein each of the banks comprises a break loop pointer unit; wherein within each bank the units and the break loop pointer unit are connected in series such that the break loop pointer unit is coupled to receive a pointer signal produced by one of the units, and another one of the units is coupled to receive an output signal produced by the break loop pointer unit as the input signal; wherein the output signal produced by a break loop pointer unit is indicative of an active request signal received by one of the units within the bank including the break loop pointer unit; initializing one of the banks by setting the output signal produced by the break loop pointer unit of the bank to active, setting all of the request signals received by the units of the bank to inactive, and setting all of the pointer signals produced by the units of the bank to inactive; determining if a request signal received by one of the units of the bank is active; in the event a request signal received by one of the units of the bank is active: setting the output signal produced by the break loop pointer unit of the bank to inactive; setting the pointer signal produced by the unit receiving the active request signal to active; waiting for the grant signal received by the unit receiving the active request signal to become active; and inactivating the active request signal and the active pointer signal.