Patent ID: 8161214

Claim:
An Advanced Technology Attachment or AT Attachment (ATA) compatible data transfer system comprising: a host controller configured to interface with a system controller of an external host; an ATA controller configured to interface with a system memory of the host; and a direct memory access (DMA) controller, wherein the DMA controller includes a buffer, wherein the buffer buffers data exchanged between the system memory and the data transfer system via a direct memory access by the DMA controller, wherein the host controller is configured to view the buffer to determine whether the buffer is full during a read transaction and whether the buffer is empty during a write transaction, wherein the ATA controller is configured to deassert a programmed input/output (PIO) read signal to stop data transmission in response to the determination that the buffer is full during the read transaction, wherein the ATA controller is configured to deassert a PIO write signal to stop data transmission in response to the determination that the buffer is empty during the write transaction, and wherein the host, ATA, and DMA controllers are distinct from one another.