David J Redman

US Patent:

6574695, Jun 3, 2003

Filed:

Jan 6, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/478929

Inventors:

James Mott - Oakland CA
Arvind Kini - Fremont CA
David Redman - Fremont CA
Nancy Lee - Menlo Park CA
Ashish Munjal - Sunnyvale CA

Assignee:

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06F 1300

US Classification:

710302, 710313

Abstract:

A system and method for providing hot swap capability with minimal changes in a system which uses existing circuitry and drivers. In one embodiment, a computer system has a host processor and a hot-swap-capable device, each coupled to a Compact PCI bus. The device includes one or more pre-existing circuits (ASICs and/or standard off-the-shelf circuits) and corresponding pre-existing drivers. A hot-swap-capable bus bridge is interposed between the circuits and the Compact PCI bus to provide hot swap functionality while allowing the pre-existing circuits and drivers to be used without modification. In one embodiment, an Intel 21554 is used as the hot-swap-capable bus bridge. The 21554 is programmed to emulate a transparent bridge. Modified drivers in the OBP firmware and OS software allow the system to recognize the 21554 in this transparent configuration and to probe the secondary side of the 21554 for the circuits.

US Patent:

7444503, Oct 28, 2008

Filed:

Jan 11, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/329656

Inventors:

Ashley N. Saulsbury - Los Gatos CA, US
David J. Redman - Fremont CA, US
Gregory C. Onufer - Palo Alto CA, US
John G. Johnson - San Jose CA, US

Assignee:

Sun Microsystems, Inc - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G06F 9/445
G06F 15/177

US Classification:

713 1, 713 2, 713100, 719310, 719327, 710 8, 710 10

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for delivering a device driver to an operating system without user intervention. One or more operating systems (e. g. , different operating system programs, different versions of one operating system) execute on a computer platform. During booting of an operating system a device is identified for which a driver is needed. The driver is requested from a service processor of the platform, which includes memory or storage for storing multiple device drivers (or multiple versions of one driver, for different operating systems). The driver is retrieved from the service processor's storage and delivered to the operating system.

US Patent:

8300056, Oct 30, 2012

Filed:

Oct 13, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/250502

Inventors:

Mike Nugent - Monte Sereno CA, US
Thomas Costa - San Francisco CA, US
Eve Brasfield - San Jose CA, US
David Redman - Fremont CA, US
Amanda Rainer - Sunnyvale CA, US
Tim Millet - Mountain View CA, US
Geoff Stahl - San Jose CA, US
Adrian Sheppard - San Jose CA, US
Ian Hendry - San Jose CA, US
Ingrid Aligaen - Colorado Springs CO, US
Kenneth C. Dyke - Sunnyvale CA, US
Chris Niederauer - San Francisco CA, US
Michael Culbert - Monte Sereno CA, US

Assignee:

Apple Inc. - Cupertino CA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16
G06F 15/80

US Classification:

345503, 345502, 345505

Abstract:

Exemplary embodiments of methods, apparatuses, and systems for seamlessly migrating a user visible display stream sent to a display device from one rendered display stream to another rendered display stream are described. For one embodiment, mirror video display streams are received from both a first graphics processing unit (GPU) and a second GPU, and the video display stream sent to a display device is switched from the video display stream from the first GPU to the video display stream from the second GPU, wherein the switching occurs during a blanking interval for the first GPU that overlaps with a blanking interval for the second GPU.

US Patent:

20100328323, Dec 30, 2010

Filed:

Jun 25, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/492008

Inventors:

David J. Redman - Fremont CA, US
Changki Min - San Jose CA, US
Philip J. Churchill - Hubbardston MA, US
Adrian T. Sheppard - San Jose CA, US
David A. Leech - Union City CA, US
Unmesh Sahasrabuddhe - Palo Alto CA, US
Ian Hendry - San Jose CA, US
Eve Brasfield - San Jose CA, US

Assignee:

APPLE INC. - Cupertino CA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

345502, 345545

Abstract:

Systems and methods are disclosed to enable switching of graphics processing unit (GPU) resources based on different factors. Embodiments include a virtual graphics driver as an interface between GPU drivers and the applications or graphics framework executing on an electronic device. The virtual graphics driver may switch GPU resources from a first GPU to a second GPU by routing function calls to the first GPU or the second GPU. The switching of GPU resources may be based on power management, system events such as hot-plug events, load management, user requests, any other factor, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, a virtual frame buffer driver is provided that interfaces with the frame buffer of the GPU and provides a virtual view of the frame buffer to manage additional system application programming interfaces (APIs) during the switch.

US Patent:

20110164045, Jul 7, 2011

Filed:

Jan 6, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/683024

Inventors:

Thomas W. Costa - San Francisco CA, US
Simon M. Douglas - Cupertino CA, US
David J. Redman - Fremont CA, US

Assignee:

APPLE INC. - Cupertino CA

International Classification:

G06F 15/163

US Classification:

345502

Abstract:

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates seamlessly switching between graphics-processing units (GPUs) to drive a display. In one embodiment, the system receives a request to switch from using a first GPU to using a second GPU to drive the display. In response to this request, the system uses a kernel thread which operates in the background to configure the second GPU to prepare the second GPU to drive the display. While the kernel thread is configuring the second GPU, the system continues to drive the display with the first GPU and a user thread continues to execute a window manager which performs operations associated with servicing user requests. When configuration of the second GPU is complete, the system switches the signal source for the display from the first GPU to the second GPU.

US Patent:

20130033504, Feb 7, 2013

Filed:

Oct 9, 2012

Appl. No.:

13/647973

Inventors:

Apple Inc. - Cupertino CA, US
Thomas Costa - San Francisco CA, US
Eve Brasfield - San Jose CA, US
David Redman - Fremont CA, US
Amanda Rainer - Sunnyvale CA, US
Tim Millet - Mountain View CA, US
Geoff Stahl - San Jose CA, US
Adrian Sheppard - San Jose CA, US
Ian Hendry - San Jose CA, US
Ingrid Aligaen - Colorado Springs CO, US
Kenneth C. Dyke - Sunnyvales CA, US
Chris Niederauer - San Francisco CA, US
Michael Culbert - Monte Sereno CA, US

Assignee:

Apple Inc. - Cupertino CA

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

345502

Abstract:

Exemplary embodiments of methods, apparatuses, and systems for seamlessly migrating a user visible display stream sent to a display device from one rendered display stream to another rendered display stream are described. For one embodiment, mirror video display streams are received from both a first graphics processing unit (GPU) and a second GPU, and the video display stream sent to a display device is switched from the video display stream from the first GPU to the video display stream from the second GPU, wherein the switching occurs during a blanking interval for the first GPU that overlaps with a blanking interval for the second GPU.

US Patent:

20140049572, Feb 20, 2014

Filed:

Aug 17, 2012

Appl. No.:

13/588978

Inventors:

Paolo Sacchetto - Cupertino CA, US
David J. Redman - Fremont CA, US

Assignee:

Apple Inc. - Cupertino CA

International Classification:

G09G 5/10

US Classification:

345691

Abstract:

A system may include a graphics controller and a display. The graphics controller may generate video data to display on the display. The display may include a display panel for displaying the video data, a backlight unit for providing the display panel with backlight, and a display timing controller for communicating with the graphics controller over a communications path. The communications path may include a video data path for conveying video data bits, an interrupt path for conveying interrupts, and a sideband control path for conveying control signals such as a backlight enable signal for the backlight unit. The graphics controller and timing controller may perform link training operations to assess link quality between the graphics controller and timing controller. The timing controller may use interrupts to inform the graphics controller of system status. Use of the interrupts may help the system minimize the time consumed during display power-up operations.

US Patent:

20150286455, Oct 8, 2015

Filed:

Jun 22, 2015

Appl. No.:

14/746623

Inventors:

- Cupertino CA, US
David J. Redman - Cupertino CA, US
Adrian T. Sheppard - Cupertino CA, US
Sreeraman Anantharaman - Cupertino CA, US

Assignee:

APPLE INC. - Cupertino CA

International Classification:

G06F 3/14
G09G 5/00
G06T 1/20

Abstract:

An electronic device selectively couples a head with links in a graphics processing unit to a currently selected display port in a pair of display ports. During operation, control logic in the electronic device monitors a pair of configuration signals from the pair of display ports, where the pair of configuration signals correspond to physical connections to the pair of display ports. Then, the control logic determines a selection control signal based on the monitored pair of configuration signals, a policy setting and a default display port, where the selection control signal specifies the currently selected display port. Moreover, the control logic provides the selection control signal to a multiplexer in the electronic device. Next, the multiplexer selectively couples the head with the links in the graphics processing unit to the currently selected display port based on the selection control signal.