Granted Patent B2

US 8,838,847 · App. 13/351,389 · Granted Sep 16, 2014

Abstract

Claims (34)

1. An application engine module for a wireless device, the application engine module comprising:

an application layer component for providing at least some application layer processing for the wireless device;

a modem component for providing at least some modem processing for the wireless device;

a memory interface for connecting the application layer component and the modem component directly to a memory of the wireless device; and

a communication and memory sharing interface for connecting the modem component to a modem module of the wireless device and which enables the modem component of the application engine module to be controlled by the connected modem module.

2. The application engine module according to claim 1 , wherein the modem component comprises a modem accelerator for performing at least one of reading and decoding data from the memory of the wireless device, passing the decoded data to the application layer component, making a modification to the data, and writing the data back to the memory.

3. The application engine module according to claim 1 , wherein the modem component comprises a hardware ciphering accelerator for carrying out encryption of user data for transmission by the wireless device and decryption of user data that has been received by the wireless device.

4. The application engine module according to claim 1 , wherein the modem component comprises a hardware modem direct memory access module for providing direct memory access to the memory of the wireless device for the modem module of said wireless device.

5. The application engine module according to claim 1 , wherein the application layer component is arranged to provide direct memory access to the memory of the wireless device for the modem module of said wireless device.

6. The application engine module according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless device is one of: a mobile phone, a cell phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a pager, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a content-consumption and/or generation device for music and/or video, a data card, a USB dongle, a personal computer, and a game console.

7. In combination, a modem module and an application engine module for a wireless device, the modem module being connected to a modem component of the application engine module by a communication and memory sharing interface,

the application engine module comprising:

an application layer component for providing at least some application layer processing for the wireless device;

the modem component, which is for providing, in combination with the modem module, modem processing for the wireless device;

a memory interface for connecting the application layer component and the modem component directly to a memory of the wireless device,

wherein the modem module has indirect access to the memory of the wireless device via the communication and memory sharing interface and is capable of controlling the modem component of the application engine module via the communication and memory sharing interface, the modem module being arranged to access the modem component of the application engine module via the communication and memory sharing interface to instruct the modem component to carry out processing for the modem module.

8. The combination according to claim 7 , wherein the modem component comprises a modem accelerator for performing at least one of reading and decoding data from the memory of the wireless device, passing the decoded data to the application layer component, making a modification to the data, and writing the data back to the memory.

9. The combination according to claim 7 , wherein the modem component comprises a hardware ciphering accelerator for carrying out encryption of user data for transmission by the wireless device and decryption of user data that has been received by the wireless device.

10. The combination according to claim 7 , wherein the modem component comprises a hardware modem direct memory access module for providing direct memory access to the memory of the wireless device for the modem module of said wireless device.

11. The combination according to claim 7 , wherein the application layer component is arranged to provide direct memory access to the memory of the wireless device for the modem module.

12. The combination according to claim 7 , wherein the wireless device is one of: a mobile phone, a cell phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a pager, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a content-consumption and/or generation device for music and/or video, a data card, a USB dongle, a personal computer, and a game console.

13. The combination according to claim 7 , wherein the modem module and/or the application engine module is provided as a chipset, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and/or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

14. A method of operating a wireless device, the wireless device comprising: a modem module; an application engine module comprising an application layer component for providing application layer processing for the wireless device and comprising a modem component for providing, in combination with the modem module, modem processing for the wireless device; a communication and memory sharing interface for connecting the modem module to the application engine module and which enables the modem component of the application engine module to be controlled by the connected modem module; a memory; and a memory interface for connecting the application engine module directly to the memory; the method comprising:

at the modem module, accessing the modem component of the application engine module via the communication and memory sharing interface to instruct the modem component to carry out processing for the modem module;

at the modem component, accessing the memory via the memory interface to use the memory for said processing,

wherein the modem module has indirect access to the memory of the wireless device via the communication and memory sharing interface and is capable of controlling the modem component of the application engine module via the communication and memory sharing interface, the modem module being arranged to access the modem component of the application engine module via the communication and memory sharing interface to instruct the modem component to carry out processing for the modem module.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising, at the modem component, performing at least one of reading and decoding data from a memory of the wireless device, passing the decoded data to the application layer component, making a modification to the data, and writing the data back to the memory.

16. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising, at the modem component,

carrying out at least one of encryption of user data for transmission by the wireless device and decryption of user data that has been received by the wireless device.

17. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising, at the modem component,

providing direct memory access to the memory for the modem module.

18. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising, at the application layer component, providing direct memory access to the memory for the modem module.

19. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the wireless device is one of: a mobile phone, a cell phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a pager, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a content-consumption and/or generation device for music and/or video, a data card, a USB dongle, a personal computer, and a game console.

20. The combination according to claim 14 , wherein the modem module and/or the application engine module is provided as a chipset, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and/or field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

Assignments (10)