Patents by Inventor Franco Ricci

Franco Ricci has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9436210
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments are described that are associated with selective shorting of clock branches. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a selective shorting device connected between a first clock branch that conducts a slow clock signal having a first frequency and a second clock branch that conducts a fast clock signal having a second frequency that is an integer multiple of the first frequency. The selective shorting device is configured to electrically connect and disconnect the first clock branch and the second clock branch. The selective shorting control mechanism is configured to control the selective shorting device to electrically connect the clock branches during a controlling portion of the slow clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: MARVELL INTERNATIONAL LTD.
    Inventors: Kim Schuttenberg, Franco Ricci
  • Patent number: 8806181
    Abstract: According to some embodiments, an apparatus having corresponding methods includes a storage module configured to store data and instructions; a first processor pipeline configured to process the data and instructions when the first processor pipeline is selected; a second processor pipeline configured to process the data and instructions when the second processor pipeline is selected; and a selection module configured to select either the first processor pipeline or the second processor pipeline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventors: R. Frank O'Bleness, Sujat Jamil, Timothy S. Beatty, Franco Ricci, Tom Hameenanttila, Hong-Yi Chen
  • Patent number: 8607090
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with selective shorting are described. According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a selective shorting device connected between clock branches. The selective shorting device is configured to selectively electrically connect the clock branches to one another and to selectively electrically disconnect the clock branches from one another. The apparatus also includes a selective shorting control mechanism that controls the selective shorting device to electrically connect the clock branches during a controlling portion of a clock signal. The selective shorting control mechanism is configured to electrically disconnect the clock branches in the absence of the controlling portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventors: Kim Schuttenberg, Franco Ricci
  • Publication number: 20120054530
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with selective shorting are described. According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a selective shorting device connected between clock branches. The selective shorting device is configured to selectively electrically connect the clock branches to one another and to selectively electrically disconnect the clock branches from one another. The apparatus also includes a selective shorting control mechanism that controls the selective shorting device to electrically connect the clock branches during a controlling portion of a clock signal. The selective shorting control mechanism is configured to electrically disconnect the clock branches in the absence of the controlling portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Inventors: Kim SCHUTTENBERG, Franco RICCI
  • Patent number: 7796445
    Abstract: A device can include 1) a sustained or constantly powered low leakage latch to and from which a volatile state is uploaded and downloaded, respectively, based on an active-to-low signal, and 2) an intermittently powered or de-powerable memory element, coupled to the low leakage latch, from which and to which the volatile state is uploaded and downloaded, respectively, based on the active-to-low signal and a de-powerable voltage across the de-powerable memory element is powered and un-powered, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Marvell International, Ltd.
    Inventors: Manish Biyani, Franco Ricci
  • Publication number: 20090252801
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of micronised sterile steroids, comprising sterilisation of the steroids in crystalline form by means of irradiation with gamma or beta rays, and subsequent sterile micronisation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2005
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    Applicant: FARMBIOS S.P.A.
    Inventors: Giuseppe Fortunato, Claudio Gianluca Pozzoli, Franco Ricci
  • Patent number: 7200060
    Abstract: A memory driver architecture and associated methods are generally described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy S. Beatty, Franco Ricci, Lawrence T. Clark
  • Publication number: 20050013190
    Abstract: A memory driver architecture and associated methods are generally described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2003
    Publication date: January 20, 2005
    Inventors: Timothy Beatty, Franco Ricci, Lawrence Clark
  • Patent number: 6774696
    Abstract: A level translator block receives a control signal and a data signal and provides an interface between circuitry operating in a first voltage domain and circuitry operating in a second voltage domain. Thick-oxide transistors are appropriately used in the level translator block to reduce gate leakage currents when translating signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence T. Clark, Shay P. Demmons, Franco Ricci, Tim Beatty
  • Patent number: 6775180
    Abstract: An integrated circuit having a state retentive memory structure to store state values. A high performance section uses thin gate-oxide transistors and the state retentive memory structure uses thick gate-oxide transistors to capture and retain the state values when operating in a low power mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Manish Biyani, Lawrence T. Clark, Shay P. Demmons, Franco Ricci
  • Publication number: 20040128574
    Abstract: Techniques and apparatuses for reducing power consumption in processor based systems during active and standby modes. A low power TLB is disclosed that does not precharge invalid entries or write to output circuits physical addresses that are the same as immediately preceding lookups. A circuit to acknowledge that the integrated circuits of the processor have entered low power standby mode that is low leakage and consumes little power is disclosed. Minimum delay buffers that have very low leakage because of series placement of a long delay enable transistor with the transistors of the inverters that make up the buffers is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2002
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Inventors: Franco Ricci, Shay P. Demmons, Lawrence T. Clark, Timothy S. Beatty, Michael Wilkerson, Byungwoo Choi
  • Publication number: 20040120182
    Abstract: An integrated circuit having a state retentive memory structure to store state values. A high performance section uses thin gate-oxide transistors and the state retentive memory structure uses thick gate-oxide transistors to capture and retain the state values when operating in a low power mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Publication date: June 24, 2004
    Inventors: Manish Biyani, Lawrence T. Clark, Shay P. Demmons, Franco Ricci
  • Publication number: 20040113677
    Abstract: A level translator block receives a control signal and a data signal and provides an interface between circuitry operating in a first voltage domain and circuitry operating in a second voltage domain. Thick-oxide transistors are appropriately used in the level translator block to reduce gate leakage currents when translating signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Publication date: June 17, 2004
    Inventors: Lawrence T. Clark, Shay P. Demmons, Franco Ricci, Tim Beatty
  • Patent number: 6639827
    Abstract: An integrated circuit having CMOS transistors processed with different gate-oxide thicknesses. The transistors having the thinner gate-oxide may be used to generate data values that may be stored by the transistors having the thicker gate-oxides. The thicker gate-oxides may reduce gate leakage currents during a system standby mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence T. Clark, Franco Ricci
  • Publication number: 20030174534
    Abstract: An integrated circuit having CMOS transistors processed with different gate-oxide thicknesses. The transistors having the thinner gate-oxide may be used to generate data values that may be stored by the transistors having the thicker gate-oxides. The thicker gate-oxides may reduce gate leakage currents during a system standby mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Publication date: September 18, 2003
    Inventors: Lawrence T. Clark, Franco Ricci
  • Patent number: 5909702
    Abstract: A multiprocessor data processing system includes a private data bus and a private program bus coupled to each of the processors. Coupled between the private data buses is a plurality of memory banks, each of which can be dynamically switched between the processors to move blocks of data without physically transferring the data from one bank to another. Likewise, a plurality of memory banks is coupled between the program buses. These memory banks are loaded with pages of program instructions from external memory over a shared bus. Any one of the pages can be coupled to either of the processors on its respective private program bus. When the pages are coupled to the shared bus, they appear as a contiguous address space. When a page is coupled to one of the private program buses, the addressing mode is changed so that the page is mapped to a common address space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Marc Jalfon, David Regenold, Franco Ricci, Ramprasad Satagopan