Patents by Inventor Frank D. Ferraiolo
Frank D. Ferraiolo 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).
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Patent number: 8018837Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing a set of signal paths for a chip. A defective signal path within the set of signal paths for the chip is detected. Signals are re-routed through the set of signal paths such that the defective signal path is removed from the set of signal paths and sending signals using remaining data signal paths in the set of signal paths and using an extra signal path in response to detecting the defective signal path.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2009Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Wiren D. Becker, Daniel M. Dreps, Frank D. Ferraiolo, Anand Haridass, Robert J. Reese
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Patent number: 8004335Abstract: A phase interpolator system is disclosed that may include a clock to provide a clock signal, and a control section in communication with the clock to regulate the strength of the clock signal. The system may also include a generator circuit to produce an alternate clock signal based upon the strength of the clock signal received from the control section.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2008Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Kyu-hyoun Kim, Paul W. Coteus, Daniel M. Dreps, Frank D. Ferraiolo
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Patent number: 8001412Abstract: An interface alignment pattern for de-skewing data bits received on an elastic interface is disclosed. The interface alignment pattern is “busy” in that it has a high number of logic state transitions. The busy interface alignment pattern can be used for scrambling and unscrambling operational data. The interface alignment pattern has a unique timing sequence for determining the location of a data bit's first data beat.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2008Date of Patent: August 16, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Robert J. Reese, Michael B. Spear
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Patent number: 7952370Abstract: On-chip sensor to detect power supply vulnerabilities. The on-chip sensor employs a sensitive delay chain and an insensitive delay chain to detect power supply undershoots and overshoots without requiring external off-chip components. Undershoots and overshoots outside a user-defined threshold are detected. The undershoots and overshoots are indicated by a relative difference in phase of the two delay chains. The two delay chains are programmable to detect various frequencies.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2010Date of Patent: May 31, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Anuja Sehgal, Peilin Song, Michael A. Sperling
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Patent number: 7934115Abstract: A computer program product and a hub device for deriving clocks in a memory system are provided. The computer program product includes a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for facilitating a method. The method includes receiving a reference oscillator clock at the hub device. The hub device is in communication with a controller channel via a controller interface and in communication with a memory device via a memory interface. A base clock operating at a base clock frequency is derived from the reference oscillator clock. A memory interface clock is derived by multiplying the base clock by a memory multiplier. A controller interface clock is derived by multiplying the base clock by a controller multiplier. The memory interface clock is applied to the memory interface and the controller interface clock is applied to the controller interface.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2008Date of Patent: April 26, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Kevn C. Gower, Martin L. Schmatz
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Publication number: 20110075740Abstract: An electronic system having a power efficient differential signal between a first and second electronic unit. A controller uses information, such as compliance with data transmission rate requirement and bit error rate (BER) versus a BER threshold to control power modes such that a minimal amount of power is required. Amplitude of transmission and single ended or differential transmission of data are examples of the power modes. The controller also factors in a failing phase in a differential signal in selecting a minimal power mode that satisfies the transmission rate requirement of the BER threshold.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2009Publication date: March 31, 2011Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Kevin C. Gower, Robert B. Tremaine, Kenneth L. Wright
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Patent number: 7895374Abstract: A communication interface device, system, method, and design structure for providing dynamic segment sparing and repair in a memory system. The communication interface device includes drive-side switching logic including driver multiplexers to select driver data for transmitting on link segments of a bus, and receive-side switching logic including receiver multiplexers to select received data from the link segments of the bus. The bus includes multiple data link segments, a clock link segment, and at least two spare link segments selectable by the drive-side switching logic and the receive-side switching logic to replace one or more of the data link segments and the clock link segment.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2008Date of Patent: February 22, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Ravi K. Arimilli, Daniel M. Dreps, Kevin C. Gower, Robert J. Reese
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Patent number: 7729153Abstract: A dual inline memory module (DIMM) includes a card having a length of about 151.2 to about 151.5 millimeters, a plurality of individual local memory devices attached to the card, and a buffer device attached to the card, the buffer device configured for converting a packetized memory interface. The card includes at least 276 pins configured thereon.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2008Date of Patent: June 1, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel M. Dreps, Frank D. Ferraiolo, Kevin C. Gower, Mark W. Kellogg, Roger A. Rippens
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Publication number: 20100109700Abstract: On-chip sensor to detect power supply vulnerabilities. The on-chip sensor employs a sensitive delay chain and an insensitive delay chain to detect power supply undershoots and overshoots without requiring external off-chip components. Undershoots and overshoots outside a user-defined threshold are detected. The undershoots and overshoots are indicated by a relative difference in phase of the two delay chains. The two delay chains are programmable to detect various frequencies.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 8, 2010Publication date: May 6, 2010Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Anuja Sehgal, Peilin Song, Michael A. Sperling
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Patent number: 7646208Abstract: On-chip sensor to detect power supply vulnerabilities. The on-chip sensor employs a sensitive delay chain and an insensitive delay chain to detect power supply undershoots and overshoots without requiring external off-chip components. Undershoots and overshoots outside a user-defined threshold are detected. The undershoots and overshoots are indicated by a relative difference in phase of the two delay chains. The two delay chains are programmable to detect various frequencies.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2008Date of Patent: January 12, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Anuja Sehgal, Peilin Song, Michael A. Sperling
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Publication number: 20100005335Abstract: A processing device, system, method, and design structure for providing a microprocessor interface with dynamic segment sparing and repair. The processing device includes drive-side switching logic including driver multiplexers to select driver data for transmitting on link segments of a bus, and receive-side switching logic including receiver multiplexers to select received data from the link segments of the bus. The bus includes multiple data link segments, a clock link segment, and at least two spare link segments selectable by the drive-side switching logic and the receive-side switching logic to replace one or more of the data link segments and the clock link segment.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2008Publication date: January 7, 2010Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Daniel M. Dreps, Kevin C. Gower, Robert J. Reese
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Publication number: 20100005281Abstract: A memory buffer, memory system and method for power-on initialization and test for a cascade interconnect memory system. The memory buffer includes a bus interface to links in a high-speed channel for communicating with a memory controller via a direct connection or via a cascade interconnection through an other memory buffer. The interface is operable in a SBC mode and a high-speed mode. The memory buffer also includes a field service interface (FSI) slave for receiving FSI signals from a FSI master. In addition, the memory buffer includes logic for executing a power-on and initialization training sequence initiated by the memory controller.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2008Publication date: January 7, 2010Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Peter L. Buchmann, Frank D. Ferraiolo, Kevin C. Gower, Robert J. Reese, Eric E. Retter, Martin L. Schmatz, Michael B. Spear, Peter M. Thomsen, Michael R. Trombley
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Publication number: 20100005349Abstract: A processing device, processing system, method, and design structure for an enhanced microprocessor interconnect with bit shadowing are provided. The processing device includes shadow selection logic to select a driver bit position as a shadowed driver value, and line drivers to transmit data for the selected driver bit position and the shadowed driver value on separate link segments of a bus. The processing device also includes shadow compare logic to compare a selected received value with a shadowed received value from the bus and identify a miscompare in response to a mismatch of the compare, and shadow counters to count a rate of the miscompare relative to a bus error rate over a period of time. A defective link segment is identified in response to the rate of the miscompare within a predefined threshold of the bus error rate.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2008Publication date: January 7, 2010Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Daniel M. Dreps, Kevin C. Gower, Robert J. Reese
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Publication number: 20100005345Abstract: A communication interface device, system, method, and design structure for bit shadowing in a memory system are provided. The communication interface device includes shadow selection logic to select a driver bit position as a shadowed driver value, and line drivers to transmit data for the selected driver bit position and the shadowed driver value on separate link segments of a bus. The communication interface device also includes shadow compare logic to compare a selected received value with a shadowed received value from the bus and identify a miscompare in response to a mismatch of the compare, and shadow counters to count a rate of the miscompare relative to a bus error rate over a period of time. A defective link segment is identified in response to the rate of the miscompare within a predefined threshold of the bus error rate.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2008Publication date: January 7, 2010Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Daniel M. Dreps, Kevin C. Gower, Robert J. Reese
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Publication number: 20100005202Abstract: A communication interface device, system, method, and design structure for providing dynamic segment sparing and repair in a memory system. The communication interface device includes drive-side switching logic including driver multiplexers to select driver data for transmitting on link segments of a bus, and receive-side switching logic including receiver multiplexers to select received data from the link segments of the bus. The bus includes multiple data link segments, a clock link segment, and at least two spare link segments selectable by the drive-side switching logic and the receive-side switching logic to replace one or more of the data link segments and the clock link segment.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2008Publication date: January 7, 2010Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Ravi K. Arimilli, Daniel M. Dreps, Kevin C. Gower, Robert J. Reese
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Patent number: 7590882Abstract: A cascaded interconnect system with one or more memory modules, a memory controller and a memory bus that utilizes periodic recalibration. The memory modules and the memory controller are directly interconnected by a packetized multi-transfer interface via the memory bus and provide scrambled data for use in the periodic recalibration.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2007Date of Patent: September 15, 2009Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Kevin C. Gower
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Patent number: 7551468Abstract: A dual inline memory module (DIMM) includes a card having a length of about 151.2 to about 151.5 millimeters, a plurality of individual local memory devices attached to the card, and a buffer device attached to the card, the buffer device configured for converting a packetized memory interface. The card includes at least 276 pins configured thereon.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2008Date of Patent: June 23, 2009Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel M. Dreps, Frank D. Ferraiolo, Kevin C. Gower, Mark W. Kellogg, Roger A. Rippens
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Patent number: 7539800Abstract: A memory subsystem that includes segment level sparing. The memory subsystem includes a cascaded interconnect system with segment level sparing. The cascaded interconnect system includes two or more memory assemblies and a memory bus. The memory bus includes multiple segments and the memory assemblies are interconnected via the memory bus.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2004Date of Patent: May 26, 2009Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Timothy J. Dell, Frank D. Ferraiolo, Kevin C. Gower, Kevin W. Kark, Mark W. Kellogg, Warren E. Maule
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Patent number: 7529112Abstract: A dual inline memory module (DIMM) includes a card having a length of about 151.2 to about 151.5 millimeters, a plurality of individual local memory devices attached to the card, and a buffer device attached to the card, the buffer device configured for converting a packetized memory interface. The card includes at least 276 pins configured thereon including a plurality of high-speed bus interface pills arranged on said card for communicating with a plurality of high-speed busses. The high-speed bus interface pins associated with a single high-speed bus are located on one side of the card with respect to a midpoint of the length of the card, thus the pin assignments are defined such that the performance of the DIMM in a system is optimized for high frequency operation.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2007Date of Patent: May 5, 2009Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Daniel M. Dreps, Frank D. Ferraiolo, Kevin C. Gower, Roger A. Rippens
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Publication number: 20090094476Abstract: A computer program product and a hub device for deriving clocks in a memory system are provided. The computer program product includes a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for facilitating a method. The method includes receiving a reference oscillator clock at the hub device. The hub device is in communication with a controller channel via a controller interface and in communication with a memory device via a memory interface. A base clock operating at a base clock frequency is derived from the reference oscillator clock. A memory interface clock is derived by multiplying the base clock by a memory multiplier. A controller interface clock is derived by multiplying the base clock by a controller multiplier. The memory interface clock is applied to the memory interface and the controller interface clock is applied to the controller interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 11, 2008Publication date: April 9, 2009Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Frank D. Ferraiolo, Kevin C. Gower, Martin L. Schmatz