Patents Represented by Attorney Meyertons Hood Kivlin Kower & Goetzel, P.C.
  • Patent number: 8299576
    Abstract: A switched-capacitor circuit on a semiconductor device may include accurately matched, high-density metal-to-metal capacitors, using top-plate-to-bottom-plate fringe-capacitance for obtaining the desired capacitance values. A polysilicon plate may be inserted below the bottom metal layer, and bootstrapped to the top plate of each capacitor in order to minimize and/or eliminate the parasitic top-plate-to-substrate capacitance. This may free up the bottom metal layer to be used in forming additional fringe-capacitance, thereby increasing capacitance density. By forming each capacitance solely based on fringe-capacitance from the top plate to the bottom plate, no parallel-plate-capacitance is used, which may reduce capacitor mismatch. Parasitic bottom plate capacitance to the substrate may also be eliminated, with only a small capacitance to the bootstrapped polysilicon plate remaining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Standard Microsystems Corporation
    Inventor: Scott C. McLeod
  • Patent number: 8237770
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a system may include a first conferencing system with a first speaker and a second speaker. The first conferencing system may be coupled to a second conferencing system and a third conferencing system. In some embodiments, audio from the second conferencing system may be reproduced through the first speaker, and audio from the third conferencing system may be reproduced through the second speaker. In some embodiments, audio from various participants at various conferencing systems may be reproduced on audio system components relative to the location of participants at the conferencing system. For example, audio from a first participant on the left side of a camera at a second conferencing system may be reproduced through left side speakers at the first conferencing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: LifeSize Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael L. Kenoyer, William V. Oxford
  • Patent number: 7652504
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a circuit supplied by a first supply voltage during use, the circuit having at least a first input signal; and a level shifter supplied by the first supply voltage during use and coupled to provide the first input signal to the circuit. The level shifter is coupled to receive a second input signal sourced from circuitry supplied by a second supply voltage during use, and is configured to generate the first input signal by level shifting the second input signal. Coupled to receive a power control signal indicating, when asserted, that the second supply voltage is to be powered down, the level shifter is configured to assert a predetermined level on the first input signal independent of the second input signal and responsive to an assertion of the power control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brian J. Campbell, Vincent R. von Kaenel
  • Patent number: 7412642
    Abstract: A system for tolerating communication lane failures includes a transmitter configured to transmit a segment of data, an error detecting code, and redundant information. The system also includes a receiver coupled to the transmitter via a communication link including a plurality of bit lanes. Each bit of the segment of data may be conveyed to the receiver serially via respective single-bit lanes. The segment of data, the redundant information, and the error detecting code may be accumulated within the receiver over a plurality of clock cycles. The receiver may detect an error in the segment of data using the error detecting code. In addition, the receiver may, in response to detecting the error, regenerate the segment of data using the redundant information. Further, the receiver may determine whether a resulting regenerated bit, along with remaining bits, of the segment of data are correct using the error detecting code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert E. Cypher
  • Patent number: 6983228
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method for generating a hardware implementation of graphical code. The method comprises first creating a graphical program. A first portion of the graphical program may optionally be compiled into machine code for execution by a CPU. A second portion of the graphical program is converted into a hardware implementation according to the present invention. The operation of converting the graphical program into a hardware implementation comprises exporting the second portion of the graphical program into a hardware description, wherein the hardware description describes a hardware implementation of the second portion of the graphical program, and then configuring a programmable hardware element utilizing the hardware description to produce a configured hardware element. The configured hardware element thus implements a hardware implementation of the second portion of the graphical program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Kodosky, Hugo Andrade, Brian K. Odom, Cary P. Butler
  • Patent number: 6895595
    Abstract: A system and method implemented in an interactive television system for managing modules of interactive television applications. The system transmits modules from a broadcast station to a plurality of receiving stations through various paths, such as broadcast channels and modem channels. The receiving stations have module managers which store module requests and which monitor the various channels for modules corresponding to the requests. When modules are transmitted on the monitored channels, they are matched with the corresponding stored requests. If a module matches one of the requests, or if is an auto-loading module, it is stored in the receiving station. If a module has not been requested and is not an auto-loading module, it is ignored. The stored modules are added to a list of modules available for execution or for use by an executing application, and the corresponding requests are deleted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: OpenTV, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Goodman, Jean Rene Menand
  • Patent number: 6823403
    Abstract: A DMA (Direct Memory Access) mechanism is provided that may be of improved performance in particular in connection with high-speed packet buses. A transmit DMA engine for outputting read requests for a memory interface and receiving requested data from the memory interface, comprises a data transfer initiating unit for outputting first address data identifying a first memory range. Further, a boundary alignment unit is provided for generating second address data using the first address data, where the second address data identifies a second memory range that differs from the first memory range in at least one boundary. Further a corresponding boundary alignment may be done in a receive DMA engine. The DMA mechanism may be performed in a USB-2 host controller that has HyperTransport capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Dale E. Gulick, Siegfried Kay Hesse
  • Patent number: 6798418
    Abstract: A graphics subsystem including a RAMDAC for connection to a graphics bus implemented on an integrated circuit chip separate from a graphics processor. In one embodiment, the graphics processor is configured to render digital image information in response to graphics commands and to store the digital image information in a memory. The RAMDAC IC includes a conversion unit, which includes a color mapping unit and a digital-to-analog converter and is configured to convert a representation of the digital image information into one or more analog signals for driving a video display. The graphics subsystem further includes a Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller implemented on the second integrated circuit chip. The DMA controller is configured to generate read requests to retrieve the digital image information stored in the memory to thereby cause the digital image information to be provided to the conversion unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Gabriele Sartori, Dale E. Gulick
  • Patent number: 6798188
    Abstract: A technique for measuring peak voltages is provided that may be used in RF transceivers or receivers of wireless local area network systems. In an apparatus for measuring a peak value of an analog voltage, an analog to digital converter is connected to receive an input voltage. A voltage level detection unit detects a voltage level of a received input voltage, and a digital memory receives and stores the detected voltage level. The digital memory updates the stored voltage level only if the currently detected voltage level is higher, or lower, than the stored level. A digital code is output that corresponds to the stored voltage level. The provided technique may allow for a more simple and less complex implementation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Lutz Dathe, Wolfram Kluge, Thorsten Riedel