Patents Represented by Attorney North Weber & Baugh
  • Patent number: 7868441
    Abstract: A package-on-package (POP) secure module includes a BGA mesh cap, a first BGA package, and a second BGA package. The first BGA package includes a first integrated circuit (for example, a microcontroller that includes tamper detect logic). The second BGA package includes a second integrated circuit (for example, a memory). The second BGA package is piggy-back mounted to the first BGA package and the BGA mesh cap is piggy-back mounted to the second BGA package. A printed circuit board substrate member of the BGA mesh cap includes an embedded anti-tamper mesh. This mesh is connected in a protected manner within the module to the first integrated circuit. When the module is in use, a mesh embedded in an underlying printed circuit board is coupled to the BGA cap mesh so that both anti-tamper meshes are controlled by the tamper detect logic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: David D. Eaton, David R. Staab, Ruben C. Zeta
  • Patent number: 7863943
    Abstract: In embodiments of the present invention a device, circuit, and method are described for sampling input signal voltages, which may include voltages below a negative supply voltage for the device or circuit, without requiring static current from the input. Various embodiments of the invention obviate the requirement of an external negative supply voltage or attenuation resistors to allow sampling between a positive and negative voltage range. These embodiments result in a lower power sampling solution as well as simplifying any driver circuitry required by the sampler. The embodiments of the invention may be applied to sampling processes within analog-to-digital converters and may also be applicable to various other types of circuits in which a sampling input having input voltages that are lower than its negative supply voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: David Maes, Bharath Mandyam
  • Patent number: 7860844
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed that allow for indexing, processing, or both of information from physical media or electronic media, which may be received from a plurality of sources. In embodiments, a document file may be matched using pattern matching methods and may include comparisons with a comparison reference database to improve or accelerate the indexing process. In embodiments, information may be presented to a user as potential matches thereby improving manual indexing processes. In embodiments, one or more additional actions may occur as part of the processing, including without limitation, association additional data with a document file, making observations from the document file, notifying individuals, creating composite messages, and billing events. In an embodiment, data from a document file may be associated with a key word, key phrase, or word frequency value that enables adaptive learning so that unindexed data may be automatically indexed based on user interaction history.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Indxit Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Michael John Ebaugh, Matthew Joseph Morvant
  • Patent number: 7859574
    Abstract: An apparatus including a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to perform image signal processing using encoding related information. The second circuit may be configured to encode image data using image signal processing related information, wherein said first circuit is further configured to pass said image signal processing related information to said second circuit and said second circuit is further configured to pass said encoding related information to said first circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: José R. Alvarez, Guy Cote
  • Patent number: 7853773
    Abstract: A system efficiently expands program memory without extensively modifying the remaining microcontroller architecture. An address bus of N+M bits addresses 2N memory locations in a regular portion of program memory and additional memory locations in an expanded portion. An N-bit program counter increments through instructions stored only in the regular portion. Constants are stored in both the regular and expanded portions. An M-bit page-designator is prepended to an N-bit operand to generate a memory address of N+M bits. Program memory is expanded only when a load instruction retrieves constants from program memory. The page-designator is toggled when an N-bit operand rolls over upon incrementing by the load instruction. A block of constants straddling the boundary between the regular and expanded portions can be retrieved from program memory by executing only the load instruction. When program instructions are executed that do not retrieve constants, a fixed page-designator designates the regular portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen H. Chan
  • Patent number: 7838766
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for stabilizing a wire, cable (10), line, or cord system. The present invention involves systems that allow a cable (10), such as a power line cable (10) and the insulator strings (20), the ability to extend during loading conditions and to regain their previous geometry once loads, such as ice loads, have been shed. The present invention may be utilized in a number of applications, including but not limited to, being used with anchor, angle, and dead-end structures and with suspension structures to counterbalance loads on cables (10) and supports included by ice and wind. A combination of suspension structure with anchor structure and the present invention may, on any given section of a cable (10), result in uniformity of supports and in reduction of their weight and cost, in addition to providing reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Inventor: Mario Dau
  • Patent number: 7837110
    Abstract: A point of sale terminal includes a microcontroller integrated circuit. In one aspect, a regulator within the IC receives power from a supply voltage terminal and/or a battery terminal. If the regulator does not receive adequate power from either terminal, then energy stored on-chip in a capacitor is used to erase secure memory. In another aspect, pulses of current are made to pulse through conductors of a conductive mesh. A tamper condition is detected if an improper voltage is detected on the IC terminal through which the pulse is conducted. In another aspect, each vendor signs his/her firmware with his own vendor ID. A bootloader uses the vendor ID to lookup a public key that is then used to verify a private key supplied by the firmware to be executed. In another aspect, a magnetic card reader includes a digital peak detector circuit involving programmable positive and negative thresholds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Hess, Raymond O. Chock
  • Patent number: 7778476
    Abstract: A method and system are provided where image data is encoded in the spatial domain, and transformed in a two dimensional transform process to thereby recover a frequency domain representation of the image data. The frequency domain representation is then quantized to obtain an integer representation. The integer representation is ordered by frequency. Then, the hi-frequency coefficients are recreated and intelligently randomized at selective frequencies. This provides high quality encoded picture results, with fewer artifacts than those that would result from conventional approaches afflicted by artifacts due to loss of high frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Jose Roberto Alvarez, Jiangtao (Gene) Wen
  • Patent number: 7751713
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention route a WDM signal across multiple communication paths using skew characteristics of at least some of the communication paths. The network is an optical transport network, using either circuit or packet based switching, and wavelength division multiplexed wavelengths and/or optical carrier groups (“OCGs”) over a fiber link to another node in the network. The plurality of communication paths involves different signal and path attributes such as a plurality of carrier wavelengths, optical carrier groups, physical communication paths (different nodes, different fibers along a same path, or any combination of the foregoing), or any other differentiating factors between two paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Infinera Corporation
    Inventors: Drew D. Perkins, David F. Welch, Ting-Kuang Chiang, Charles H. Joyner, Edward E. Sprague, Parthiban Kandappan, Stephen G. Grubb, Biao Lu, Prasad Paranjape
  • Patent number: 7734106
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising an encoder circuit and a storage circuit. The encoder circuit may be configured to generate a reliability score and a referral score for each partition in an input data stream. The input data stream may be encoded based upon the reliability score and the referral score for each partition. The storage circuit may be configured to store the reliability score for each partition of the input data stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Rui Zhang, Jiangtao Wen
  • Patent number: 7733380
    Abstract: A camera including a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to perform image signal processing and control one or more functions of the camera using image signal processing related information and encoding related information. The second circuit may be configured to encode image data using the image signal processing related information and camera settings information. The first circuit may be further configured to pass the image signal processing related information and the camera settings information to the second circuit. The second circuit may be further configured to pass the encoding related information to the first circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Guy Cote, José R. Alvarez
  • Patent number: 7729194
    Abstract: An electrical circuit contains volatile states that are lost without continued application of power to circuit elements to preserve their volatile states. A first power source in the circuit provides power to the volatile state circuit for holding and preserving their volatile states. A power selection circuit is coupled to the circuit elements and has a plurality of selectable modes. A first mode of operation of the power selection circuit is selected when the circuit elements are to be operated at a first power level via the first power source which constitutes a first mode of operation. A second mode of operation is selected when the volatile state circuit elements are to be operated under a condition where the first power source is inactivated, such as, for example, during a circuit backup or standby operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary V. Zanders
  • Patent number: 7729193
    Abstract: A backup volatile state retention circuit is provided with low leakage current for employment with a volatile memory circuit to store the value of the latter during power down of the volatile circuit or during power-down or inactivation of neighboring or peripheral circuits or due to the loss of power of any of these circuits. An example of such a volatile circuit is a memory circuit having volatile memory cells such as employed in dynamic memory core, in particular, a random access memory (RAM) in CMOS circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary V. Zanders
  • Patent number: 7728696
    Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for providing filtering functionality and impedance transformation within a BAW resonator network are disclosed. In particular, a BAW resonator network is designed to provide bandpass capability and a transformation between its input impedance and output impedance. By effectively integrating impedance matching functionality within the BAW resonator network, discrete impedance matching elements previously required within a system may be removed or reduced in size. As a result, matching networks and their associated component costs, insertion losses, and board size contributions may be reduced. Harmonic termination may be provided within the BAW resonator network or a prematch stage to improve efficiency of a power amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Carlton Stuebing, Garth G. Sundberg, Walid Y. Ali-Ahmad, Hans Dropmann
  • Patent number: 7675444
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a circuit for transferring N inputs, wherein N is greater than or equal to 2, across a capacitive coupling media comprising a line circuit, a coupling capacitor, and a neutral potential circuit. The line circuit comprises: (1) a data converter for each input, for sampling and converting the N inputs; (2) a multiplexer for combining the outputs of the N data converters and a synchronization signal to generate an unencoded composite bit stream; (3) a data encoder for encoding the composite bit stream. The capacitor couples the encoded composite bit stream to a data decoder. The neutral potential circuit comprises: (1) the data decoder for decoding the coupled composite bit stream, and generating a recovered data stream and a recovered clock; (2) a synchronization recovery, control logic, and de-multiplex function for providing a set of digital outputs that correspond to the inputs to the data converters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Alan Smith, Ken Tang, Victor Levi, Jeff Owens
  • Patent number: 7658611
    Abstract: Interactive patient education system for use in operatory or office settings, provides interactive 3-D animations, graphics and other media, enabling real-time markup and customization to better illustrate and communicate not only generic information, but the individual patient's physiology, treatment options, and anticipated outcomes. Preferred embodiments are portable, computer-implemented, interactive multimedia educational tools. Import of patient-specific graphics, video and audio contributes to full-custom educational content to optimize patient understanding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: Reality Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffery L. Jackson
  • Patent number: 7646265
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide systems, devices and methods for improving both the bandwidth of a BAW resonator bandpass filter and the suppression of out-of-band frequencies above the passband. In various embodiments of the invention, blocker inductors are located in series between the filter input and the filter output to realize both bandwidth enhancement and improved out-of-band frequency rejection. For example, a first blocker inductor may be located at the input and a second blocker inductor may be located at the output of a BAW resonator bandpass filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Carlton Stuebing, Guillaume Bouche
  • Patent number: 7609701
    Abstract: A system, apparatus and method to use private IP addresses to designate host devices or nodes in different networks for communication purposes are described. Various embodiments of the invention address the problem of a shortage of public IP addresses under IPv4 architecture. In one embodiment of the invention, dynamic NAT penetration capabilities are provided which consequently expand the capability of running peer-to-peer applications on the Internet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Inventors: Zheng Yang, Zhe Wang, Jie Sun
  • Patent number: 7598827
    Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for providing filtering functionality and impedance transformation within a BAW resonator network are disclosed. In particular, a BAW resonator network is designed to provide bandpass capability and a transformation between its input impedance and output impedance. By effectively integrating impedance matching functionality within the BAW resonator network, discrete impedance matching elements previously required within a system may be removed or reduced in size. As a result, matching networks and their associated component costs, insertion losses, and board size contributions may be reduced. Harmonic termination may be provided within the BAW resonator network or a prematch stage to improve efficiency of a power amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products
    Inventors: Carlton Stuebing, Garth G. Sundberg, Walid Y. Ali-Ahmad, Hans Dropmann
  • Patent number: 7586389
    Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for providing filtering functionality and impedance transformation within a BAW resonator network are disclosed. In particular, a BAW resonator network is designed to provide band pass capability and a transformation between its input impedance and output impedance. By effectively integrating impedance matching functionality within the BAW resonator network, discrete impedance matching elements previously required within a system may be removed or reduced in size. As a result, matching networks and their associated component costs, insertion losses, and board size contributions may be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Walid Y. Ali-Ahmad, Hans Dropmann, Carlton Stuebing