Patents Examined by James Cho
  • Patent number: 7633356
    Abstract: In the field of thin-layered superconductors, particularly those having tunable or adjustable characteristics, a method for the production of such components is provided, in addition to devices including such components. In such a device, is a stack of thin layers alternately consisting of an electrically insulating material and a superconductor material, and turning structure resulting in a resistive link between at least two of the superconductor layers. The inductance of the component can be adjusted by modifying the resistivity of the link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
    Inventors: Jean-François Hamet, Pierre Bernstein, Laurence Mechin, Nabil Touitou, Séverine Mouchel
  • Patent number: 7633314
    Abstract: System and method for reducing power-on transient current magnitude on distributed header switches. A preferred embodiment comprises a distributed header switch coupling a circuit to a power supply, the distributed header switch comprising a linear sequence of combination switches, each combination switches containing a pre-charge switch and a header switch. A first-pass involves sequentially turning on each of the pre-charge switches, which enables a voltage level at the distributed header switch to approach that of a final voltage level and a second-pass involves sequentially turning on each of the header switches. Since the voltage level at the distributed header switches is close to the final voltage level, a resulting transient current is small in magnitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Hugh Mair, Rolf Lagerquist
  • Patent number: 7629812
    Abstract: A switching circuit can have a plurality of first signal lines of a programmable logic device, a plurality of second signal lines of the programmable logic device, and a plurality of switch elements. Each switch element can selectively couple one first signal line to a second signal line and include one or more switch junction field effect transistors (JFETs) having a first control gate separated from a second control gate by a channel region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Assignee: DSM Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Damodar R. Thummalapally, Abhijit Ray
  • Patent number: 7626419
    Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provide a via programmable gate array (“VPGA”) with several configurable circuits arranged in a configurable circuit arrangement. At least some of the configurable circuits are via programmable (“VP”) configured circuits. In some embodiments, the configurable circuit arrangement is a configurable circuit arrangement that includes numerous (e.g., 50, 100, etc.) configurable circuits that are arranged in several rows and columns. This circuit arrangement also includes several bit lines, where at least one the bit line provides a configuration value to at least one configurable circuit. In some embodiments, at least some bit lines traverse along more than one column or row in the circuit arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Tabula, Inc.
    Inventors: Herman Schmit, Steven Teig
  • Patent number: 7626425
    Abstract: High performance clock-powered logic runs at below supply levels and reduces the need for faster digital logic circuitry. In a preferred embodiment, a clocked buffer is used to drive the signal line. The receiving end of the line is connected to a jam latch, preferably followed by an n-latch, followed by the digital logic, and followed by a second n-latch. The first n-latch is eliminated in an alternate embodiment, preferably one that uses complementary data signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: University of Southern California
    Inventors: William C. Athas, Nestor Tzartzanis, Weihua Mao, Lena Peterson
  • Patent number: 7622945
    Abstract: A method for a mix mode driver to accommodate traces of different lengths includes sequentially shifting values of a data signal to a number of stages and sequentially amplifying the values of the data signal at least one stage. Depending on the length of trace for the data signal, the method further includes providing at least one amplifying coefficient to at least one stage and coupling a subset of the stages to an adder. The method finally includes outputting the data signal from the adder to the trace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: 3PAR, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Cheng, David Chu
  • Patent number: 7622951
    Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provide configurable via programmable gate array (“VPGA”) with several configurable circuits arranged in a configurable circuit arrangement. In some embodiments, the configurable circuit arrangement is a configurable circuit arrangement that includes numerous (e.g., 50, 100, etc.) configurable circuits that are arranged in several rows and columns. This circuit arrangement also includes several direct offset connections, where each particular direct offset connection connects two configurable circuits that are neither in the same column nor in the same row in the circuit arrangement. In some embodiments, at least some direct offset connections connect pairs of circuits that are separated in the circuit arrangement by more than one row and at least one column, or by more than one column and at least one row. At least some of the configurable circuits are via programmable (“VP”) configured circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Tabula, Inc.
    Inventors: Herman Schmit, Steven Teig
  • Patent number: 7623074
    Abstract: A multi-band antenna, it comprises: a grounding surface, a supporting base and a radiative metallic portion; the grounding surface has a first shorting point and a second shorting point; the radiative metallic portion is attached to a bottom surface of the supporting base, and includes: a first radiative metallic wire, a radiative metallic sheet, a second radiative metallic wire and a parasitic radiative metallic arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignees: Auden Techno Corp., National Sun Yat-Sen University
    Inventors: Yun-Wen Chi, Kin-Lu Wong
  • Patent number: 7619583
    Abstract: Maintenance on an amateur radio antenna mounted on a tilt over tower typically requires the use of a ladder of scaffold. While tiltover towers are common, when used with a large yagi antenna they tilting is limited by the length of the antenna boom and elements. The user must still utilize a ladder or scaffold to reach all point on the antenna. The tiltplate address this issue and allow the tower and antenna to be tilted all the way to ground level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Inventor: Clifford Alvin Ludwick
  • Patent number: 7612629
    Abstract: Comb generators include a nonlinear transmission line (NLTL) having one or more NLTL sections. Each NLTL section includes one or more nonlinear elements and transmission line portions that provide transmission line dispersion. Typically, the nonlinear elements are Schottky diodes, and a pulse forming bias network is configured to establish Schottky diode bias conditions using a periodic signal that is input to the comb generator. For input periodic signals at frequencies between about 500 MHz and 1 GHz, output signals are produced having substantial power in frequency components at frequencies up to at least about 50 GHz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Picosecond Pulse Labs
    Inventor: Steven H. Pepper
  • Patent number: 7612582
    Abstract: A programmable device is useful for high speed operation or as a process controller or as a component for implementing PLD or FPGA applications. The programmable device includes programmable logic hardware having a plurality of basic logic elements and electrically configurable interconnections. The interconnections are configurable to interconnect the logic elements as a user control program circuit and to connect the user control program circuit to input and output interfaces. When configured, the device contains a user program circuit interfaced to a control circuit. The control circuit operates synchronously with the user program circuit. The control circuit is able to communicate with a monitoring computer to respond to commands, operate when commanded to cause the user program circuit to run, or pause, or single step, read data values from said state data storage units, and write data values to said state data storage units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Inventor: Derek Ward
  • Patent number: 7612577
    Abstract: A circuit comprises a first plurality of transistors of a first channel length disposed along a speedpath, the first plurality of transistors providing a first timing performance. The circuit also comprises a second plurality of transistors of a second channel length having an expected equivalent functionality as the first plurality of transistors and disposed in parallel with the first plurality of transistors along the speedpath, wherein the second channel length is different from the first channel length. In addition, the circuit comprises an element configured to selectively replace the first plurality of transistors with the second plurality of transistors in response to a determination that the first timing performance of the first plurality of transistors fails a timing requirement of the speedpath. In one embodiment, the second channel length is a sub-minimal geometry with respect to the first channel length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Mahbub M. Rashed, Milind P. Padhye
  • Patent number: 7605612
    Abstract: A technique for clock gating a clock domain of an integrated circuit includes storing first, second, and third values in a control register. The first value corresponds to a first number of clock cycles to wait before initiating clock gating, the second value corresponds to a second number of clock cycles in which clock gating is performed, and the third value corresponds to a third number of clock cycles in which clock gating is not performed. One of the first, second, and third values is selectively loaded from the control register into a counting circuit. The counting circuit counts from the loaded one of the first, second, and third values to a transition value. A compare signal is received at the control state machine (from the counting circuit) that indicates the counting circuit has reached the transition value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Owen Chiang, Christopher M. Durham, Peter J. Klim, Daniel L. Stasiak, Albert J. Van Norstrand, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7605611
    Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems are disclosed, including those for a buffer having pre-driver circuitry configured to provide voltages to thin-gate dielectric transistors. One such buffer may comprise a primary pull-up pre-driver operably coupled to a primary pull-up transistor, a secondary pull-up pre-driver operably coupled to a secondary pull-up transistor, a primary pull-down pre-driver operably coupled to a primary pull-down transistor, and a secondary pull-down pre-driver operably coupled to a secondary pull-down transistor. Each of the primary pull-up pre-driver, the secondary pull-up pre-driver, primary pull-down pre-driver, and the secondary pull-down pre-driver are configured to provide a voltage to a gate of a transistor operably coupled thereto at a voltage level so as to sustain gate dielectric integrity of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Venkatraghavan Bringivijayaraghavan, Jason Brown
  • Patent number: 7605605
    Abstract: A programmable logic structure is disclosed employing input logic routing cell (ILRC) multiplexers and output logic routing cell (OLRC) multiplexers for making local connections between dedicated logic cells. In a simple programmable logic structure, a dedicated logic cell (DLC) is implemented in a programmable logic structure comprising multiple ILRC multiplexers for port A and multiple OLRC multiplexers for port B. In a multi-level programmable logic structure, multiple columns of dedicated logic cells is designed with columns of dedicated local cells adjacent to each other where each DLC column is used to implement a particular logic function. In a first embodiment, local connections can be made between dedicated logic cells, e.g. an OLRC in a first DLC at level L making local point-to-point connections to an ILRC in a second DLC at level L+1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Cswitch Corporation
    Inventors: Hare K. Verma, Ravi Sunkavalli, Sudip Nag, Conrad Kong, Bo Hu, Chandra Mulpuri, Ashok Vittal
  • Patent number: 7595660
    Abstract: Example low-delay complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) to emitter-coupled logic (ECL) converters, methods and apparatus are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a reference level generator circuit to generate first and second reference signals and a bias signal based on a CMOS supply voltage, a source follower circuit to convert a CMOS input signal to a single-ended ECL signal based on the first and second reference signals, and an ECL buffer circuit to convert the single-ended ECL signal to a differential ECL output signal based on the bias signal and an ECL supply voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: David Alexander Grant
  • Patent number: 7592835
    Abstract: A co-processor system is provided that includes an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs). Each CLB including a plurality of look-up tables and a plurality of adders. Each CLB may be dynamically reconfigurable to perform a plurality of logical functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Amit Agarwal, Sanu K. Mathew, Ram K. Krishnamurthy, Rajaraman Ramanarayanan
  • Patent number: 7592833
    Abstract: A method for programming logic in a field programmable gate array (FPGA) comprising, receiving a logic process including a logic node, and associating the node with a logic descriptor, and saving the logic descriptor in a memory of the FPGA. The logic descriptor including: a unique identifier of the node, an enabling indicator operative to indicate if the node is enabled, a function indicator operative to define a logic function performed by the node, an input number indicator operative to define a number of inputs of the node, an output indicator operative to indicate a logic state of an output of the node, and an input indicator operative to indicate a unique identifier of an input of the node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Adam Anthony Weiss
  • Patent number: 7589562
    Abstract: Disclosed is an I/O cell for providing an output pad with an output signal, including a first drive circuit for providing the output pad with an output signal having a drive strength which is equal to a drive strength required by a basic PMOS transistor or a basic NMOS transistor, the first drive circuit further operating as an ESD protection circuit to protect the output pad from any errant electrostatic signal input thereto; and a at least one second drive circuit connected between an output of the first drive circuit and the output pad, the second drive circuit operating as an ESD protection circuit to further protect the output pad from any errant electrostatic signal input thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Dongbu Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jae Hun Jun
  • Patent number: 7589559
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a chip includes transmitters to transmit differential signals on conductors; and current mode circuitry to selectively modulate a common mode voltage of the differential signals to communicate data. In other embodiments, a system includes a first chip to transmit first and second differential signals on conductors, and a second chip. The second chip includes receivers to receive the first and second differential signals from the conductors and provide received signals representative thereof, and current mode circuitry to selectively modulate a common mode voltage of either the first or second differential signals to communicate data and wherein the first chip includes common mode detection circuitry to detect changes in the common mode voltage. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Silicon Image, Inc.
    Inventors: Daeyun Shim, Min-Kyu Kim, Gyudong Kim, Keewook Jung, Seung Ho Hwang