Patents by Inventor Bobby D. Strong

Bobby D. Strong 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: 4857771
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of making a logic circuit wherein the voltage regulators of the ECL circuits, which use resistor ratios, the values of which are difficult to control in the formation of semiconductor circuits, are replaced by a series of diodes, the areas of which are very easy to control in semiconductor fabrication, to set the threshold voltages for the transistors. Embodiments are disclosed using the basic circuit in a stacked configuration to provide AND/NAND operation in addition to the OR/NOR operation of the basic embodiment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1989
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Kevin M. Ovens, Bobby D. Strong
  • Patent number: 4792706
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a logic circuit wherein the voltage regulators of the ECL circuits, which use resistor ratios, the values of which are difficult to control in the formation of semiconductor circuits, are replaced by a series of diodes, the areas of which are very easy to control in semiconductor fabrication, to set the threshold voltages for the transistors. Diode voltage ratios are very controllable since the diodes change only about 18 millivolts for every factor of two in current change. Thresholds can therefore easily be set in five and ten millivolt increments, this being the procedure utilized herein. Embodiments are disclosed using the basic circuit in a stacked configuration to provide AND/NAND operation in addition to the OR/NOR operation of the basic embodiment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1988
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Kevin M. Ovens, Bobby D. Strong
  • Patent number: 4754172
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an STL bipolar buffer/driver circuit having a low output impedance for driving capacitive leads and the like wherein the output resistor of the prior art circuits is replaced by an NPN bipolar transistor and a further circuit including a series resistor, schottky diode and schottky clamp transistor for controlling the two output transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1986
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1988
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Kevin M. Ovens, Bobby D. Strong
  • Patent number: 4704548
    Abstract: The specification discloses an input transistor (14) which is variable between high and low impedance states in response to input voltage transitions at terminal 10. An output transistor (16) is coupled to the input transistor (14) and is responsive to an input transition at terminal 10 for changing impedance states. Circuitry including a speed up transistor (44) is coupled between the input transistor (14) and output transistor (16) for applying added current to the output transistor (16) to speed the change of impedance state. The circuitry applies added current to output transistor (16) until the output voltage at terminal (18) falls below twice the base-emitter voltage of the output transistor (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1987
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Bobby D. Strong, Robert C. Martin, Kevin M. Ovens, James F. Salzman