Patents by Inventor Gareth Howells

Gareth Howells 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).

  • Device to generate a machine specific identification key
    Patent number: 8401184
    Abstract: An integrated circuit assembly having monitoring circuitry for observing the internal signals of the system so that its properties are captured. The system properties are manipulated so that they can be used as a pseudo random number and or as the basis number for an encryption key. The monitoring circuitry having: manipulation circuitry to transform monitored data and combine it with previously manipulated values; and registers to store previously manipulated values; and counters to count events; and condition detection circuitry for detecting when a signal is at a specific value or range of values. Optionally the monitoring circuitry which has the functionality for capturing system properties may be combined with other monitoring circuitry, which has the functionality required by a debug support circuit. The monitoring circuitry avoids replication of resources by sharing parts of specific monitoring circuits like counters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: University of Essex Enterprises Limited
    Inventors: Andrew Hopkins, Klaus McDonald-Maier, Gareth Howells
  • DEVICE TO GENERATE A MACHINE SPECIFIC IDENTIFICATION KEY
    Publication number: 20100119062
    Abstract: An integrated circuit assembly having monitoring circuitry for observing the internal signals of the system so that its properties are captured. The system properties are manipulated so that they can be used as a pseudo random number and or as the basis number for an encryption key. The monitoring circuitry having: manipulation circuitry to transform monitored data and combine it with previously manipulated values; and registers to store previously manipulated values; and counters to count events; and condition detection circuitry for detecting when a signal is at a specific value or range of values. Optionally the monitoring circuitry which has the functionality for capturing system properties may be combined with other monitoring circuitry, which has the functionality required by a debug support circuit. The monitoring circuitry avoids replication of resources by sharing parts of specific monitoring circuits like counters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicants: WIVENHOE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF KENT
    Inventors: Andrew Hopkins, Klaus Mcdonald-Maier, Gareth Howells