Patents by Inventor Gareth J. Nicholls

Gareth J. Nicholls 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: 8027416
    Abstract: A machine-readable medium thereupon stored a design structure; the design structure includes a receiver for a data communications system. The receiver includes a data path for receiving a data signal from a data channel, the data path comprising an automatic gain control (AGC) loop; and, a signal detector for generating a data valid signal indicative of the validity of the data signal in response to detection of the data signal on the channel exceeding a threshold and in dependence upon gain information from the AGC loop in the data path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James S. Mason, Louis C. Hsu, Phil J. Murfet, Gareth J. Nicholls
  • Patent number: 8027415
    Abstract: A receiver for a data communications system comprises: a data path for receiving a data signal from a data channel, the data path comprising an automatic gain control (AGC) loop; and, a signal detector for generating a data valid signal indicative of the validity of the data signal in response to detection of the data signal on the channel exceeding a threshold and in dependence upon gain information from the AGC loop in the data path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James S. Mason, Louis C. Hsu, Phil J. Murfet, Gareth J. Nicholls
  • Patent number: 7809054
    Abstract: Disclosed are a receiver circuit, method and design architecture of a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) Clock-And-Data Recovery (CDR) architecture that utilizes/produces one sample-per-bit in the receiver and reduces bit-error-rate (BER). An integrating receiver is combined with a decision feedback equalizer along with the appropriate (CDR) loop phase detector to maintain a single sample per bit requirement. The incoming voltage is converted to a current and connected to a current summing node. Weighted currents determined by the values of previously detected bits and their respective feedback coefficients are also connected to this node. Additionally, the summed currents is integrated and converted to a voltage. A sampler is utilized to make a bit decision based on the resulting voltage. After sampling, the integrator is reset before analysis of the next bit. The necessary amplification is achieved by maximizing the sensitivity of the latch, using integration in front of the data latch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Juan A. Carballo, Hayden C. Cranford, Jr., Gareth J. Nicholls, Vernon R. Norman, Martin L. Schmatz
  • Publication number: 20080284517
    Abstract: A method of varying the gain of an amplifier and an amplifier array are provided. The amplifier array includes two or more amplifier stages (201, 202) connected in parallel with each amplifier stage having a gain control means. Input signal means (203, 204) are provided for each amplifier stage with the input signals of the amplifier stages being of different amplitude. Means for enabling and disabling an amplifier stage (216) are provided and means for summing the outputs of the enabled amplifier stages obtain an output signal (212).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas J. Bardsley, Matthew R. Cordrey-Gale, James S. Mason, Philip J. Murfet, Gareth J. Nicholls
  • Publication number: 20080240224
    Abstract: A design structure embodied in a machine readable storage medium for designing, manufacturing, and/or testing a design of a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) Clock-And-Data Recovery (CDR) architecture that utilizes/produces one sample-per-bit in the receiver and reduces bit-error-rate (BER) is provided. The design generally includes a receiver circuit. The receiver circuit generally includes a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) that produces one sample per bit, and means for automatically self-adjusting the DFE to enable an eye centering process by which peak energy is maintained within the receiver circuit when phase error is a minimum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Inventors: JUAN A. CARBALLO, Hayden C. Cranford, Gareth J. Nicholls, Vernon R. Norman, Martin L. Schmatz
  • Patent number: 7397302
    Abstract: A method of varying the gain of an amplifier and an amplifier array are provided. The amplifier array includes two or more amplifier stages (201, 202) connected in parallel with each amplifier stage having a gain control means. Input signal means (203, 204) are provided for each amplifier stage with the input signals of the amplifier stages being of different amplitude. Means for enabling and disabling an amplifier stage (216) are provided and means for summing the outputs of the enabled amplifier stages obtain an output signal (212).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas J. Bardsley, Matthew R. Cordrey-Gale, James S. Mason, Philip J. Murfet, Gareth J. Nicholls
  • Publication number: 20080146181
    Abstract: A machine-readable medium thereupon stored a design structure; the design structure includes a receiver for a data communications system. The receiver includes a data path for receiving a data signal from a data channel, the data path comprising an automatic gain control (AGC) loop; and, a signal detector for generating a data valid signal indicative of the validity of the data signal in response to detection of the data signal on the channel exceeding a threshold and in dependence upon gain information from the AGC loop in the data path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2008
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: James Mason, Louis Hsu, Phil J. Murfet, Gareth J. Nicholls
  • Publication number: 20080037690
    Abstract: A receiver for a data communications system comprises: a data path for receiving a data signal from a data channel, the data path comprising an automatic gain control (AGC) loop; and, a signal detector for generating a data valid signal indicative of the validity of the data signal in response to detection of the data signal on the channel exceeding a threshold and in dependence upon gain information from the AGC loop in the data path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Publication date: February 14, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: James S. Mason, Louis C. Hsu, Phil J. Murfet, Gareth J. Nicholls
  • Patent number: 7250814
    Abstract: A method of varying the gain of an amplifier and an amplifier array are provided. The amplifier array includes two or more amplifier stages (201, 202) connected in parallel with each amplifier stage having a gain control means. Input signal means (203, 204) are provided for each amplifier stage with the input signals of the amplifier stages being of different amplitude. Means for enabling and disabling an amplifier stage (216) are provided and means for summing the outputs of the enabled amplifier stages obtain an output signal (212).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas J. Bardsley, Matthew R. Cordrey-Gale, James S. Mason, Philip J. Murfet, Gareth J. Nicholls
  • Patent number: 7085970
    Abstract: A method, in an oversampling clock and data recovery system, for detecting that sampling is stuck taking place at a data edge, by detecting a data edge in an early or a late region relative to a good region and incrementing a stuck early or stuck late counter; and if one counter reaching a maximum, setting a condition indicating that sampling is stuck taking place at a data edge. If a data edge is detected in the good region, or in each of an early and a late region in a single data period, the stuck counters are reset to zero. The detection of which stuck counter has reached a maximum can cause the moving of a sampling clock forward or backward, ending when a data edge occurs in a good region, or in each of an early region and a late region in a single data period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gareth J. Nicholls, Alexander H. Ainscow, Jon D. Garlett, Bobak Modaress-Razavi, Vernon R. Norman, Martin L. Schmatz
  • Publication number: 20040019837
    Abstract: A method, in an oversampling clock and data recovery system, for detecting that sampling is stuck taking place at a data edge, by detecting a data edge in an early or a late region relative to a good region and incrementing a stuck early or stuck late counter; and if one counter reaching a maximum, setting a condition indicating that sampling is stuck taking place at a data edge. If a data edge is detected in the good region, or in each of an early and a late region in a single data period, the stuck counters are reset to zero. The detection of which stuck counter has reached a maximum can cause the moving of a sampling clock forward or backward, ending when a data edge occurs in a good region, or in each of an early region and a late region in a single data period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2002
    Publication date: January 29, 2004
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gareth J. Nicholls, Alexander H. Ainscow, Jon D. Garlett, Bobak Modaress-Razavi, Vernon R. Norman, Martin L. Schmatz