Patents by Inventor Marlin F. McGregor

Marlin F. McGregor 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).

  • Prevention of an alarm activation and supporting methods and apparatus
    Patent number: 7680251
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for preventing false alarm activation is provided. According to one embodiment of the invention, a determination (410) is made as to whether an instruction from a controller is a commanded reset, and control of a Subscriber Line Interface Circuit is taken (416) from a voice processor circuit when the instruction is a commanded reset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Marlin F. McGregor, Kevin T. Chang, Ben M. Foose
  • Methods and apparatus for upgrading firmware in an embedded system
    Patent number: 6834384
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for upgrading firmware in an embedded system, without impacting the system. More specifically, the present invention enables an embedded system to be upgraded without any system downtime, by providing two application areas in non-volatile programmable read only memory. A processor can boot up and run from either application area. A fixed vector table is provided, which, in cooperation with a software vector table, enables the processor to maintain proper interrupt vector addresses while being able to run from either application area. Upgraded firmware can be loaded into one application area while the system is running from the other application area. Resetting the processor allows the system to run the upgraded version of firmware.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2004
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel Charles Fiorella, III, Ronald L. Gebhardt, Jr., Marlin F. McGregor, Jr.
  • Upconverter for a television signal headend distribution center handling analog and digital signals and method of making and using the same
    Patent number: 6567132
    Abstract: An upconverter for converting IF television signals to VHF or UHF signals prior to broadcast is configured to process either analog or digital television signals. The upconverter identifies the type of incoming television signal and generates an appropriate reference signal depending on whether the incoming television signal is digital or analog. In an analog format, the reference signal is used by the modulator generating the IF signal to synchronize phase with the signals output by various other upconverters. In a digital format, the reference signal is used, for example, as a test signal for the upconversion circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: General Instruments Corp.
    Inventors: Donald E. Groff, Marlin F. McGregor, Jr.
  • Methods and apparatus for upgrading firmware in an embedded system
    Publication number: 20020170050
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for upgrading firmware in an embedded system, without impacting the system. More specifically, the present invention enables an embedded system to be upgraded without any system downtime, by providing two application areas in non-volatile programmable read only memory. A processor can boot up and run from either application area. A fixed vector table is provided, which, in cooperation with a software vector table, enables the processor to maintain proper interrupt vector addresses while being able to run from either application area. Upgraded firmware can be loaded into one application area while the system is running from the other application area. Resetting the processor allows the system to run the upgraded version of firmware.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Publication date: November 14, 2002
    Applicant: General instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel Charles Fiorella, Ronald L. Gebhardt, Marlin F. McGregor