Patents by Inventor Seth A. Erlebacher

Seth A. Erlebacher 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).

  • Circuits associated with fusible elements for establishing and detecting of the states of those elements
    Patent number: 7084696
    Abstract: A state detection circuit for a fusible element includes a differential sensing circuit that compares voltage at a detection point in a path containing the fusible element with that at a reference point in a path establishing a non-zero reference voltage. The paths are similarly configured except one contains the fusible element while the other contains a device establishing the reference voltage. The two paths in any given sensing circuit are located in close proximity to each other so that even though element parameters in the paths of different sensing circuits may vary significantly, those values track each other in the given sensing circuit. As a result, the normal non-zero value of the voltage at the reference point maintains a relationship to that at the detection point that enables the differential sensing circuit to detect between a fused and an unfused element irrespective of variation in circuit element parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Seth A. Erlebacher, Paul D. Muench, George E. Smith, III, Gary Steinbrueck
  • Circuits associated with fusible elements for establishing and detecting of the states of those elements
    Publication number: 20050224586
    Abstract: A state detection circuit for a fusible element includes a differential sensing circuit that compares voltage at a detection point in a path containing the fusible element with that at a reference point in a path establishing a non-zero reference voltage. The paths are similarly configured except one contains the fusible element while the other contains a device establishing the reference voltage. The two paths in any given sensing circuit are located in close proximity to each other so that even though element parameters in the paths of different sensing circuits may vary significantly, those values track each other in the given sensing circuit. As a result, the normal non-zero value of the voltage at the reference point maintains a relationship to that at the detection point that enables the differential sensing circuit to detect between a fused and an unfused element irrespective of variation in circuit element parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Publication date: October 13, 2005
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Seth Erlebacher, Paul Muench, George Smith, Gary Steinbrueck