Patents by Inventor Thomas Lee Spieker

Thomas Lee Spieker 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).

  • SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AN INTERACTIVE BROADBAND SYSTEM-ON-CHIP WITH A RECONFIGURABLE INTERFACE
    Publication number: 20090328128
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed, in an interactive broadband set-top box receiving broadband signals from a headend, to facilitate communications with an installed card within the set-top box using a single IC chip that processes the broadband signals. The single IC chip is configured to a PCMCIA PC-card mode such that PC card signals are multiplexed to certain I/O pins of the single IC chip. In the PCMCIA PC-card mode, the single IC chip attempts to detect the presence of and identify an installed card in the set-top box. If an installed card is present and is identified as a POD module, then the single IC chip is reconfigured from the PCMCIA PC-card mode to a POD mode such that POD-compatible signals are multiplexed to certain existing I/O pins of the single IC chip when operating in the POD mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jorge Juan Wong, Dave Datphuoc Huynh, Thomas Lee Spieker
  • System and method for an interactive broadband system-on-chip with a reconfigurable interface
    Patent number: 7526791
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed, in an interactive broadband set-top box receiving broadband signals from a headend, to facilitate communications with an installed card within the set-top box using a single IC chip that processes the broadband signals. The single IC chip is configured to a PCMCIA PC-card mode such that PC card signals are multiplexed to certain I/O pins of the single IC chip. In the PCMCIA PC-card mode, the single IC chip attempts to detect the presence of and identify an installed card in the set-top box. If an installed card is present and is identified as a POD module, then the single IC chip is reconfigured from the PCMCIA PC-card mode to a POD mode such that POD-compatible signals are multiplexed to certain existing I/O pins of the single IC chip when operating in the POD mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Jorge Juan Wong, Dave Datphuoc Huynh, Thomas Lee Spieker
  • System and method for an interactive broadband system-on-chip with a reconfigurable interface
    Publication number: 20040019913
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed, in an interactive broadband set-top box receiving broadband signals from a headend, to facilitate communications with an installed card within the set-top box using a single IC chip that processes the broadband signals. The single IC chip is configured to a PCMCIA PC-card mode such that PC card signals are multiplexed to certain I/O pins of the single IC chip. In the PCMCIA PC-card mode, the single IC chip attempts to detect the presence of and identify an installed card in the set-top box. If an installed card is present and is identified as a POD module, then the single IC chip is reconfigured from the PCMCIA PC-card mode to a POD mode such that POD-compatible signals are multiplexed to certain existing I/O pins of the single IC chip when operating in the POD mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Publication date: January 29, 2004
    Inventors: Jorge Juan Wong, Dave Datphuoc Huynh, Thomas Lee Spieker