Patents by Inventor Virginia Natale

Virginia Natale 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: 6081471
    Abstract: An integrated electronic control circuit comprises a microcontroller connected to at least one volatile memory, at least one input/output port, a plurality of control devices, and an electronic non-volatile memory device comprising a non-volatile memory cell matrix linked to a control register, and a switch element connected between a voltage reference and the cell matrix to enable the program mode of the cell matrix under control by the microcontroller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Michele Palazzi, Virginia Natale, Luca Fontanella
  • Patent number: 5311466
    Abstract: The probability of soft-programming of the reference cells of a FLASH-EPROM memory may be excluded by having a decoupling transistor of a type of conductivity opposite to that of the cells functionally connected between the gate of each reference cell and the respective row line. Moreover the elimination of the electrical stresses to which the reference cells are subjected during the repeated programming cycles of the memory cells, increases the stability of the respective reference values of threshold and current level provided by the reference cells, thus increasing the reliability of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 10, 1994
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Virginia Natale, Gianluca Petrosino, Flavio Scarra
  • Patent number: 5289423
    Abstract: Each common source region of the cells of a row of a FLASH-EPROM matrix may be segmented and each segment is individually connected to a secondary source line patterned in a second level metal layer by a plurality of contacts between each common source region and patterned portions of a first level metal and through as many interconnection vias between the latter patterned portions of the first level of metal and the relative secondary source line patterned in the second metal layer. The secondary source lines are brought out of the matrix orthogonally to the bit lines and may be connected to a dedicated selection circuitry, thus permitting the erasing by groups or banks of cells of the FLASH-EPROM memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 22, 1994
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics s.r.l.
    Inventors: Virginia Natale, Gianluca Petrosino, Flavio Scarra