Patents by Inventor Walter F. Broedner

Walter F. Broedner 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: 5938742
    Abstract: A low power, single master, variable clock rate, daisy-chainable, serial bus connects a bus dispatch (master) to a chain of one or more daisy-chained peripheral devices (slaves). The bus has a bidirectional serial data line, a bidirectional clock line, unidirectional interrupt line, power and ground lines. A method for configuring the bus includes detecting connection and disconnection of a peripheral device to the bus. In the method, a last peripheral device on the bus is assigned the second status and all other peripheral devices on the bus are assigned the first status. Each peripheral device assigned the first status is configured to pass therethrough an interrupt signal on the bus. The last peripheral device is configured to invert an interrupt signal on the bus from a peripheral device that is newly attached to the bus. A peripheral device newly connected to the bus generates an interrupt signal that is inverted by the last peripheral device and transmitted over the bus to a host computer for the bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: General Magic, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony M. Faddell, Walter F. Broedner
  • Patent number: 5812796
    Abstract: A low power, single master, variable clock rate, daisy-chainable, serial bus connects a bus dispatch (master) to a chain of one or more daisy-chained peripheral devices (slaves). The bus has a bidirectional serial data line, a bidirectional clock line, unidirectional interrupt line, power and ground lines. Each peripheral device includes a plurality of serial bus support structures. For example, the serial bus support structures can include an interrupt generation circuit, a power-on circuit, and a wake-up interrupt generation circuit, and a wake-up interrupt propagation circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: General Magic, Inc.
    Inventors: Walter F. Broedner, Anthony M. Fadell
  • Patent number: 5793993
    Abstract: A low power, single master, variable clock rate, daisy-chainable, serial bus connects a bus dispatch (master) to a chain of one or more daisy-chained peripheral devices (slaves). The bus has a bidirectional serial data line, a bidirectional clock line, unidirectional interrupt line, power and ground lines. All bus transactions over the bus occur under bus dispatch commands. If a peripheral device interrupts the bus dispatch, bus dispatch issues commands over the bus to determine which device caused the interrupt and what service is being requested by the device. The bus dispatch may then turn control of the data and clock lines over to the peripheral device for a limited amount of time depending on the service requested. New peripheral devices can be connected onto the bus and unused peripheral devices can be disconnected from the bus while the bus is operating without causing a bus failure. Similarly, bus dispatch may enter a low power sleep mode from which it may be awakened by a peripheral device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: General Magic, Inc.
    Inventors: Walter F. Broedner, Anthony M. Faddell, Stephen G. Perlman, John E. Watkins
  • Patent number: 5787298
    Abstract: A low power, single master, variable clock rate, daisy-chainable, serial bus connects a bus dispatch (master) to a chain of one or more daisy-chained peripheral devices (slaves). The bus has a bidirectional serial data line, a bidirectional clock line, unidirectional interrupt line, power and ground lines. Each peripheral device includes a first bidirectional signal line, a second bidirectional signal line coupled to the bus clock and data lines, respectively, and an interface circuit coupled to the first and second bidirectional signal lines. The interface circuit includes a first buffer circuit coupled to the first and second bidirectional signal lines, and a second buffer circuit coupled to the first buffer circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1998
    Assignee: General Magic, Inc.
    Inventors: Walter F. Broedner, Anthony M. Faddell
  • Patent number: 5675811
    Abstract: A low power, single master, variable clock rate, daisy-chainable, serial bus connects a bus dispatch in a base station (master) to a chain of one or more daisy-chained peripheral devices (slaves). The bus has a bidirectional serial data line, a bidirectional clock line, unidirectional interrupt line, power and ground lines. Data and commands are sent from the base station to a peripheral device, and data is received from the peripheral device by the base station by configuring each peripheral device on the bus to receive data and clock signals from the base station in an idle mode of operation. Upon a command send being transmitted by the base station, all peripheral devices on the serial bus between the base station and an addressed peripheral device remain in the idle mode and the addressed peripheral device is connected to the bus so that clock and data signals on the bus to are passed to the peripheral device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignee: General Magic, Inc.
    Inventors: Walter F. Broedner, Anthony M. Fadell, Stephen G. Perlman, John E. Watkins
  • Patent number: 4631692
    Abstract: An interface for adapting an Apple.TM. II series computer, having only a video output suitable for driving an NTSC-type monitor to drive an RGB-type monitor. In the preferred embodiment, the interface subdivides the computer's double-density high resolution (HIRES) video mode output having 560 transitions/monitor scan line into any of four (4) video modes for display on the RGB monitor. The interface can be provided on a card incorporated into the computer or as a unit separate and distinct from the computer and connected therewith via a cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1986
    Assignee: Video-7 Incorporated
    Inventor: Walter F. Broedner
  • Patent number: 3950654
    Abstract: An initializing circuit for automatically providing a pulse of a duration sufficient to initialize all the relevant storage elements in an electronic calculator computing system having one or two power supplies. It comprises a power-on pulse generator controlled by two phase clock buffers utilizing a feed-back loop including a bit of delay to guarantee a minimum of one bit time duration for the power-on level. The two phase clock buffers are activated at turn-on to remain in a steady state by a power-on level detecting sub-circuit to control the pulse generator. When a one bit pulse is insufficient to initialize the system, a flip-flop and a counter may be used to generate a longer pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1974
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1976
    Assignee: American Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Walter F. Broedner, Ravinder K. Bhatnagar, W. Eugene Hill, Daniel W. Tjoa