The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 23, 1993
Filed:
Mar. 26, 1992
Laurent Sourgen, Aix en Provence, FR;
SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, S.A., Gentilly, FR;
Abstract
In order to modify the configuration of an integrated circuit, for example to restrict access by the user to certain functions or certain pieces of data of the circuit, the integrated circuit is provided with a first electronic lock capable of being locked or unlocked during a stage for the testing of the integrated circuit and capable of being irreversibly locked after the end of the testing stage, and a second electronic lock capable of being unlocked only so long as the first lock is unlocked. In this way, the entire circuit can be tested in the form in which it is presented to the user, the locking of the locks being, so to speak, simulated during the test.