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:
Apr. 30, 1996
Filed:
Jun. 27, 1994
Samuel E Alexander, Phoenix, AZ (US);
Microchip Technologies, Inc., Chandler, AZ (US);
Abstract
An I.sup.2 C bus-compatible, serial EEPROM device is used in applications involving storage and serial transmission of configuration and control information for an intelligent peripheral device with which the EEPROM device is associated, for communication on a bus to a host device adapted to control the peripheral device. The EEPROM device has a memory array for storing data representing the configuration and control information. Two modes of data transmission are supported by the EEPROM device, and are alternately and selectively established according to whether data stored in the EEPROM array is to be read only, by sequential output onto the bus, or the array is also to be allowed to be written to. The arrangement ultimately allows intelligent interaction between the host device and the peripheral device. A separate clock line supplements the usual clock line and data line of an I.sup.2 C bus to support the distinct and different modes, with clocking by the respective clock line for the established mode. A controlled multiplexer selectively connects the input clock according to a predetermined logic level transition on one of the two clock lines.