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. 17, 1998
Filed:
Jun. 20, 1995
Applicant:
Inventors:
Ronald W Pearson, Denton, TX (US);
Michael L Bolan, Dallas, TX (US);
Assignee:
Dallas Semiconductor Corporation, Dallas, TX (US);
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
H04Q / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
34082531 ; 34082534 ;
Abstract
An integrated circuit with three independently programmable 'time bomb' functions. The integrated circuit can be set to disable itself after a certain number of power-up cycles, or after a certain total duration of operation, or after a certain absolute time and date. This is particularly advantageous for authorization functions, where the manufacturer may want to enable the user to 'test drive' a demonstration or rental item of hardware or software.