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:
Jul. 13, 1999
Filed:
Dec. 19, 1996
Richard Francis Frankeny, Elgin, TX (US);
Krishnamurthy Venkatramani, Austin, TX (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A current source based multilevel bus driver and converter suitable to simultaneously insect precise magnitudes of current from multiple locations into common lines of a bus and then detect analog sums of the net current. The analog current sums so detected are decoded into digital equivalents corresponding to the respective current injection sources. In a typical application the current source drivers and converter are Located on separate integrated circuit chips. The reference node common to all the chips allows a reference generator on each chip to precisely define bias and transmitted current levels suitable to ensure precise values of injected current and to accurately differentiate between analog current levels in each line as an aspect of conversion into digital form and attribution as to origin.