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:
Sep. 14, 1999
Filed:
Apr. 11, 1997
Paul William Coteus, Yorktown Heights, NY (US);
Mark William Kellogg, Essex Junction, VT (US);
Robert Dominick Mirabella, Round Rock, TX (US);
Wally Tuten, Georgetown, TX (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A vital product data (VPD) detection circuit mountable on a substrate of a pluggable component. The circuit comprises a 'parallel read' circuit for generating vital product data associated with the pluggable component, a 'serial read' circuit for storing and retrieving vital product data associated with the pluggable component, and means for interconnecting the parallel and serial read circuits. The parallel read circuit preferably comprises a parallel array of transistors surface-mounted on the substrate, and the serial read circuit preferably comprises a serial EEPROM having a clock input, a set of address inputs, and a bidirectional data pin. A VPD detection mechanism may disable the parallel VPD circuitry in favor of the serial VPD detection circuitry, or vice versa, or these circuits may be enabled but activated in a mutually exclusive manner.