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:
Jan. 11, 2005
Filed:
Dec. 09, 2002
Albert C. Sun, Neihu, TW;
Chang-lun Chen, Hsinchu, TW;
Chee-horng Lee, San-Chung, TW;
Macronix International Co., Ltd., Hsinchu, TW;
Abstract
An architecture for an integrated circuit with in-circuit programming, allows for dynamically altering the in-circuit programming instruction set itself, as well as other software stored on the chip. The architecture is based on a microcontroller on an integrated circuit having two or more banks of embedded non-volatile memory arrays which store instructions, including an in-circuit programming instruction set. Using a control program stored on the device, the device interactively establishes an in-circuit programming exchange with a remote partner, and updates data and software, including the in-circuit programming instruction set, when needed. The processor and ICP code are responsive to an in-circuit programming update command to write a copy of the in-circuit programming set from a first memory array to a second memory array, and to cause the in-circuit programming to execute the in-circuit programming set from the second memory array to program the non-volatile memory cells of the first memory array with data from the external port.