Please guys..

Could you start another discussion list about the 'sues' please..
I am quite new around here, and all I have to do is delete mail about
this American Hobby of sueing..

Or, give me (I am new.. ) a quick means of filtering out messages about
this subject.
Of course there is an easy way ( I am using Netscape, recent version),
but reading all
this sueing stuff leaves me no time to find out myself.

Thanks for the help, but the suggestion remains: start another discussion
list !

Wim.

Andrew Warren wrote:

> Luigi Rizzo <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU> wrote:
>
> > > 5473758:  System having input output pins shifting between
> > >           programming mode and normal mode to program memory
> > >           without dedicating input output pins for
> > >           programming mode
> >
> > this is weird... EPROM have been out for a while and it seems to me
> > that the above description exactly matches the programming method
> > for EPROMs! (yes I know Eproms have a Vpp pin, but just call it
> > RESET...)
>
> Luigi:
>
> Read the patent before jumping to conclusions.
>
> The patent specifically claims a means by which the chip is
> programmed with FEWER PINS than the width of each memory cell... Here
> are some selected quotes from the Background and Summary sections of
> the patent:
>
>     "It is a principal object of the present invention to provide
>     apparatus and method which permits the use of 14-bit instruction
>     words despite the presence of only 12 I/O pins in the
>     microcontroller.",
>
>     ".... Another object of the invention is to provide a
>     semiconductor device which may be programmed while in circuit
>     without the need for additional pins relative to those utilized
>     for the normal circuit or system operating mode.
>
>     "A further object of the invention is to provide a
>     microcontroller device which may be user-programmed while
>     embedded in the system which is to undergo control.", and
>
>     "According to another significant aspect of teh invention, the
>     microcontroller is provided with a serial-parallel interface
>     between the I/O ports and the program memory, to allow both
>     serial and parallel programming of the device."
>
> As I said in my original message in this thread, though, Microchip
> may have some problems with this particular patent... Two of its ten
> claims relate directly to the use of EPROM memory (the SX chip uses
> flash of some sort), one of the claims (and portions of two others)
> relates to the suppresion of disturbances caused by the high
> voltages associated with EPROM programming, a couple others involve
> implementation issues (latches between the pins and the memory) that
> might be worked around, and there's always the dim possibility that
> Scenix might be able to show prior art for the other claims.
>
> This particular patent, though, seems to be the weakest of the six
> that Microchip is suing over... Even if the case goes to trial and
> this one's invalidated, the others will probably (in my opinion
> as a non-lawyer) stand up.
>
> -Andy
>
> === Andrew Warren - fastfwd@ix.netcom.com
> === Fast Forward Engineering - Vista, California
> === http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2499