Appeal No. 1997-2297 Page 2
Application No. 08/337,636
BACKGROUND
Appellants’ invention relates to an input buffer that
includes a driver circuit and a buffer connected to the output
of the driver circuit. An understanding of the invention can
be derived from a reading of exemplary claim 1, which is
reproduced as follows:
1. An input buffer for an integrated circuit for
receiving an input signal from a passive pull-up output
driver, the input signal having a rise timer slower than a
fall time, comprising:
a Schmitt trigger comprising:
an input, coupled to an input pad of the integrated
circuit, for receiving the input signal;
a pull-up driver, coupled to said input, having a
first drive capability due to a first gate size; and
a pull-down driver, coupled to said input, having a
second drive capability due to a second gate size, wherein
said second gate size is greater than said first gate size;
and
a buffer, coupled to an output of said Schmitt trigger
and having a first input gate size of a pull-down device of
said buffer that is at least five times greater than said
first gate size.
The prior art references of record relied upon by the
examiner in rejecting the appealed claims are:
entered by the examiner (Paper No. 24, mailed March 14, 1997).
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007