Appeal No. 2002-0880
Application No. 09/183,214
Invention
The claimed invention relates generally to test systems and methods. In
particular, the invention relates to test systems and methods used in testing devices
having circuit and ground connections for receiving power from external sources. See
page 1 of Appellants’ specification. Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an
automated test system 10 according to the present invention. See page 7 of
Appellants’ specification. A storage device 12, a user interface 14 and a processor 16
are preferably integrated into a general purpose computer 26. The general purpose
computer 26 further includes input/output ("I/0") circuitry 28 that provides an interface
between the general purpose computer 26 and various external devices, including, but
not limited to, the test apparatus 18 and the discharge circuit 22. The I/O circuitry 28
may suitably be one or more circuit cards designed to provide interface and/or
communication circuitry that allow the general purpose computer 26 to communicate
with the various external devices. Such devices are well known in the art. For example,
in the embodiment described herein, the I/O circuitry 28 includes a IEEE-488-PCII card
for interfacing to the test apparatus 18. See page 8 of Appellants’ specification.
The storage memory 12 is one or more memory devices capable of storing data,
and in particular, data identifying a plurality of sets of test parameters. A test value is a
value defining an aspect of a test. A set of test parameters is a group of one or more
2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007