IP Library Granted Patent US 8,717,831
Granted Patent B2
US 8,717,831 · App. 13/460,514 · Granted May 6, 2014

Memory circuit

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,717,831
App. No.
13/460,514
Granted
May 6, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A memory circuit may include a shift register ring including single-bit shift registers. The circuit may include a clock connected to the shift registers to shift bits within the shift register ring, and a counter connected to the clock and indicating positions of the bits in the shift register ring.

Claims (27)

1. A memory circuit comprising:

a shift register ring including single-bit shift registers;

a clock connected to the shift registers to shift bits within the shift register ring;

a counter connected to the clock and indicating positions of the bits in the shift register ring; and

a clock disable circuit connected to an output of the clock to inhibit a clock propagation to the counter and the shift registers when writing to the shift registers.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , comprising:

a shift register selection circuit connected to the counter and the shift registers to select a shift register based on a position indicated by the counter.

3. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the shift register selection circuit comprises a multiplexer including a selector connected to the counter and outputs connected to the shift registers, wherein a counter value from the counter selects an output of the multiplexer corresponding to a current position of the bits.

4. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the bits include bits D 0 -Dn, the shift registers includes shift registers SR 0 -SRn, the shift register selection circuit includes a multiplexer for each bit D 0 -Dn, and each multiplexer includes a selector connected to the counter to select a corresponding output of each multiplexer to read or write the bits D 0 -Dn from the shift registers SR 0 -SRn according to a current position of the bits D 0 -Dn indicated by a current value of the counter.

5. The circuit of claim 4 , wherein each multiplexer includes outputs Q 0 -Qn connected to a corresponding set of the shift registers to read or write the bits D 0 -Dn from the shift registers SR 0 -SRn according to the current position of the bits D 0 -Dn indicated by the current value of the counter.

6. The circuit of claim 5 , wherein the outputs Q 0 -Qn for the multiplexer for D 0 are connected to the shift registers SR 0 -SRn respectively, the outputs Q 0 -Qn−1 for the multiplexer for D 1 are connected to the shift registers SR 1 -SRn−1 respectively, and so on for each of the multiplexers for each bit D 0 -Dn wherein the output Q 0 for the multiplexer for Dn is connected to the shift register SRn.

7. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein each shift register comprises a D flip-flop storing only a single bit of data, and the shift register selection circuit is connected to the input and the output of each D flip-flop to read or write data from the flip-flops.

8. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein each shift register includes a zeroize input and each shift register is to simultaneously receive a zeroize active signal to reset each bit stored in the shift registers simultaneously.

9. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein for each clock pulse generated by the clock, each bit is shifted to a next shift register in the ring, and the counter is incremented by one unless the bits are in a final position, and then the counter is reset to 0.

10. A circuit comprising:

a clock connected to single-bit shift registers in a shift register ring to shift bits within the shift register ring;

a counter connected to the clock and indicating a current position of the bits in the shift register ring; and

a shift register selection circuit connected to the counter and the shift registers to select shift registers based on a position indicated by the counter,

wherein for each clock pulse generated by the clock, each bit is shifted to a next shift register in the ring, and the counter is incremented by one unless the bits are in a final position, and then the counter is reset to 0.

11. The circuit of claim 10 , wherein the bits include bits D 0 -Dn, the shift registers includes shift registers SR 0 -SRn, the shift register selection circuit includes a multiplexer for each bit D 0 -Dn, and each multiplexer includes a selector connected to the counter to select a corresponding output of each multiplexer to read or write the bits D 0 -Dn from the shift registers SR 0 -SRn according to a current position of the bits D 0 -Dn indicated by a current value of the counter.

12. The circuit of claim 10 , wherein the shift register selection circuit comprises N number of multiplexers, wherein N is a number of bits in a word, and the counter has N number of counter bits, and a number of low order bits of the counter comprised of log 2N select a word in the shift registers, and the remaining bits in the counter represent an offset into the selected word.

13. A method of shifting bits in a shift register ring including single-bit shift registers comprising:

shifting the bits in the shift register ring for each clock pulse generated by a clock;

incrementing a counter by one for each clock pulse unless the bits are in a home position, and then resetting the counter to 0, wherein the counter indicates a current position of the bits in the shift register ring; and

selecting a shift register based on a current position indicated by the counter to read or write data to the shift registers.

14. The method of claim 13 , comprising:

using a clock disable circuit connected to an output of the clock to inhibit a clock propagation to the counter and the shift registers when writing to the shift registers.

Assignments (13)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE COMPANY NAME OF RECEIVING PARTY PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 72653 FRAME 454. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jan 9, 2026
From: ENTIT SOFTWARE LLC
To: UTIMACO INC.
Reel/Frame 074912/0610 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 23, 2025
From: ENTIT SOFTWARE LLC
To: UTIMACO, INC.
Reel/Frame 072653/0454 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST REEL/FRAME 044183/0577 Recorded Feb 2, 2023
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: MICRO FOCUS LLC (F/K/A ENTIT SOFTWARE LLC)
Reel/Frame 063560/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST REEL/FRAME 044183/0718 Recorded Feb 2, 2023
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: MICRO FOCUS LLC (F/K/A ENTIT SOFTWARE LLC); BORLAND SOFTWARE CORPORATION; MICRO FOCUS (US), INC.; SERENA SOFTWARE, INC; ATTACHMATE CORPORATION; MICRO FOCUS SOFTWARE INC. (F/K/A NOVELL, INC.); NETIQ CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062746/0399 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 22, 2019
From: NIBC BANK N.V., AS SECURITY AGENT
To: UTIMACO INC.
Reel/Frame 050135/0404 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 5, 2019
From: UTIMACO INC.
To: NIBC BANK N.V.
Reel/Frame 048240/0281 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 24, 2018
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. (AS SUCCESSOR TO BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.)
To: ENTIT SOFTWARE LLC
Reel/Frame 047299/0055 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 24, 2018
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. (AS SUCCESSOR TO BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.)
To: ENTIT SOFTWARE LLC
Reel/Frame 047297/0843 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 11, 2017
From: ATTACHMATE CORPORATION; BORLAND SOFTWARE CORPORATION; NETIQ CORPORATION; MICRO FOCUS (US), INC.; MICRO FOCUS SOFTWARE, INC.; ENTIT SOFTWARE LLC; ARCSIGHT, LLC; SERENA SOFTWARE, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 044183/0718 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 11, 2017
From: ENTIT SOFTWARE LLC; ARCSIGHT, LLC
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 044183/0577 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 9, 2017
From: HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP
To: ENTIT SOFTWARE LLC
Reel/Frame 042746/0130 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 9, 2015
From: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
To: HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP
Reel/Frame 037079/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 1, 2012
From: HADLEY, TED A.
To: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
Reel/Frame 028133/0423 →