US6473891B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Wire routing to control skew
Assignee: Bell Semiconductor LLC
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Filing: 2000-05-03
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Granted: 2002-10-29
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Expires: 2020-05-03
Abstract
Abstract The present invention is directed to laying out connection points and routing a signal from an input terminal to the connection points for use in signal distribution to control skew. A pattern of diamond-shaped rings is constructed, each of the diamond-shaped rings including an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, where the diamond-shaped rings are arranged such that each point within a specified area is included within at least one diamond-shaped ring. A center point is identified for each of the diamond-shaped rings and each center point is designated as a connection point. A connection is then routed between the input terminal and each of plural of the connection points. The invention also is directed to routing a signal from one of plural connection points to a pin so as to control skew. A diamond-shaped ring is associated with each connection point, the diamond-shaped ring including an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, where the inner diamond and the outer diamond have a common center which is the connection point associated with the diamond-shaped ring. It is then determined which of the diamond-shaped rings include the pin. Finally, a connection is routed between the pin and the connection point associated with one of the diamond-shaped rings that includes the pin.
Inventors
- 👤 John Shively
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 15:21
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F1/00; G06F1/04; G06F1/10; G06F30/00; G06F30/30; G06F30/39; G06F30/394
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 39
Claim 1
Independent Claim
143 words
A method for pre-wiring a grid of connection points from an input terminal so as to control skew, said method comprising: constructing a pattern of diamond-shaped rings, each of the diamond-shaped rings including an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, wherein the diamond-shaped rings are arranged such that each point within a specified area is included within at least one diamond-shaped ring; identifying a center point for each of the diamond-shaped rings and designating each center point as a connection point; and routing a connection between the input terminal and each of plural of the connection points, wherein the pattern comprises an arrangement of diamond-shaped rings such that the center points for the diamond-shaped rings are arranged in a grid, equally spaced in a horizontal direction and equally spaced in a vertical direction.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
143 words
A method for pre-wiring a grid of connection points from an input terminal so as to control skew, said method comprising: constructing a pattern of diamond-shaped rings, each of the diamond-shaped rings including an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, wherein the diamond-shaped rings are arranged such that each point within a specified area is included within at least one diamond-shaped ring; identifying a center point for each of the diamond-shaped rings and designating each center point as a connection point; and routing a connection between the input terminal and each of plural of the connection points, wherein the pattern comprises an arrangement of diamond-shaped rings such that the center points for the diamond-shaped rings are arranged in a grid, equally spaced in a horizontal direction and equally spaced in a vertical direction.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein the pattern comprises a column of diamond-shaped rings that overlap, and wherein the center points for the diamond-shaped rings in the column lie on a single line.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein a corner of one diamond-shaped ring overlaps a corner of a different diamond-shaped ring that is adjacent to and vertically aligned with the one diamond-shaped ring.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein the inner diamond and the outer diamond for each of the diamond-shaped rings are similar to each other.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 4 , wherein all of the diamond-shaped rings are identical in size and shape.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 4 , wherein the inner diamond and the outer diamond for each diamond-shaped ring have a horizontal-to-vertical dimension ratio of v/h, where h is a horizontal delay factor and v is a vertical delay factor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 4 , wherein a distance between the inner diamond and the outer diamond for each of the diamond-shaped rings is determined based on a specified maximum skew.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein a corner of the outer diamond for each of plural of the diamond-shaped rings is coincident with a corner of the inner diamond for another of the diamond-shaped rings.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein the diamond-shaped rings are arranged such that each pin to be connected to a signal is included within exactly two diamond-shaped rings.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein the connections between the input terminal and the connection points are made using plural nested H-trunks.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method according to claim 1 , further comprising: determining which of the diamond-shaped rings include a specified pin; and routing a connection between the specified pin and the connection point which is the center point of one of the diamond-shaped rings that includes the specified pin.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein the specified area comprises all areas that include a pin to be connected to a signal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-wiring is for routing a clock signal.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
116 words
A method for routing a signal from one of plural connection points to a pin so as to control skew, said method comprising: associating a diamond-shaped ring with each connection point, thereby defining a plurality of diamond-shaped rings, wherein each diamond-shaped ring includes an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, and wherein the inner diamond and the outer diamond have a common center which is the connection point associated with the diamond-shaped ring; determining which of the plurality of diamond-shaped rings include the pin; and routing a connection between the pin and the connection point associated with one of the diamond-shaped rings that includes the pin.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
116 words
A method for routing a signal from one of plural connection points to a pin so as to control skew, said method comprising: associating a diamond-shaped ring with each connection point, thereby defining a plurality of diamond-shaped rings, wherein each diamond-shaped ring includes an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, and wherein the inner diamond and the outer diamond have a common center which is the connection point associated with the diamond-shaped ring; determining which of the plurality of diamond-shaped rings include the pin; and routing a connection between the pin and the connection point associated with one of the diamond-shaped rings that includes the pin.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method according to claim 14 , wherein the connection points are arranged in a predetermined pattern.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 15 , wherein the predetermined pattern comprises a sequence of equally spaced connection points lying on a single line.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method according to claim 15 , wherein the predetermined pattern comprises an arrangement such that the connection points are equally spaced in a horizontal direction and are equally spaced in a vertical direction.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method according to claim 17 , wherein a corner of one of the diamond-shaped rings overlaps a corner of another of the diamond-shaped rings that is adjacent to and vertically aligned with the one of the diamond-shaped rings.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 14 , wherein a corner of the outer diamond for each of the diamond-shaped rings is coincident with a corner of the inner diamond for another of the diamond-shaped rings.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method according to claim 14 , wherein the connection is routed between the pin and the connection point associated with the diamond-shaped ring that includes the pin so as to satisfy a minimum Manhattan distance.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 14 , wherein the inner diamond and the outer diamond for each of the diamond-shaped rings are similar to each other.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 21 , wherein all of the diamond-shaped rings are identical in size and shape.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 21 , wherein the inner diamond and the outer diamond for each diamond-shaped ring have a horizontal-to-vertical dimension ratio of v/h, where h is a horizontal delay factor and v is a vertical delay factor.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 21 , wherein a distance between the inner diamond and the outer diamond for each of the diamond-shaped rings is determined based on a specified maximum skew.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 14 , wherein each pin to be connected to the signal is included within at least one diamond-shaped ring.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 14 , wherein each pin to be connected to the signal is included within exactly two diamond-shaped rings .
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
14 words
A method according to claim 14 , wherein the signal is a clock signal.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
172 words
A method for routing a signal from an input terminal to a pin so as to control skew, said method comprising: constructing a pattern of diamond-shaped rings, each of the diamond-shaped rings including an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, wherein the diamond-shaped rings are arranged such that each point within a specified area is included within at least one diamond-shaped ring; identifying a center point for each of the diamond-shaped rings and designating each center point as a connection point; routing a nearly zero-skew connection between the input terminal and each of plural of the connection points; determining which of the diamond-shaped rings include the pin; and routing a connection between the pin and the connection point associated with one of the diamond-shaped rings that includes the pin, wherein the pattern comprises an arrangement of diamond-shaped rings such that the center points for the diamond-shaped rings are equally spaced in a horizontal direction and are equally spaced in a vertical direction.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
172 words
A method for routing a signal from an input terminal to a pin so as to control skew, said method comprising: constructing a pattern of diamond-shaped rings, each of the diamond-shaped rings including an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, wherein the diamond-shaped rings are arranged such that each point within a specified area is included within at least one diamond-shaped ring; identifying a center point for each of the diamond-shaped rings and designating each center point as a connection point; routing a nearly zero-skew connection between the input terminal and each of plural of the connection points; determining which of the diamond-shaped rings include the pin; and routing a connection between the pin and the connection point associated with one of the diamond-shaped rings that includes the pin, wherein the pattern comprises an arrangement of diamond-shaped rings such that the center points for the diamond-shaped rings are equally spaced in a horizontal direction and are equally spaced in a vertical direction.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
153 words
Computer-executable process steps, stored on a computer readable medium, for pre-wiring a grid of connection points from an input terminal so as to control skew, said process steps comprising steps to: construct a pattern of diamond-shaped rings, each of the diamond-shaped rings including an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, wherein the diamond-shaped rings are arranged such that each point within a specified area is included within at least one diamond-shaped ring; identify a center point for each of the diamond-shaped rings and designate each center point as a connection point; and route a connection between the input terminal and each of plural of the connection points, wherein the pattern comprises an arrangement of diamond-shaped rings such that the center points for the diamond-shaped rings are arranged in a grid, equally spaced in a horizontal direction and equally spaced in a vertical direction.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
153 words
Computer-executable process steps, stored on a computer readable medium, for pre-wiring a grid of connection points from an input terminal so as to control skew, said process steps comprising steps to: construct a pattern of diamond-shaped rings, each of the diamond-shaped rings including an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, wherein the diamond-shaped rings are arranged such that each point within a specified area is included within at least one diamond-shaped ring; identify a center point for each of the diamond-shaped rings and designate each center point as a connection point; and route a connection between the input terminal and each of plural of the connection points, wherein the pattern comprises an arrangement of diamond-shaped rings such that the center points for the diamond-shaped rings are arranged in a grid, equally spaced in a horizontal direction and equally spaced in a vertical direction.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
124 words
Computer-executable process steps, stored on a computer readable medium, for routing a signal from one of plural connection points to a pin so as to control skew, said process steps comprising steps to: associate a diamond-shaped ring with each connection point, thereby defining a plurality of diamond-shaped rings, wherein each diamond-shaped ring includes an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, and wherein the inner diamond and the outer diamond have a common center which is the connection point associated with the diamond-shaped ring; determine which of the diamond-shaped rings include the pin; and route a connection between the pin and the connection point associated with one of the diamond-shaped rings that includes the pin.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
124 words
Computer-executable process steps, stored on a computer readable medium, for routing a signal from one of plural connection points to a pin so as to control skew, said process steps comprising steps to: associate a diamond-shaped ring with each connection point, thereby defining a plurality of diamond-shaped rings, wherein each diamond-shaped ring includes an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, and wherein the inner diamond and the outer diamond have a common center which is the connection point associated with the diamond-shaped ring; determine which of the diamond-shaped rings include the pin; and route a connection between the pin and the connection point associated with one of the diamond-shaped rings that includes the pin.
Claim 36
Independent Claim
172 words
An apparatus for pre-wiring a grid of connection points from an input terminal so as to control skew, said apparatus comprising: a processor for executing stored program instruction steps; and a memory connected to the processor for storing the program instruction steps, wherein the program instruction steps include steps to: construct a pattern of diamond-shaped rings, each of the diamond-shaped rings including an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, wherein the diamond-shaped rings are arranged such that each point within a specified area is included within at least one diamond-shaped ring; identify a center point for each of the diamond-shaped rings and designate each center point as a connection point; and route a connection between the input terminal and each of plural of the connection points, wherein the pattern comprises an arrangement of diamond-shaped rings such that the center points for the diamond-shaped rings are arranged in a grid, equally spaced in a horizontal direction and equally spaced in a vertical direction.
Claim 37
Independent Claim
172 words
An apparatus for pre-wiring a grid of connection points from an input terminal so as to control skew, said apparatus comprising: a processor for executing stored program instruction steps; and a memory connected to the processor for storing the program instruction steps, wherein the program instruction steps include steps to: construct a pattern of diamond-shaped rings, each of the diamond-shaped rings including an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, wherein the diamond-shaped rings are arranged such that each point within a specified area is included within at least one diamond-shaped ring; identify a center point for each of the diamond-shaped rings and designate each center point as a connection point; and route a connection between the input terminal and each of plural of the connection points, wherein the pattern comprises an arrangement of diamond-shaped rings such that the center points for the diamond-shaped rings are arranged in a grid, equally spaced in a horizontal direction and equally spaced in a vertical direction.
Claim 38
Independent Claim
143 words
An apparatus for routing a signal from one of plural connection points to a pin so as to control skew, said apparatus comprising: a processor for executing stored program instruction steps; and a memory connected to the processor for storing the program instruction steps, wherein the program instruction steps include steps to: associate a diamond-shaped ring with each connection point, thereby defining a plurality of diamond-shaped rings, wherein each diamond-shaped ring includes an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, and wherein the inner diamond and the outer diamond have a common center which is the connection point associated with the diamond-shaped ring; determine which of the diamond-shaped rings include the pin; and route a connection between the pin and the connection point associated with one of the diamond-shaped rings that includes the pin.
Claim 39
Independent Claim
143 words
An apparatus for routing a signal from one of plural connection points to a pin so as to control skew, said apparatus comprising: a processor for executing stored program instruction steps; and a memory connected to the processor for storing the program instruction steps, wherein the program instruction steps include steps to: associate a diamond-shaped ring with each connection point, thereby defining a plurality of diamond-shaped rings, wherein each diamond-shaped ring includes an inner diamond, an outer diamond and all space between the inner diamond and the outer diamond, and wherein the inner diamond and the outer diamond have a common center which is the connection point associated with the diamond-shaped ring; determine which of the diamond-shaped rings include the pin; and route a connection between the pin and the connection point associated with one of the diamond-shaped rings that includes the pin.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-10-28 | 2006-04-29 | 2006-10-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-10-28 | 2010-04-29 | 2010-10-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-10-28 | 2014-04-29 | 2014-10-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |