Texas Instruments claims victory in advanced-chip dispute

Article Abstract:

The United States Patent Office recognizes Gary W. Boone and Texas Instruments (TI) as the inventors of the microcontroller, canceling a patent granted to Gilbert P. Hyatt in 1990. The ruling will not affect TI financially, because the patent has expired, but Hyatt, who has earned at least $70 million from licensing microcontroller technology to European and Japanese companies, may not be able to retain his royalties. That outcome will depend on the terms of the individual contracts. Unlike a microprocessor, a microcontroller, also known as a computer on a chip, contains both hardware and software, so it does not need external programming. Boone finished the first working microcontroller on Jul 4, 1971. Hyatt never built a chip, but claimed to have described a computer on a chip in a patent application filed in Dec 1970. The Patent Office found that Hyatt had not filed any patents for microcontrollers until 1977, after the TI products were on the market.

Cases, Microcontrollers, Microcontroller, Copyrights, Intellectual property, Texas Instruments Inc., TXN, Patents, United States. Patent and Trademark Office, Patent/Copyright Issue

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Retail customers to get Intel's new chips first

Article Abstract:

Intel will start marketing on Sep 8, 1997 its newest generation of 200MHz to 233MHz Pentium chips with MMX technology. The new chips will first appear in inexpensive computer systems and portable computers, unlike Intel's earlier releases, which were first used in minicomputers and mainframes belonging to corporations and research centers. The new processors contain the smallest transistors that were ever made by the company. The device also packs together the largest number of these transistors in a given space than ever before. Computers that use the new Intel chips use less power, but can perform more functions faster than before. The low power consumption will extend the battery life of portable computers, which use the new chips. The speed of the chips approach the processing speed of Intels' powerful Pentium II processors, which are used in high-end personal computers and large computer servers.

Planning, Product development, Product information, Intel Corp., INTC, Company product planning

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I.B.M. and Digital describe entrants in chip-speed race

Article Abstract:

IBM and DEC will present technical papers on experimental microprocessor chips that operate at more than one billion cycles a second. Such chips, which will become available after 2000, would be three times faster than today's most powerful PC chips. The computer giants' announcements will take place at the International Solid State Circuits Conference in San Francisco. DEC said it plans to roll out the Alpha 21264 family of chips that will break the gigahertz, or 1,000 MHz, speed barrier. IBM will counter with an announcement that it has developed a working version of a chip with a Power PC microprocessor's core functions operating at 1,000 MHz. Computer designers noted that IBM has attained the gigahertz level with consumption of power that equals today's conventional microprocessors. Intel Pentium microprocessor chips currently lead the industry at speeds of 333 MHz.

Reports, International Business Machines Corp., IBM, Digital Equipment Corp., DEC

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