Patent · US Expired

Memory protection circuit for an electronic postage meter

US4445198A · kind A · utility

21Cited by
7References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateSep 29, 1981
Grant dateApr 24, 1984
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 29, 2001

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG07B2017/00403
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An electronic postage meter includes a memory protection circuit. The memory protection circuit prevents the inadvertent writing of spurious data into memory locations in the nonvolatile memory during a power down cycle. The memory protection circuit works in conjection with a WRITE voltage terminal associated with the nonvolatile memory. Means couple a first voltage source providing a predetermined polarity voltage to the WRITE voltage terminal when a predetermined power condition exists such that the nonvolatile memory is enabled to have data written into memory locations. When the predetermined power condition does not exist, the means utilize a second different voltage source to change the voltage level at the WRITE voltage terminal to insure that data is not written into the memory locations.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.