Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for the protection of non-volatile memory zones

US5812446A · kind A · utility

15Cited by
3References
35Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 28, 1996
Grant dateSep 22, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 28, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C8/20
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The disclosure relates to integrated circuits and methods in which it is desired to implement a partition of a memory between a protected zone and a non-protected zone, the dimensions of the protected zone being defined by a customer of the memory. A disclosed method avoids the use of special instructions to define these dimensions. The method includes writing sensitive information elements by starting at an address ADP, and ending at an address ADFM dictated by the circuit. The writing in the address ADFM automatically triggers a sequence for storing, in a non-volatile register RV, the first written address, and a sequence for the activation of a system for the protection of the zone between the addresses ADP and ADFM.

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