Patent · US Expired

Mechanical memory

US7092272B1 · kind B1 · utility

5Cited by
12References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 27, 2006
Grant dateAug 15, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 27, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C19/00
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A first-in-first-out (FIFO) microelectromechanical memory apparatus (also termed a mechanical memory) is disclosed. The mechanical memory utilizes a plurality of memory cells, with each memory cell having a beam which can be bowed in either of two directions of curvature to indicate two different logic states for that memory cell. The memory cells can be arranged around a wheel which operates as a clocking actuator to serially shift data from one memory cell to the next. The mechanical memory can be formed using conventional surface micromachining, and can be formed as either a nonvolatile memory or as a volatile memory.

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