US 8148962

Analysis of U.S. Patent 8,148,962

Washington, D.C. - A detailed analysis of United States Patent 8,148,962, titled "Transient load voltage regulator," reveals a technology aimed at stabilizing power supply voltage in integrated circuits facing varying electrical loads. This patent, issued on April 3, 2012, has seen a transfer of ownership and is currently assigned to Palisade Technologies LLP.

The patent was originally filed on May 12, 2009, with inventor Tomer Shaul Elran. At the time of issuance, the assignee was SanDisk IL Ltd. However, subsequent assignment records from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) indicate the transfer to Palisade Technologies LLP.

The core of the invention, as described in the abstract, is a voltage regulator circuit within an integrated circuit. This circuit is designed to maintain a stable output voltage to a "load"—a component drawing power—even when that load's power consumption changes rapidly. It achieves this using a feedback mechanism. A "feedback transistor" with a substantially constant gate voltage serves as a stable reference. The circuit continuously compares this reference to the output voltage. Two current sources, one providing a constant current and another a variable current based on the output voltage, adjust a signal to a "pass device." This pass device, in turn, controls the current supplied to the load, increasing it when the output voltage drops and decreasing it when the voltage rises.

A search of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) dockets for 2026 and other available litigation databases for "US Patent 8,148,962" did not yield any specific results for ongoing or recently concluded legal disputes directly involving this patent at the appellate level for the current year. However, it is important to note that district court level litigation or cases filed after the search date may exist.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

U.S. Patent 8,148,962 has four independent claims (1, 12, 14, and 16), which define the broadest scope of the invention.

Claim 1: Describes the main embodiment of the voltage regulator circuit. In simple terms, it claims a complete, self-contained voltage regulator built into a chip. This regulator has a special feedback loop to keep the power supply steady for other parts of the chip. It uses a stable reference voltage and two current sources—one constant, one variable—to control a pass device that delivers the right amount of current to the part of the chip that needs power. If the voltage to that part drops, the circuit automatically boosts the current; if the voltage gets too high, it cuts back the current.

Claim 12: Details a more specific version of the circuit described in Claim 1. It lays out a particular arrangement of components, including a "current mirror" to create the constant current, a "differential amplifier" and a "voltage divider" within the feedback circuit to maintain the stable reference voltage, and a specific "current source" that responds to changes in the output voltage. This claim essentially describes a more detailed blueprint for building the regulator.

Claim 14: Is a "means-plus-function" claim. Instead of describing specific components, it claims the functions those components perform. It describes "feedback means" for keeping a reference voltage constant, "first current supply means" for providing a steady current, "second current supply means" for providing a variable current based on the output voltage, and "means for supplying current to said load" that adjusts the power based on the other parts. It covers any combination of components that achieve these specified functions within an integrated circuit to regulate voltage.

Claim 16: Outlines a method, or a series of steps, for regulating a supply voltage. It claims the process of:

1. Receiving a power supply voltage.
2. Generating a stable "master current."
3. Using a feedback circuit to keep the gate voltage of a feedback transistor constant.
4. Supplying a constant first current and a variable second current (which depends on the load voltage) to a control path.
5. Using the combined current to create a control signal for a pass transistor.
6. Using the pass transistor to supply the final current to the load, adjusting it up or down as needed to keep the voltage stable.