1. An apparatus comprising:
a timer unit having a node with a first supply signal and operable to generate a first timer signal based on the first supply signal; and
a clamp unit, coupled to the timer unit and having a node with a second supply signal, operable to clamp the second supply signal in response to electrostatic discharge (ESD), and operable to clamp for a duration based on a signal level of the first timer signal.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the timer unit is operable to generate the first timer signal with a time constant longer than the duration of an ESD event on the node with the second supply signal.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and the second supply signals correspond to a first power supply signal and a second power supply signal respectively.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and the second supply signals correspond to a first ground supply signal and a second ground supply signal respectively.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises:
a first supply generator operable to generate the first supply signal; and
a second supply generator operable to generate the second supply signal, wherein the first supply generator is operable to ramp the first supply signal at a ramp speed slower than a ramp speed of the second supply signal.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first supply generator is operable to generate the first supply signal before the second supply generator generates the second supply signal, and wherein the second supply generator is operable to turn itself off before the first supply generator turns itself off.
7. The apparatus claim 1 further comprises a level shifter coupled to the timer unit and the clamp unit, wherein the clamp unit is operable to receive the second supply signal with a supply level higher than a supply level of the first supply signal, and wherein the level shifter is operable to generate a second timer signal for the clamp unit from the first timer signal, the second timer signal having a signal level to protect reliability of the clamp unit.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises a feedback unit coupled to the clamp unit or to the timer unit and operable to adjust the first timer signal in response to the first or the second supply signals being ramped up or down.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the clamp unit comprises a PMOS transistor between the node with the second supply signal and a node with a ground supply signal, wherein the second supply signal is a second power supply signal.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the clamp unit comprises an NMOS transistor between the node with the second supply signal and a node with a power supply signal, wherein the second supply signal is a ground power supply signal.
11. An system comprising:
a first voltage generator operable to generate a first supply signal; and
a processor coupled to the first voltage generator and comprising:
a second voltage generator operable to generate a second supply signal; and
an electrostatic discharge (ESD) unit operable to:
generate a first timer signal via the first supply signal; and
clamp the second supply signal in response to ESD, the clamping for a duration based on the first timer signal.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first supply generator is operable to ramp the first supply signal at a ramp speed slower than a ramp speed of the second supply signal.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first supply generator is operable to generate the first supply signal before the second supply generator generates the second supply signal, and wherein the second supply generator is operable to turn itself off before the first supply generator turns itself off.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein the ESD unit comprises:
a timer unit having a node with the first supply signal and operable to generate the first timer signal based on the first supply signal; and
a clamp unit, coupled to the timer unit and having a node with the second supply signal, operable to clamp the second supply signal.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the clamp unit comprises a PMOS transistor between the node with the second supply signal and a node with a ground supply signal, wherein the second supply signal is a second power supply signal.
16. The system of claim 14, wherein the clamp unit comprises an NMOS transistor between the node with the second supply signal and a node with a power supply signal, wherein the second supply signal is a ground power supply signal.
17. The system of claim 14, wherein the ESD unit further comprises a feedback unit coupled to the clamp unit or to the timer unit and operable to adjust the first timer signal in response to the first or the second supply signals being ramped up or down.
18. The system claim 14, wherein the ESD unit further comprises a level shifter coupled to the timer unit and the clamp unit, wherein the clamp unit is operable to receive the second supply signal with a supply level higher than a supply level of the first supply signal, and wherein the level shifter is operable to generate a second timer signal for the clamp unit from the first timer signal, the second timer signal having a signal level to protect reliability of the clamp unit.
19. The system of claim 11, wherein the first voltage generator is an off-die voltage regulator operable to generate the first supply signal with a ramp speed slower than a ramp speed of the second supply signal.
20. The system of claim 11, wherein the second voltage generator is operable to generate the second supply signal with a ramp speed faster than a ramp speed of the first supply signal.
21. The system of claim 11, wherein the second voltage generator is operable to generate a gated version of the first supply signal as the second supply signal.
22. A method comprising:
generating a first timer signal via a timer unit having a node with a first supply signal, the first timer signal being based on the first supply signal; and
clamping a second supply signal in response to electrostatic discharge (ESD) on a node with the second supply signal for a duration based on the first timer signal.
23. The method of claim 22 further comprises ramping up or down the first and the second supply signals at different speeds with respect to one another.
24. The method of claim 22 further comprises providing a time constant for the first timer signal longer than the duration of an ESD event on the node with the second supply signal.
25. The method of claim 22 further comprises generating the first supply signal before generating the second supply signal.
26. The method of claim 22 further comprises generating the first supply signal with a ramp speed slower than a ramp speed of the second supply signal.
27. A processor comprising:
a voltage generator to receive a first supply signal and to generate a second supply signal based on the first supply signal; and
an electrostatic discharge (ESD) unit to:
generate a first timer signal via the first supply signal; and
clamp the second supply signal in response to ESD, the clamping for a duration based on the first timer signal.
28. The processor of claim 27, wherein the first supply signal is generated via a first supply generator which is operable to ramp the first supply signal at a ramp speed slower than a ramp speed of the second supply signal.
29. The processor of claim 27, wherein the ESD unit comprises:
a timer unit having a node with the first supply signal and operable to generate the first timer signal based on the first supply signal; and
a clamp unit, coupled to the timer unit and having a node with the second supply signal, operable to clamp the second supply signal.
30. The processor of claim 29, wherein the ESD unit further comprises a feedback unit coupled to the clamp unit or to the timer unit and operable to adjust the first timer signal in response to the first or the second supply signals being ramped up or down.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A content searching data processing system configured for specifying weighted search terms for a search engine, the system comprising:
a search engine executing in a host server and being coupled to a search index and being configured for communicative coupling to different content browsers executing in respective clients over a computer communications network; and,
weighted search term logic coupled to the search engine, the logic comprising program code enabled to render a search term entry user interface in which variable weights are specified for corresponding search terms, to assign the variable weights to the corresponding search terms, and to issue a search to the search engine with the search terms and variable weights and to return results of the search to a requesting one of the content browsers.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the search term user interface comprises:
an iconic representation of each of the search terms; and,
a target comprising different portions for different variable weights, the target being configured for dragging-and-dropping of each iconic representation to assign a variable weight to a search term for each iconic representation.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the search term user interface comprises a table listing each search term and in which a variable weight is specified manually in the table for each search term.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the search term user interface comprises a table in which a search term and a corresponding variable weight is specified manually in the table for each search term.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the search term user interface comprises a table listing each search term and in which a variable weight is specified by way of a slider control in the table for each search term.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the search term user interface comprises a table listing each search term and in which a variable weight is specified by way of a slider control in the table responsive to a context menu selection for each search term.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the search term user interface comprises a data-entry field through which the relevance for each search term is specified as a corresponding suffix.
8. The system of claim 2, wherein the different portions for different variable weights, comprises different portions for different variable weights ranging from inversely relevant (\u22121.0) to most relevant (1.0).
9. A method for specifying weighted search terms for a search engine, the method comprising:
rendering a search term entry user interface to receive an assignment of the variable weights;
assigning variable weights received through the search term entry user interface to corresponding search terms for a content search to be conducted by a search engine;
issuing a search to a search engine with the search terms and assigned variable weights; and,
returning results of the search to a requesting content browser.
10. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium embodying computer usable program code for specifying weighted search terms for a search engine, the computer program product comprising:
computer usable program code for rendering a search term entry user interface to receive an assignment of the variable weights;
computer usable program code for assigning variable weights received through the search term entry user interface to corresponding search terms for a content search to be conducted by a search engine;
computer usable program code for issuing a search to a search engine with the search terms and assigned variable weights; and,
computer usable program code for returning results of the search to a requesting content browser.