[Coco] Possible Coco patent?

[Chuck Youse]

On Sep 21, 2008, at 9:23 AM, Aaron Banerjee wrote:

> All:
>
> I stumbled upon US Patent # 5,572,705 while searching for something  
> entirely different.  I'm trying to guess if they used an old coco  
> (with additions) in constructing this device.  It's got a 6809E and  
> a 6821 PIA.   The patent may be viewed for free at the US Patent  
> and Trademark Office website <http://www.uspto.gov> under the  
> "patents" section.  It is most easily found by doing a "patent  
> number search".
>
> I was wondering what others thought of this patent:
>
> 1.  Souped-up coco?
> 2.  Not a coco, but the inventor was familiar with coco and used  
> similar parts for his invention?
> 3.  Mere coincidence?
>
> Not that it really makes a difference, but the patent was filed/ 
> issued long after a 1 Mhz, 32K machine would have been obsolete for  
> most purposes.  I just thought someone on this list might find it  
> interesting.
>                                      - Aaron
>

Well, there's no telling if the designer had come across the Coco in  
the past or not, but keep in mind that microprocessor manufacturers  
make ICs in families that work well together.  To find a 6821 used in  
a control system that is powered by a 6809 isn't really a big  
surprise -- it's the logical choice.

C.