Patent ID: 8080988

Claim:
A switching power supply controller comprising: a drive node; an input signal node; a first supply node; a first current path that extends from the drive node, through a diode, to a drain of a transistor, through the transistor, and to the first supply node, wherein a gate of the transistor is coupled to receive an input signal from the input signal node; and a second current path that extends from the drive node, through a substantial resistance, to the drain of the transistor, through the transistor, and to the first supply node, wherein: 1) if a voltage on the drive node is above a threshold voltage of the diode and if the input signal has a second digital logic level then a first current flows through the first current path and a second current flows through the second current path such that the first and second current paths form a relatively low impedance coupling between the drive node and the first supply node; whereas 2) if the voltage on the drive node is below the threshold voltage of the diode and if the input signal has the second digital logic level then substantially no current flows through the first current path such that the first and second current paths form a midrange impedance coupling between the drive node and the first supply node; and whereas 3) if the input signal has a first digital logic level then the transistor is nonconductive and substantially no current flows in either the first current path or the second current path such that the first and second current paths form a relatively high impedance coupling between the drive node and the first supply node.