Patent ID: 7100135

Claim:
A method to evaluate a distance between polyline segments, comprising: identifying a first polyline and a second polyline associated with a differential signal; determining whether a distance between a segment of the first polyline and a segment of the second polyline is within a first tolerance; if the distance is not within the first tolerance, determining whether the distance is within a second tolerance; if the distance is not within the first tolerance and is within the second tolerance, determining whether the length of the segment of the first polyline is less than a first threshold; indicating that the first polyline and the second polyline are sufficiently spaced if the distance is not within the first tolerance and is within the second tolerance, and if the length of the segment of the first polyline is less than the first threshold; if the distance is not within the second tolerance or if the length of the segment of the first polyline is greater than the first threshold, determining whether the segments are located near a device pin; and if the segments are not located near a device pin, indicating that the first polyline and the second polyline are not sufficiently spaced.