Patent ID: 7093054

Claim:
A method of communicating between a first device utilizing a first logic family and a second device utilizing a second logic family different from the first logic family, the method comprising the steps of: forming an electrical connection between a first node of a switch and a transmit data terminal of the first device; forming an electrical connection between the first node and a transmit data terminal of the second device; forming an electrical connection between the first node and a receive data terminal of the second device; forming an electrical connection between a second node of the switch and a power supply of the first device; forming an electrical connection between a control node of the switch and a receive data terminal of the first device; transmitting a first power supply voltage from the receive data terminal of the first device to the control node, such that the switch is placed into a first state and a second power supply voltage is conveyed from the transmit data terminal of the second device to the transmit data terminal of the first device; transmitting the first power supply voltage from the receive data terminal of the first device to the control node, such that the switch is placed into the first state and a third power supply voltage is conveyed from the transmit data terminal of the second device to the receive data terminal of the second device; and transmitting a fourth power supply voltage from the receive data terminal of the first device to the control node, such that the switch is placed into a second state and the first power supply voltage is conveyed from the first device to the receive data terminal of the second device, the second device interpreting the received first power supply voltage traversing a receiver threshold value as a first logic state.