Patent ID: 8212400

Claim:
A multi-rail power-supply system for providing power to circuitry requiring at least one additional rail between a high-voltage rail and a low-voltage rail, the system comprising: a first power regulator that interconnects the high-voltage rail and an intermediate node and is configured to set a first voltage rail that has a magnitude that is less than the high-voltage rail, wherein current that flows from the high-voltage rail is employed by a first set of peripheral circuitry prior to sinking through the first power regulator to the intermediate node; and a second power regulator that interconnects the intermediate node and the low-voltage rail and is configured to set a second voltage rail that has a magnitude that is greater than the low-voltage rail, wherein current that flows from the intermediate node is sourced by the second regulator and is employed by a second set of peripheral circuitry prior to flowing to the low-voltage rail.