Patent 7271614 was granted and assigned to Agere Systems on September, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A buffer circuit is configured to generate an output signal which is a function of an input signal received by the buffer circuit, the buffer circuit being selectively operative in one of at least two modes in response to a control signal. In a first mode, the buffer circuit is configured to provide a low output impedance, characteristic of a digital buffer. In a second mode, the buffer circuit is configured to limit an output current of the buffer circuit. The control signal is indicative of a level of the output signal of the buffer circuit.