The first claim in 6,859,065 is:
A programmable logic device (PLD), comprising:
a plurality of logic elements (LE's) arranged in an array;
a signal routing architecture including a plurality of signal routing lines to route signals among the LE's; and
a plurality of signal drivers along each of the signal routing lines,
wherein
for each of the signal routing lines, [*]
the drivers along that signal routing line are spaced along that signal routing line; [**]
for each of a first set of at least some of the signal routing lines,
that signal routing line is substantially interrupted by an interface region such that a partial signal routing line is formed for that signal routing line between the interface region and a driver along that signal routing line from the interface region; and
the PLD further comprises an input driver configured to drive from the interface region along the partial signal routing line formed for that signal routing line.
In patent 6,653,862 the first claim is the same except it also includes
- that signal routing line has an integer N associated with the signal routing line;
and
** at an interval of N LE's for that line;
So the first claim of the '065 patent is broader than the first claim of the '862 patent.