Abstract: A thermo-responsive device for testing dc voltage sources, particularly small, low voltage dry cells, employs a very thin resistive heater film deposited onto a thin flexible dielectric substrate. During testing the ends of the resistive film engage the pole terminals of the battery. Current from the battery flows through the resistive film and uniformly heats the substrate by resistance heating, causing a series of thermo-responsive elements mounted on the substrate to undergo visual "temperature events" at progressively higher temperatures. The resistive film is uniform in thickness and uniform in sheet resistivity. The current density and resistive heating of the film is therefore uniform throughout the substrate and the thermo-responsive elements. The uniform heating permits the thermo-responsive elements to be mounted anywhere on the substrate. The length of the resistive heater may be varied to vary the heating current and the heating temperature.

Abstract: The flow of process gas used in a semiconductor wafer fabrication system is verified against the known flow of a verification gas using a derivative of the ideal gas law:n'.sub.pro =(P'.sub.pro /P'.sub.ver) n'.sub.verwheren'.sub.pro is the flow rate of the process gas,n'.sub.ver is the flow rate of the verification gas,P'.sub.pro is the rate of change with respect to time of the process gas pressure entering the chamber, andP'.sub.ver is the rate of change with respect to time of the verification gas pressure entering the chamber.The volume and temperature are maintained constant during the verification procedure.

Abstract: A reflector array employs a number of linear, tubular heater lamps arranged in a circle concentric with the substrate to be heated. Some of the lamps have focusing reflectors and the remainder have dispersive reflectors. A peripheral cylindrical reflector surrounds the lamps and their associated reflectors. The combined reflectors permit balancing the thermal radiation intensity across the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer is provided with magnetic material about the periphery for magnetically clamping the wafer on a seating gasket at the processing station. The seating gasket is annular for peripherally supporting the wafer. An electro-magnet establishes a peripheral station magnetic field which attracts the wafer magnetic material to form the clamp. The station magnetic field may by reversed to levitate the wafer onto and off of the seating gasket.

Abstract: A baseball bat is provided with an oval handle to better fit the players grip and reduce breakage. Orientation of the grain relative to the major dimension of the oval permits compensation for rollover and rollunder swings.

Abstract: A quartz window for a wafer reactor vessel has a flat bow for withstanding the pressure differential between the ambient outside pressure and the reduced pressure in the wafer chamber. The bow is enhanced at elevated operating temperatures to compensate for the flattening effect of higher pressure differentials. The enhanced bowing is provided by a rigid peripheral flange which radially confines the window. The thermal expansion within the window is not expressed radially, but is directed outward to increase the bow.

Abstract: A lens assembly is formed by a curved dish or support member with piezo-electric transducers mounted on the concave outer surface. Flat mounting facets are machined on the outer surface to accommodate bonding between the transducer and the support member. A small concave focusing surface or lens for each transducer is machined on the concave inner surface of the support member directly opposite to the transducer and mounting facet. The focusing lenses are only slightly more convex than the inner surface of the support member, and the size of the focusing lenses is only a fraction of the size of the support member. Therefore, the path length of the energy from every point on every transducer to the invivo target region is almost identical. The energy arrives at the target region very closely in phase, forming a short pulse of maximum intensity.

Abstract: A symbol analyzing system processes spectral power data of an input test symbol for deriving line width and line count information about the symbol, and for generating a reliability confidence for each line count. An excellent controller progressively reduces the spectral power by progressively excluding a larger portion of the upper frequency end of the power spectrum. The excluded power levels are compared to a set of predetermined reference power levels from an ideal reference symbol. Each excluded power level that compares with a reference level is matched with reference coefficients Kw and Kc for that reference level. Each matched excluded power level has a remaining non-excluded power level Pbw in the non-excluded bandwidth BW at the lower end of the frequency spectrum. These included power levels and bandwidths are matched with the reference coefficients.

Abstract: Blocks are stacked and extracted by the players one at a time to score points based on the length and location of the block. Each block has metal disks embedded in the surface. An extraction tool with a magnet on the end is used to engage the metal disk and extract the block from the stack without disturbing the remaining blocks.

Abstract: A tuning machine is provided with an adjustable bearing surface for eliminating mesh backlash and end play which gradually develope between the worm and worm gear over years of service. The worm is held against the worm gear by a pair of saddle bearings formed on a sliding retainer. When the bearing wear develops an unacceptable backlash or end play develops, the retainer is loosened and repositioned closer to the worm. In the new position the worm is returned to its original intimate engagement with the worm gear. Simultaneously, the worm, is axially centered due to opposed bevel surfaces on the worm and saddle bearings. The new worm to worm gear mesh is free of backlash and endplay.

Abstract: A load vehicle such as pick up truck or van has a rear load section with an initial load bed and an expansion bed channel extending under the seats of the cab or personnel section. Long loads and especially panel type sheets which are longer than the initial bed may be pushed forward into the expansion bed channel within the personnel section. In multi-seat vans the expansion channel is sequentially formed from back to front by the space under the rear seat, and then by the foot space in front of the rear seat, and then by the space under the middle seat, etc. Each space is a separate expansion bed area with a barrier at the forward end thereof for retaining in position and preventing the load from entering the next forward expansion area. Slide tracks or rollers may be provided to facilitate pushing the load forward into the expansion channel as the vehicle is loaded.

Abstract: A removable data cartridge is mounted in a data station cavity on a main computer. The cartridge has a securing bolt extending therethrough for securing the cartridge to the main computer. The bolt is turned by a knob on the front panel of the cartridge. The other end of the bolt engages a threaded aperture in the cavity. The cavity has indexing pins which engage indexing holes in the cartridge for permitting only the installation of cartridges compatible with the main computer. A solenoid mounted with the cartridge has a sliding pin for locking the cartridge into the cavity when the system is energized.

Abstract: A scanning has a spinning mirror and an array of peripheral stationary mirrors which generate a scan pattern for reading bar codes. The backscatter from the bar code is collected by the peripheral mirrors and focused by an imaging lens. A housing is provided over the spinning mirror to reduce windage. The drive motor for the spinning mirror is mounted in front of the of the between the peripheral mirrors and the bar code. A backscatter detector is mounted behind the at the focal point of the imaging lens.

Abstract: A closure device clamps over the plug to an appliance for securing the appliance from unauthorized use. The closure device has a base and an opposed hinged cover which closes over the base to enclosed the plug. Twin posts extend upward from the base for engaging twin apertures in the cover when the device is closed. Caps on the posts lock the device closed, and must be severed to remove the posts from the apertures.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for pumping water, oil, or other production fluid up a production tube from a well or the like to achieve greater efficiency as compared to conventional pumpjacks. A hydraulic actuator unit with its own hydraulic fluid incorporates pressure sensing valves to move a hydraulic piston through a power stroke and a resetting stroke. A power transmission tube having its own power fluid transfers pressure from the hydraulic actuator to a downhole piston assembly to pump the production fluid directly up the production tube during a power stroke. The static head of the production fluid in the production tube resets the downhole piston assembly during the resetting stroke. The pressure sensing valves enable the hydraulic piston to extend its power stroke a sufficient distance to pressurize the power transmission fluid and move the downhole piston assembly through its entire production stroke independent of the compressibility of the power transmission fluid.

Abstract: The signal-to-noise ratio of a transimpedance operational amplifier is enhanced by employing a large feedback resistor. Bandwidth lost in the process recaptured by a compensation network without reducing the signal-to-noise ratio. The compensation network provides a zero which cancels the upper 3 db pole of the transimpedance amplifier, and also provides a high frequency pole defining the restored bandwidth of amplifier.

Abstract: An interface circuit controls the unloading of a host computer system onto a peripheral processor unit. The interface circuit has a normal mode of operation which is independent of the host computer. During the normal mode, the peripheral unit processes data previously supplied by the host computer. The interface device has a trap I/O mode of operation in which information flows between the host computer and the peripheral unit. The trap I/O mode is initiated by a range of instruction addresses from the peripheral unit. In one embodiment, any instruction address less than a predetermined critical value initiates the trap I/O mode. The host computer acknowledges the trap I/O mode, and executes the instruction at the host level to advance the peripheral process. In the trap I/O mode, the peripheral processor operates simultaneous with and independently of the peripheral unit to permit unloading of the host computer.

Abstract: High quality silicon oxide is grown for integrated circuits by oxidizing poly-crystalline silicon under an oxygen gas flow. A diffusion stop layer of thermal silicon nitride is formed on the underlying substrate prior to the deposition of the poly layer to be oxidized. The nitride layer isolates the substrate from diffused oxygen within the poly layer during oxidation, permitting a non-critical, oxidation time. Extension of the oxidation period elimates extended imperfect or "loose" chemical bonds throughout the oxide layer formed. Corner stress common in trench applications is minimized because the nitride prevents oxidation in the substrate. The oxidation of undoped poly over doped poly proceeds conformally because the nitride layer therebetween inhibits the enhanced oxidation effect of impurities in the doped poly.

Abstract: The substrate active region contains the source and drain regions for the transistors in each cell. The grounded drains of the two pulldown transistors extend symmetrically into the three adjacent cells coupling with six other pulldown drains. This common ground node has a single upward contact to the metal ground lead. The poly-2 has a similar voltage node coupling eight pulldown resistors in four adjacent cells to the metal Vdd lead. The poly-2 forming the lightly doped resistor area has a heavily doped conductive area at each end for coupling the resistor into the pulldown circuit. The pulldown gate bands have 45 degree bends to maximize the gate area relative to the pass gate area. The gate bends cooperate with corresponding 45 degree slants in the edges of the active region to minimize the effect of misalignment. A conductive poly word line forms the pass gates just above the active region.

Abstract: Edge data is stored in a bit map, and clocked out pixel by pixel to form a pixel data stream for display. The edge data defines the regions or faces in the display image which have the same color. The face edges form transitions in the data stream (0-to-1 or 1-to-0), and are detected by an edge detector for generating sequential color addresses. The color data for each face is stored in a color memory in the order of appearance, and is accessed at each edge transition when a color change is required. The color address associated with each edge transition accesses the color for that face from the color memory. Each pixel in the display has a corresponding bit in the pixel map; and each color change in the display has a location in the color memory. The pixel data is sequentially accessed from the pixel memory by the pixel clock. The color data is sequentially accessed by the pixel transitions and synchronized into the display at each face edge.