Abstract: A non-consumable pet toy comprises a three-dimensional body formed of resilient material with a trapper cavity or slot that has opposing walls extending into the body. In some embodiments, the opposing walls of the trapper cavity are designed to clamp against a substantial portion of opposite surfaces of an attractant, to retain the attractant in the trapper cavity. At least one wall of the trapper cavity is a bias wall that is sufficiently resilient to permit opening the trapper cavity to insert the attractant into the cavity. In some embodiments, the bias wall is a wall of the body of the toy, whereas in other embodiments the bias wall is formed by an adjacent bias cavity in the body spaced from the trapper cavity. In yet other embodiments, a resilient member at least partially closes the trapper cavity to retain small pieces of the attractant as the animal breaks it.

Abstract: Data messages are transmitted between host data processors and a communications processor. Data messages from a communications processor are transformed for the host processor to which the message is assigned. Data messages from a host processor are transformed for the communications processor. Protocol is established between (a) untransformed data messages from the communications processor and transformed data messages for the communications processor, and (b) untransformed data messages from each host processor and transformed data messages for each host processor. A device interface connects a plurality of host processors to a plurality of buses, each bus being connected to one communications processor. The device interface handles the protocol, transformation and control function in parallel so that messages between a given host processor and terminal connected to a communications processor are processed through a device interface.

Abstract: It is known to use a miss information holding register in a cache memory organization to store the details of a CPU load request on a cache miss so that the cache may accept subsequent requests pending the receipt of data in respect of the first request. In the subject invention, this organization is modified for use with a virtual addressable cache memory by incrementing a counter which overflows to free the miss information holding register with each untranslatable response signal from the address translation unit relating to the request stored in the miss information holding register. The modified organization also clears the used bit associated with the location in the cache tag memory to which the tag addresses of the request has been stored upon receipt of the first untranslatable response signal from the address translation unit in respect of the request.

Abstract: An assembly is disclosed for releasably mounting a semiconductor package with respect to a rigid carrier, in a predetermined alignment with the carrier to protect the package leads and position the leads for electrical testing. Two substantially identical dielectric frames are positioned on opposite sides of the leads and fastened in a sandwich arrangement enclosing remote end portions of the leads. Registration openings, provided at opposed corners of the frames, receive registration pins projected from the carrier, thus to positionally align the package and carrier in transverse directions. Spring-loaded retainers engage a central body of the semiconductor package to retain the package against longitudinal movement relative to the carrier.

Abstract: An overflow prediction scheme is provided to operate in parallel with an integer multiply within a computer to predict overflow conditions of the resultant register. The operands to be multiplied are examined to determine the position of the most significant bit. The position values are summed to determine a minimum resultant size. If the minimum resultant size exceeds the size of the data field of the resultant register, an overflow flag is set. If the minimum resultant size is less than the size of the resultant register data field, the overflow flag is not set. When the minimum resultant size equals the size of the resultant register data field, the setting of the overflow flag will depend on the signs of the expected and actual resultant.

Abstract: An apparatus for simultaneously testing multiple integrated circuits includes a sensing circuit associated with each of the tested circuits. Each sensing circuit includes a differential amplifier with its positive input connected to the input of the test circuit, and its inversion input connected to the test circuit output. The test circuit input and positive amplifier input are biased to a selected voltage, and the voltage drop across the test circuit is provided to the amplifier inversion input. Whenever the test circuit is open, intermittently open or highly resistive, the voltage drop across the test circuit exceeds the threshold voltage of the differential amplifier, causing the amplifier to generate a high level logic output representing an open circuit condition. The outputs of the various sensing circuits together form a digital word representative of the condition of all of the test circuits.

Abstract: A system is disclosed which may be used for collecting television channel tuning data, household purchase data, VCR channel usage data and the like; on site at a plurality of preselected households, wherein the system concentrates and transmits the collected data to a central site in a fault tolerant manner, transparent to the occupants of the household. The novel system features a hub and spoke architecture for effecting communications between the central site and each household (remote site). The hub and spoke architecture at each remote site comprises a hub unit, and a set of spoke meters. The hub unit is adapted to be coupled, in a variety of ways, to a set of metering devices, one or more of which is coupled to one or more television receivers and/or cable television converters. Not all of the metering devices need be coupled to the television receiver or cable converter, e.g., stand alone purchase meters and wands may be coupled to the hub. The meters may be polled systematically, e.g.

Abstract: This application describes a peripheral cell structure for VLSI chips that requires the use of standard cells having both input and output capability connected to nearly all of the signal carrying pins. The cells function is alterable (to input or output and to where the data input signals originate) by control signals which may originate with a control register. The clock input signal is split into two independent signals to selectively disable the input or output registers, thus allowing the control register to be changed without affecting the contents of the other two registers. An early signal is also provided to prepare for mode changes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for a cleaning process control is disclosed. The apparatus includes a printed wire circuit board that is made on a Pyrex glass or other transparent substrate. Components are attached to the printed wire circuit board and then the circuit card assembly which is formed is cleaned using a selected cleaning process. The circuit card assembly can then be inspected to determine the effectiveness of a particular cleaning process by flipping over the transparent circuit card, peering through the substrate to inspect for corrosion and solder balls. The circuit card assembly can then be cleaned more extensively and used again to check a different cleaning process.

Abstract: A metal heat spreading cup, hereinafter referred to as a "conductive cup module" ("CCM"), is utilized as part of the interface between at least one semiconductor being cooled and a pedestal, sometimes referred to as a "boss", coupled to a cooling medium. The semiconductor being cooled is, according to one embodiment of the invention, bonded to the underside of the cup. Furthermore, according to the invention, the pedestal is inserted into the cup and is bonded thereto by use of a deformable thermal conductive compound, (such as a thermal paste or grease) also inserted into and contained within the cup. The compound spreads upon being displaced by the inserted pedestal. The compound remains deformable during operation of the cooling system.

Abstract: Disclosed is a Runout Velocity and Acceleration tester which converts an analog acceleration signal to a digital signal. The individual bits of digital data are then transformed into an exponential function. The exponential function that results is then solved for the worst case acceleration on a surface.

Abstract: A data communications apparatus transfers data between two channels, the data formats of each being incompatible with the other. Index registers receive index addresses from each channel to access a pointer in a pointer RAM. The pointer addresses a data location in a data RAM to permit data to be stored or read from either channel at the data transfer rate and byte size for that channel. Registers are provided between each RAM and at least one of the channels to concatenate smaller byte words for transfer between the RAMs and the one channel. Counter apparatus drives the pointer RAM to access successive locations in the data RAM, as desired.

Abstract: Runout in a rigid magnetic disk is reduced by sandwiching a sized shim between the disk and disk support to form a substantially smooth sinusoidal circumferential profile to the disk. A method of determining shim size is also described, employing test disks for determining optimal shim size for each class of rigid disk.

Abstract: A phase lock loop includes a phase shift apparatus to provide a plurality (i.e., four) phase-shifted clock signals from the VCO. A phase selector is responsive to a triggering signal from a one-shot multivibrator to select the one phase-shifted clock signal next following termination of the trigger signal. The one-shot is responsive to a change between the read and write mode to initiate operation of the phase selector. As a result, the initial phase error between the input signal (read pulses or write clock) and the clock signal of the phase lock loop is no more than 1/8 window.

Abstract: A 1,7 decoder is repeatedly initialized during reading of the synchrofield of the record. The decoder includes an oscillator responsive to the record to produce a binary read signal having a frequency f. A first divider produces a source data clock signal having a frequency 2/3 f. A second divider produces a data partition clock signal having a frequency 1/3 f. A phase synchronizer is responsive to the data partition clock signal to synchronize the source data clock signal. An initializer is responsive to the read signal recovered from the preamble of the record to synchronize the data partition clock signal.

Abstract: A head/arm lock mechanism includes a pawl mounted to the armature of a bistable solenoid, the armature being stable in either of two rotary positions. The armature and pawl are limited to move through an angle less than that defined by the stable positions of the armature, so that the armature is biased by the magnetic circuit of the solenoid to one or the other limit positions. When the head/arm is in position to be locked, the solenoid is energized to lock against a spacer on the head/arm and the magnetic circuit continues to hold the pawl in a lock-engaging position upon de-energization of the solenoid. When the head/arm is to be unlocked, the solenoid is again energized to unlock the pawl from the spacer and the magnetic circuit continues to hold the pawl in an unlock position upon de-energization of the solenoid.

Abstract: A 3/2 frequency divider employs two D-type flip-flops, an OR gate and an AND gate arranged to respond to an input signal at a frequency f to derive an output signal at a frequency 2/3 f. The frequency divider is employed in a code converter to encode or decode 1, 7, 2, 3 codes.

Abstract: A suspension is provided for supporting a magnetic transducing head with respect to a carriage, for movement with the carriage and relative to a substantially planar magnetic recording surface. Two parallel and spaced apart flexure arms extend from the carriage, and are extremely thin in the dimension perpendicular to the recording surface. The remote ends of the flexure arms are joined by an elongate rigid cross-bar directed transversely of the arms. The transducing head is fixed to the cross-bar, intermediate the flexure arms. When the recording surface is moved, an air bearing between the recording surface and head stabilizes the head, and the flexure arms are constrained to behave as elastic beams fixed at both ends. In particular, the flexure arms are subject to lengthwise torsional bending, and pure bending about axes parallel to the cross-bar, enabling the head/cross-bar assembly to respond in gimbal fashion to recording surface irregularities.

Abstract: An encoding/decoding system for 1,7,2,3 codes employs an oscillator having a frequency f and dividers providing signals at frequencies equal to 1/3 f and 2/3 f. A code converter is responsive to the three signals to encode or decode data. A 3/2 frequency divider employs two D-type flip-flops, an OR gate and an AND gate arranged to respond to an input signal at a frequency f to derive an output signal at a frequency 2/3 f.

Abstract: In an optical recording system, a media disk for writing information has a plurality of information tracks with preformatted clock location indications written on the tracks. Writing is accomplished by making a written indication at a predetermined location between preformatted clock locations where the predetermined location is representative of the particular data to be written. Proper location of the preformatted clock location indicia on adjacent tracks provides for proper track crossing information when track addressing occurs as well as proper address location on particular tracks.