Abstract: An apparatus is described for supporting payloads at high elevations with respect to a planetary body. The apparatus comprises a bearing that encircles a portion of a planetary body. One ring of the bearing rotates, and a coupling mechanism transfers centripetal forces to another non-rotating ring. Lift stays connect the non-rotating ring to the planetary body; and contribute a force that is in equilibrium with the centripetal and gravitational forces. A preferred embodiment is constructed and tested in the ocean and then raised to altitude. Its coupling mechanism employs magnetic forces and its lift stays are interwoven, partially supported and stabilized aeronautically, and anchored to the planet. The apparatus's elevation is not supported by transferring forces to the surface through the inertia of precision-guided high velocity components, thus these components are not necessarily exposed to seismic activity, weather, or anomalous air traffic.

Abstract: An apparatus is described for supporting payloads at high elevations with respect to a planetary body. The apparatus comprises a bearing that encircles a portion of a planetary body. One ring of the bearing rotates and a coupling mechanism transfers centripetal forces to another non-rotating ring. Stays connect the non-rotating ring to the planetary body; and contribute a force that is in equilibrium with the centripetal and gravitational forces. A preferred embodiment is constructed and tested in the ocean encircling Antarctica and then raised to altitude. Its coupling mechanism employs magnetic forces and its stays are interwoven, partially supported and stabilized aeronautically, and anchored to southerly located towers that are affixed to bedrock. The machine's elevation is not supported by transferring forces to the surface through the inertia of precision-guided high velocity components, thus these components are not necessarily exposed to seismic activity, weather, or anomalous air traffic.

Abstract: A method and apparatus includes processing for restricting at least one video output of a computing system based on copy protection information. Such processing begins by receiving a video signal and associated copy protection information (e.g., Macrovision). The processing continues by interpreting the copy protection information. When the copy protection information indicates copy restriction, the processing continues by altering at least one video output. The video output may be altered by disabling a monitor output, adjusting a refresh rate to be incompatible with a television refresh rate, altering an image of the video signal, and/or inserting a message in a non-current interlaced field of the video signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing very small changes in the output oscillation of a controlled oscillation circuit, which may be used in a phase locked loop circuit, is accomplished by a phase-shifting controlled oscillator that includes an oscillation circuit and a selection circuit. The oscillation circuit generates a plurality of oscillations that are of approximately the same frequency and are approximately equally phase shifted from one another. The selection circuit is operably coupled to receive the plurality of oscillations and selects one of them to be the output oscillation based on a control signal. The very small change in the output oscillation occurs when the selection circuit, based on the control signal, selects another one of the oscillations to be the output oscillation. When the change happens, a single pulse is stretched by the phase difference between the “old” output oscillation and the “new” output oscillation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting differences between an image update rate and a display update rate and to provide a viable solution that produces minimal adverse visual effects is achieved by first detecting an image delineation from a stream of images. The image delineation is then used to determine the image update rate which is compared to the display update rate to produce a relationship between the two update rates. The relationship is then compared to a plurality of desired relationships to determine if it is sufficiently similar to one or more of the desired relationships. If it is, an image display pattern associated with the desired relationship is used. For example, if the relationship is sufficiently similar to the desired relationship of 1:1, then the image display pattern will be 1111 . . . In other words, the image display pattern would display each received image once.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling an output frequency of a phase locked loop is accomplished by determining a plurality of divider ratios which are based on an input frequency, parameters, and a desired output frequency. Each of the divider ratios is representative of a ratio between the output frequency and input frequency of the phase locked loop. Having determined the plurality of divider ratios, another determination is subsequently made to determine whether the plurality of divider ratios enable the phase locked loop to produce the output frequency within a given frequency tolerance, i.e., within an allowable error. The determination is based on whether changing the divider ratio from the one of the plurality of ratios to an adjacent ratio causes the output frequency to change more than the allowable error. If so, the plurality of ratios needs to be recalculated based on a change in the input frequency and/or one of the parameters.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing interlaced video data on a progressive display is accomplished upon receiving interlaced image data that is temporally and spatially accurate and calculating, based on a first predetermined function, calculated image data. Next, the calculated image data is compared to a threshold. When the calculated image data exceeds the threshold, the received interlaced image data is adjusted to approximate the threshold. When the calculated image data does not exceed the threshold, the received interlaced image data is adjusted to equal the calculated interlaced data. Having done this, additional information is created and subsequently combined with the adjusted interlaced image data to produce a complete field for display on the progressive display. The additional image information is of a first value when the calculated image data does not exceed the threshold and is as functional value when the calculated image data exceeds the threshold.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a finely adjustable clock is accomplished by a ring oscillator, a plurality of counting circuits, and a controller. The ring oscillator generates a plurality of oscillations, wherein each of the oscillations have an approximately equal period and are phase shifted by an approximately equal phase shift. Each of the plurality of oscillations is provided to one of the counting circuits which divides the frequency of the respective oscillation by a given count value to produce corresponding periodic representation. The controller selects one of the corresponding periodic representations based on control signal to be the output oscillation, or clock signal. When the clock signal needs to be finely adjusted, the controller, based on the control signal, selects another one of the corresponding periodic representations.