Abstract: An automated, computer-controlled system automatically measures various parameters associated with the transmitter and/or receiver of an electro-optic module. Measured transmitter parameters include transmitter average power, transmitter rise/fall time, transmitter extinction ratio, transmitter duty cycle distortion, and transmitter data dependent jitter. Measured receiver parameters include receiver sensitivity, receiver pulse width distortion, receiver signal detect threshold, and receiver signal detect assert/deassert times.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic write head is provided with a notch structure located on top of one of two pole layers. The notch structure is a generally U-shaped thin film layer which forms a trench inside the U for the containment of one or more pole tip layers in the pole tip region of the head. The notch structure has front surfaces at the tips of the legs of the U which lie in a plane that forms a part of the air bearing surface. The thickness of the notch layer is substantially equal to the thickness or thicknesses of the one or more pole tip layers located in the trench. A method of manufacturing the write head includes forming a very thin photoresist layer for defining the notch structure. The notch structure is well-defined which in turn allows the one or more pole tip layers to be well-defined with a very narrow trackwidth in the trench.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic write head and method are provided wherein the write head has a pole tip region between a planarair bearing surface (ABS) and a zero throat level and a back region which extends back from the zero throat level to and including a back gap. The write head has a yoke which includes top and bottom magnetic poles. Each pole has a pole tip structure in the pole tip region and a back portion in the back region. The pole tip structure of the bottom pole has bottom and top pole tip elements PT1a and PT1b and the pole tip structure of the top pole has a top and bottom pole tip elements PT2a and PT2b. The pole tip elements PT1b and PT2b are located between the pole tip elements PT1a and PT2a and a gap layer G is located between the pole tip elements PT1b and PT2b. Each of the pole tip elements PT1b and PT2b and the gap layer G are bounded by front and back walls and first and second sidewalls.

Abstract: The present method employs a first plating resist for forming circuit lines on a carrier substrate. While the plating resist is still in place a metal, such as nickel, is deposited on top of the circuit lines. A second plating resist is employed for plating solder on the circuit lines at solder sites. At this stage additional solder can be deposited at each solder site to provide or supplement the necessary low melt solder required for forming a solder joint. The first and second resists along with solder thereon are then stripped and copper foil on the carrier substrate is etched away around the circuit lines. A soldermask is then formed on the carrier substrate over the circuit lines except for circuit lines in the chip sites. The soldermask has a single large opening at each chip site which has lateral dimensions which are slightly larger than the lateral dimensions of the chip to be connected at the chip site.

Abstract: A multilayered electronic component created by a wet process, wherein a ceramic base is imprinted with an electrode and an interlayer via is formed on top of it by introducing a via pattern printed in ink that is incompatible with a layer of wet ceramic slurry coating placed on top of the electrode and the via pattern. The incompatibility leads to a physical-chemical reaction that removes ceramic material away from the top of the via pattern by diffusing ceramic materials contained in a colloidal suspension forming a via-through hole. After the wet ceramic slurry is dried, it surrounds the via-through hole and the imprinted via pattern. Then a new electrode layer is imprinted on top of the dried ceramic coating. The new electrode layer completes an electrically conductive path formed from the bottom-most electrode layer, to the via pattern, and then terminating at the new electrode layer on top.

Abstract: A dual capillary inlet cryogenic test chamber having the ability to continuously regulate temperature between about 1.5 K. and 400 K. A controllably heated capillary tube is located in the cryogenic reservoir, spaced from the test chamber and thermally insulated from the cryogen. This capillary tube has a characteristic impedance to fluid flow. A second low temperature, high impedance capillary tube inlet is also in the cryogenic reservoir and is connected between the cryogen reservoir and the test chamber. The combination of a control system with pressure and temperature feedback, combined with the two inlet tubes of different impedance, enables the apparatus to operate continuously and stably at any temperature within its operating range, or to smoothly sweep through any predetermined temperature range.

Abstract: In an event-driven, virtual time logic simulation system, user-initiated requests for setting and holding simulated logic circuit elements are accommodated during forward simulation, rollback, and advance of system global virtual time.

Abstract: An abdominal exercise cushion for enabling the performance of safe and effective abdominal exercises, said cushion, comprises a yieldable back support device comprising pillow-like main body portion having an anchoring panel extending from a front side of the main body portion, the main body portion having a three dimensional configuration with a base surface and a back engaging support surface with a height sufficient to at least engaging a persons lower back for yieldably engaging and supporting a person in a partially backwardly inclining position, the anchoring panel formed of a pliable fabric panel secured along a front edge of the main body portion between the base surface and the support surface and adapted to be positioned to the front side of the main body for sitting on while inclining on said main body portion.

Abstract: Library service protocols are provided for moving large data objects into an out of a data image library with attention to security, authentication, and consistency of related images stored in different machines. The protocol consists of particular message sequences, special tokens within messages, and out-of-sequence database changes.

Abstract: A control console for a program-controlled machine tool consisting of a base, an ergonomically positioned control panel including a plurality of function keys, and a display screen. The control panel and the display screen are provided in a common control console housing. In a recess of the housing a plurality of separate control panels is provided, which can be alternatively positioned with respect to the control surface of the control console housing. The functional elements of those control panels are connectable to the associated elements in the control console via electric connectors.

Abstract: A distributor with controlled switching elements (CSE) which simplifies hardware construction by distributing the function of a running adder into a reverse banyan network. The distributor comprises a CSE-based network using switching stages, each switching stage having control switching elements. A control signal input stage switches two packet input signal switching channels, each stage receiving each control signal from an output stage having switching elements. An active packet counter counts and generates an output signal which represents the number of active packets inputted to the CSE network. A tail-of-queue register is used for storing output vectors.

Abstract: An UPS (uninterruptible power system) includes an UPS power conditioning unit that provides conditioned AC power to a critical load. The UPS power conditioning unit includes a variable speed drive that operates in response to AC utility power or to a standby DC input by providing a motor drive signal. The UPS power conditioning unit further includes a motor-generator that operates in response to the motor drive output by providing the conditioned AC power to the critical load. In response to an outage in the utility AC power, standby DC power is provided by a standby DC power source that includes a variable speed drive and a flywheel motor-generator connected to the variable speed drive. Both the UPS power conditioning unit and the standby DC power source are initially operated in response to the utility AC power, the flywheel motor-generator storing kinetic energy in a rotating flywheel.

Abstract: A sloping tape guide is provided for an arcuately scanning tape drive so that tension per unit width of a magnetic tape is equalized in the head/tape contact zone on a front face of a head assembly of the arcuate scanner. The tape wraps over the circular edge of the magnetic head assembly. As a consequence, the tension per unit width is higher at the center of the tape that at the edges. The low tension at the edges of the tape results in poor head to tape contact in these regions and consequently unacceptable signal performance. This invention overcomes these difficulties by providing a means to equalize tension per unit width across the tape. The sloping tape guide has a front sloping flat surface which is bounded by top and bottom edges and first and second side edges, the first side edge being closer to the lat surface slopes rearwardly from its first edge to its second edge away from the periphery of the head assembly.

Abstract: A play yard which is light, portable and operable for easily and quickly transforming between a collapsible configuration and an expanded configuration. The play yard opens up automatically by simply releasing the frame and allowing it to unfold. The play yard includes a frame formed of a flexible material including a first bottom loop forming a rectangular shape and a second elevated loop contacting the first loop at two points. An envelope made of laminar material is attached at selected points to the frame to form a partially enclosed play area. An opening in a top portion of the envelope permits access to the enclosed play area. In a preferred embodiment, the play yard has a removable top for covering the opening when desired.

Abstract: Disclosed is apparatus comprising at least two elements whose positions relative to each other are alterable, and in which at least a portion of each element is visible during use of the apparatus, and wherein a first of said elements exhibits an indicated sequence, and a second of said elements exhibits at least one of a group of musical representations comprising:an alphabetic representation of musical notes;a representation of a keyboard;a representation of finger positions on an instrument;an accepted musical notation;and wherein the relative positions of said first and second elements may be altered so that correlating said indicated sequence with a said musical representation indicates at least one of a scale or chord. Various embodiments of apparatus may be used in determining scales, and variations and modes thereof, find use in creating and determining chords, find use in key transposition and/or determining fingering on keyboards and frets.

Abstract: Graphical user interface (GUI) logic for enabling the selection and displaying of specific directories, subdirectories, and files. The GUI logic displays on the screen the selection and deselection options that are available. The entire hierarchical tree structure of the file system can be selected for a particular operation or any leaf or node of the tree may be selected. The logic automatically traverses the tree in response to a user's selection of a displayed object on the screen. Since the selection mode of the input device, such as a mouse, is displayed on the screen it is readily apparent to the user.

Abstract: An MR head receives ESD protection from a mechanism that automatically and releasably shorts the MR head whenever a suspension assembly on which the head is mounted is not installed in an HDA. The suspension assembly includes a flexure underlying a load beam, which is connected to an actuator arm. The MR head is mounted to a distal end of the flexure, leads from components of the MR head being brought out in the form of MR wire leads running along the load beam and the support arm to a nearby terminal connecting side tab. The conductors are separated and exposed at a designated point along the flexure to provide a contact region. A shorting bar, which comprises an electrically conductive member attached to the actuator arm, automatically connects the MR wire leads at the contact region when absence of support for the MR head permits the load beam to bend sufficiently toward the shorting bar.

Abstract: An automated, computer-controlled system automatically measures various parameters associated with the transmitter and/or receiver of an electro-optic module. Measured transmitter parameters include transmitter average power, transmitter rise/fall time, transmitter extinction ratio, transmitter duty cycle distortion, and transmitter data-dependent jitter. Measured receiver parameters include receiver sensitivity, receiver pulse width distortion, receiver signal detect threshold, and receiver signal detect assert/deassert times.