Abstract: The user of a new pager places it into "registration mode" by commands entered through the pager's user interface. In registration mode, the pager displays previously stored identification code and begins rapidly searching through a list of candidate paging channels. The user then telephones the paging system clearinghouse and provides the identification code. Upon receiving this information, the paging system broadcasts an initialization message addressed to the new pager. Included in the message may be initialization data, such as a list of alternative frequencies on which the paging data may be found. The pager quickly receives this message (due to its rapid searching operation) and stores any initialization data in data registers for future reference. The pager then displays a message to the user confirming the pager's proper operation.

Abstract: A system and method to autodial a telephone number, employing (1) an electronic wristwatch which includes means for receiving radio paging messages and a memory for storing a database of predetermined multidigit telephone numbers and (2) a collapsible compact telephone handset, which does not have a dialing key pad. The electronic wristwatch and the handset includes short range transceivers so that a data communication link can be established between the electronic wristwatch and the handset. Circuitry is provided to transmit telephone numbers stored in or received by the electronic wristwatch to the telephone handset and to automatically dial such telephone numbers.

Abstract: A microcircuit bias-current supply in a wristwatch-pager. An FM-radio receiver in a microcircuit paging device operates intermittently with a short on-time and long off-time to reduce power consumption and preserve battery life. The bias-supply circuit distributes predetermined bias currents to a plurality of functional circuit areas of the microcircuit die, the bias currents being disabled during off-time of the receiver such that the current drain of the entire microcircuit is virtually zero, being in the range of nanoamps. The inefficiencies and disadvantages of a series switch to stitch power on and off are eliminated by providing a plurality of switched current sources which perform the dual function of circuit biasing and current switching.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved single chip radio receiver which has less external components than do previous similar receivers. With the present invention the integrated circuit which includes the radio receiver also has an on-chip adaptive filter. The radio receiver is designed for use in a radio pager which is only active for a very short time slot during a relative long repeat cycle. Thus the adaptive filter only need remain stable for a short period after its coefficients are adjusted to the desired values. The radio receiver includes an external filter which has the same frequency response as desired from the adaptive filter. Immediately prior to activating the radio receiver, the circuit is activated to adjust the parameters of the adaptive filter so that the adaptive filter matches the external filter. The radio receiver is then activated using both filters in series thereby producing the desired radio reception.

Abstract: Frequency control in a miniature receiver is effected by a synthesizer that is operated briefly to provide a tuning voltage to a voltage controlled local oscillator. A capacitor is shunted across the output of the synthesizer and is charged to the level of the tuning voltage. After the capacitor is charged, the synthesizer is deenergized and the diminishing voltage provided to the oscillator by the discharging capacitor is correspondingly supplemented by an AFC voltage that tracks drift of the received signal in the IF passband. The deenergizing of the synthesizer eliminates synthesizer noise and reduces the receiver's power consumption.

Abstract: The present invention provides a logic synthesis method and system which begins with a set of register transfer statements describing the desired logic. These statements are converted to expressions in prefix form. Next, logic reduction is performed on the individual expressions. The modified expressions are then converted to a set of logical function blocks, some of which may not be primitive blocks. Logical reduction is performed on the global set of any remaining primitives. The output of the above process is then used to synthesize the logic circuit. Included in the invention are novel techniques for performing logic reduction on the individual expressions.

Abstract: The present invention is a dual communication mode sysem that combines a point to point communications device with a television receiver and a video tape recorder. The result is a highly versatile and easily operated personal entertainment and communication center. The point to point communication device included in the personal communication and entertainment center can provide information to: (a) reset the center's time clock automatically if power to the center is interrupted or if the center clock must be synchronized to an accurate time (b) program the personal entertainment and communication center from a remote location; (c) provide authorization signals to allow the personal entertainment and communication center to descramble coded signals received by the television receiver from a source such as a satellite or cable hookup; and (d) provide personal messages which can be recorded on the video tape recorder and displayed on the television screen.

Abstract: A microcircuit bias-current supply in a wristwatch-pager. An FM-radio receiver in a microcircuit paging device operates intermittently with a short on-time and long off-time to reduce power consumption and preserve battery life. Ths bias-supply circuit distributes predetermined bias currents to a plurality of functional circuit areas of the microcircuit die, the bias currents being disabled during off-time of the receiver such that the current drain of the entire microcircuit is virtually zero, being in the range of nanoamps. The inefficiencies and disadvantages of a series switch to switch power on and off are eliminated by providing a plurality of switched current sources which perform the dual function of circuit biasing and current switching.

Abstract: A circuit for temperature compensation of a varactor voltage controlled oscillator control signal includes a proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) current source and an adjustable, temperature stable current source. The difference between these two current sources defines an offset current. The varactor control signal voltage is shifted by a predetermined reference voltage and offset by an offset voltage proportional to the offset current, in a differential amplifier portion of the circuit, to provide a tuning signal for controlling the varactor so as to compensate for the varactor capacitance temperature drift. The adjustable, temperature stable current source allows tuning the circuit in order to precisely tune the VCO to a desired frequency under a predetermined set of operating conditions in order to correct component and process variations.

Abstract: In a ratio paging system of the type having digital data modulated onto radio signals transmitted from a radio station to receiving units at remote sites, a test system. The test system includes a transmitter test module coupled to a radio transmitter at the station and a test bed module located at the remote site. The transmitter test module includes a microprocessor for generating digital test data, and a modulator coupled to the microprocessor for modulating the test data onto a radio signal and for injecting the radio signal into the station transmitter. The test bed includes a receiver for receiving the modulated radio signal, a demodulator for demodulating the received radio signal to recover the digital test data, and a computer for processing the recovered digital test data to generate paging test information. The mobile test bed also includes means for determining the latitude and longitude of a site to generate digital location data which is used to generate test information.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system which uses information in a certain band of frequencies, f.sub.b. The information of interest is contained in an analog signal that has noise at higher frequencies. The analog signal is sampled using an integrate and hold amplifier, hence, noise from higher frequencies is aliased into the region of interest f.sub.b. In accordance with the present invention, the integrated and hold amplifier has a frequency response which has a zero at a frequency, f.sub.n, which is one of the frequencies aliased into the band of frequencies f.sub.b. Thus, the effect of the noise that appears near the frequency f.sub.n has much less effect on the signal when it is aliased into the frequency band of interest, f.sub.b. The performance of the system is thereby improved.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a relational data base system which is operating in a virtual machine environment. The invention provides a system that includes a disconnected virtual machine which is running in the same virtual machine environment as is the relational data base. Insert and Update requests to the system are generated by programs running in user controlled virtual machines. Other users issue select and view requests which lock out insert and update requests which relate to the same data domain. With the present invention Insert and Update requests go to the disconnected virtual machine which ques them and applies them against the relational data base in the order that the requests are received. In this way, while a select is being executed on data in a particular domain of the data base, update and insert request for the same domain will be held by the virtual machine and the operator will not be "locked out" of the system.

Abstract: An expandable ECL matrix shifter is provided to have very few interconnecting wires. The shifter can perform a multicolumn right shift or a multicolumn left shift in one cycle, and it has independent wrap and fill capabilities. Two 2 to 1 multiplexers are provided for each bit position of the input signals. The input signals provide one of the inputs for both of the multiplexers. The second input of each multiplexer is a signal indicating what type of fill is desired. The shifter has horizontal data input lines, vertical data output lines, and diagonal select lines. A bipolar transistor is located at each intersection of a data input line and a data output line. These transistors selectively connect the data input lines to the data output lines in response to signals on the diagonal select lines. Each horizontal data input line is divided into two parts. The division of the data input lines into parts is along a major diagonal of the matrix.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for accessing a color palette in a color graphics system synchronously and asynchronously. Address and data registers coupled to the color palette are operated synchronously in a pipeline fashion using clock pulses having a pixel scanning rate when the palette is used for refreshing a color monitor. The address and data registers are operated asynchronously, i.e. rendered transparent to addresses and data, respectively, when the palette is updated by a CPU.

Abstract: The present invention provides a pluggable, high density, reliable integrated circuit package. The package has a plurality of integrated circuit chips mounted on a multilayer ceramic substrate. Input-output signals are provided to the module by means of mating male female input-output pins which are located on the bottom of the module. Power is provided to the module from a multilayer ceramic frame through an edge connector that is an integral part of the mulltilayer ceramic substrate. Matching circuit vias located on the edge of the multilayer ceramic substrate and on the edge of the multilayer ceramic frame are cut and tinned with tin-lead to provide power input connections. When the module is plugged into the circuit board the edge connectors on the module mate with the edge connectors in the ceramic frame. Since the frame is made of the same material as the module substrate, the power connectors have excellent thermal match and they are highly reliable.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for plasma cleaning and an improved gas mixture for use in a plasma cleaning process. The gas mixture of the present invention includes the normal process gases such as oxygen and carbon tetrafluoride. However, the mixture also includes a small percentage of a large mass inert gas such as Argon or Krypton. This large mass gas molecule mechanically removes any polymerized fluorocarbon that forms on the surface being cleaned thereby significantly enhancing the rate of etch or cleaning.It has been found that five to twenty percent of the inert gas is the preferred range and that ten percent produces optimum results.

Abstract: A printer for printing both standard pitch and condensed pitch characters which includes print hammer faces which have a single wide section for standard pitch characters and a double wide section for printing condensed pitch characters. Using this hammer face one obtains the advantage of high speed when printing standard pitch characters and yet one is able to print condensed pitch characters with the same printer.The face of each hammer is divided into two sections. The first section of each hammer face is identical to the hammer face in a conventional single width hammer. The second section of each hammer face spans the width of two condensed pitch characters.The hammers are divided into two groups. The first group of hammers has the single width section on the top of the hammer face and the second group of hammers has the single width section on the bottom of the hammer face.

Abstract: A pin which has a compressive strength less than the tensile strength of a substrate can be fixed into a hole in the substrate when the substrate is held between a stopping block and a clamp by transporting the pin into the hole with sufficient kinetic energy that the pin is forged into a shape defined by the hole upon impacting the stopping block.The pin can be retained in the substrate by forging it into a headed and bulged shape defined by recesses in the stopping block and the clamp on either side of the hole.

Abstract: A conductive film deposition rate monitoring method for measuring the real time deposition rate of a metallic deposition process particularly an electroless plating bath, including the steps of positioning an eddy current detector within a predetermined distance of a test surface where the deposition is to be deposited, and the step of monitoring the output of the detector. The apparatus comprises an eddy current sensor and a non-metallic housing for the sensor, having a non-conductive wall of predetermined thickness between the sensor and the surface of the wall distant from the sensor, the distant wall being immersed in the deposition environment, such as a plating bath, so that a deposit takes place on the distant surface, and measuring means connected to the output of the sensor for measuring the amplitude and rate of change of the output of the sensor.

Abstract: A central clock signal generator generates a plurality of odd and even clock pulses which are distributed to a plurality of logic and circuit modules by clock signal lines of equal length. The central signal generator also generates a plurality of gate pulses which are supplied to the modules on signal lines which can be different in length from one to another. The gate pulses are wide enough to coincide with the clock pulses with appropriate allowance for skew between the pulses. For each pair of pulses engaged delivered to a module a detection circuit is provided which detects if the gate pulse and the clock pulse begin and end in the proper sequence. If an improper sequence occurs, the information is stored in a scannable latch and a machine stop control is generated. The exact failing module can be traced readily from the information supplied in this manner.