Abstract: One exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an apparatus for playing music. The apparatus includes a manually movable spring, a generator mechanically coupled to the manually movable spring, and a controller electrically coupled to the generator. The apparatus also includes a memory interface coupled to the controller, the memory interface, in an operative configuration, coupled to a removable memory device containing digital music data. The apparatus can further include an audio interface coupled to the controller, the audio interface, in an operative configuration, coupled to a speaker.

Abstract: A wafer-level process for fabricating a plurality of passivated semiconductor devices comprising the steps of providing a semiconductor wafer on that at least one p-n junction is formed, Cutting a plurality of grooves in said wafer to expose said at least one p-n junction, wherein each of said grooves extends partly through the wafer and has a depth that is enough to expose said at least one p-n junction, applying a passivating material into said grooves and curing the material. The grooves can be formed by using a disc saw having a blade, by performing a sandblasting operation within a controlled operation time, or by performing a photolithographically chemical etching process. The passivating material is either screen-printed or pin-dispensed into the grooves. A dicing operation can be subsequently proceeded to divide the wafer into individual chips for subsequent fabrication into completed semiconductor devices.

Abstract: A fast high side switch for hard disk drive preamplifiers requires very fast turn on time, very low impedance when the switch is “on” and very high impedance when the switch is turned “off”. Each of the embodiments described provide a low-impedance path between the “Boost Voltage” and “Switch Out” terminals of the hard disk drive preamplifier, i.e., connecting a boost-voltage to the inductor, and as required in such a system, the proposed circuits provide a turn-on time that is much faster than the rise-time of the write current.

Abstract: A method for providing authentication, authorization and access control of software object residing in digital set-top terminals creates a fingerprint (“signature”) for each software object, associates each fingerprint with a service tier, encodes each association and creates an association table containing the information and downloads the association table to the digital set-top terminal. In addition, the method utilizes an entitlement management message, sent to each set-top terminal, indicating what software objects the set-top terminal may utilize, and provides a system routine at the digital set-top terminal that is invoked whenever software object is about to be utilized. The entitlement management message contains the access rights given to a particular set-top terminal, which must match the software object's access requirements for the software object to be utilized.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of forming a part by injection molding. The method includes the step of providing injection molding equipment having a sprue for supplying melted plastic. In addition, the method includes the step of providing a mold for forming the part, wherein the mold is adapted for forming a runner integrally with the part and wherein the mold is connected to the sprue. Further, the method includes the step of injecting the melted plastic into the mold so as to form the part and the runner such that the runner is integrally formed with the part.

Abstract: A fast high side switch for hard disk drive preamplifiers requires very fast turn on time, very low impedance when the switch is “on” and very high impedance when the switch is turned “off”. Each of the embodiments described provide a low-impedance path between the “Boost Voltage” and “Switch Out” terminals of the hard disk drive preamplifier, i.e., connecting a boost-voltage to the inductor, and as required in such a system, the proposed circuits provide a turn-on time that is much faster than the rise-time of the write current.

Abstract: A hard disk drive write channel architecture improves the rise-time while utilizing a same supply voltage to provide a boosted voltage, thereby improving the rise-time only when it is needed. The voltage is then connected to the inductive write head through a switch after an appropriate delay, so as to compensate for the delay between the switching of Data line and the peaking of the voltage at the corresponding write terminal. In addition, the same delayed version of the Data line is applied to the inputs of the switching circuit to delay the signal inputs such that the delay timing matches appropriately.

Abstract: A neural network designed to recognize a particular character is supplied with initial tap weights for a first hidden node which are an image of the character to be recognized. The additive inverse of this set of weights is used as the tap weights for a second hidden node. A third node, if used, is initialized with random noise. The network is then trained with back propagation.

Abstract: An apparatus for operating a digital signal includes a digital filter, a rounding process unit, a rounding error detecting unit and a rounding error eliminating unit. The allowable input word length is (m) bits for the digital filter. For the input with (n) bits which is longer than the allowable input word length of (m) bits, the rounding process unit processes the rounding and supplies it to the digital filter. The rounding error detecting unit extracts the rounding error based on the (n) bits input signal and the output signal after the rounding process. Utilizing this rounding error detected by the rounding error detecting unit, the rounding error eliminating unit eliminates the rounding error which has been mixed with the filtering output signal of the digital filter.