Abstract: An assembly for removably attaching an ornament to a sock. The assembly includes a first means for attaching, the first attaching means being affixed to the sock, an ornament, and second means for attaching the ornament to the sock. The second attaching means is affixed to the ornament, and the second attaching means is configured so as to cooperate with and removably attach to the first attaching means to removably attach the ornament to the sock. As broadly described herein, the first and second attaching means may include a variety of attaching means including, for example, snap fasteners, buttons and corresponding buttonholes, hook and loop fasteners, hook-and-eye fasteners, and clasps.

Abstract: A novel turbocharger is disclosed that includes a compressor wheel and two turbine wheels all mounted on a common drive shaft. Also included is an auxiliary airflow generator to turn one or both turbine wheels. In normal operation, engine exhaust is used to drive the compressor wheel. The improved turbocharger uses two turbine wheels to drive one compressor wheel on one common drive shaft, which invention is intended to eliminate the turbo lag problem inherent in a single turbine turbocharger. In one embodiment, the auxiliary airflow generator spins the turbine wheel at low engine speeds to overcome the problem of turbo lag. In one embodiment, the airflow generator is a blower fan, which directs air through the turbine. In another embodiment, the airflow generator is a vacuum generator, which impels air through the turbine wheel. The two embodiments may be combined such that the blower and the vacuum generator compliment each other in operation.

Abstract: A novel power charger apparatus is provided for supplying electrical power to an electrical device for operation or to a battery for charging, or both. The charger apparatus comprises a primary power supply for supplying power from an external power source to the power charger, a power converter coupled to the primary power supply for converting the power received by the primary power supply from the external power source into a form usable by the power charger, and a power controller coupled to the power converter for controlling the power applied to the device or the battery, or both, whereby, regardless of the rate of charge of the battery, a constant current is maintained for charging the battery while the voltage across the device and battery is allowed to vary. To observe the rate of charge of the battery, the power charger also includes a charge rate sensor connected to the battery and coupled to the power controller to measure the voltage across the battery.

Abstract: An infrared remote-control system and method for the simultaneous transmission of data from two or more separate hand transmitters to a single remote-control receiver is disclosed. Interference between transmitted signals is eliminated by interlacing control signals with quiescent periods during transmission. The control signals are received and validated by the receiver based on the quiescent periods.

Abstract: Method and apparatus within a multimedia system for digitally decoding video pixel data. The pixel data is decoded to 24 bits per pixel from a compressed 8 bits per pixel format. The compressed pixel data is deformatted into its separate luminance and chrominance components. The components are then differentially expanded and assigned to associated pixel elements. Predominant color transitions are designated to determine the pixel location where the chrominance components change. An interpolated chrominance component may be inserted at these color change locations to smooth out the color transitions.

Abstract: An improved coaxial cable connector and method for attaching the same to a coaxial cable is disclosed. The improved cable connector comprises a center conductor pin, which may be hollow or solid, for providing electrical conductivity for the center wire, an outer conductor shell, which is concentric to the center pin, for providing electrical conductivity for the shielding wire, and an annular dielectric, such as a phenolic washer, mounted to the center conductor pin for insulating the conductor pin from the outer conductor shell. The improvement lies in the use of an inner wire receptor having a funnel portion for receiving the center wire and a holding portion, which is crimped, for mechanically and electrically securing the center wire.

Abstract: A moving coil, linear positioning transducer actuator suitable for optical recording and playback devices is constructed by forming the actuator frame, magnetic pole pieces and the magnetic core of the moving coil from a single piece of ferrous material and wherein the path of the moving coil and transducer are substantially collinear. The transducer is supported by parallel rails which are mounted to the frame.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for encoding full color video data signals and a protocol for encoding the same in a storage medium. Each pixel of a full color video image is converted into a single 8 bit luminance and multiple 8 bit chrominance components. The 8 bit luminance component is differentially compressed into 5 bits while the chrominance components are subsampled for every four pixels of the video image before being differentially compressed. The differentially compressed subsampled chrominance components and the differentially compressed luminance components are then assembled into a video data signal related to the full color image.