Abstract: The invention relates to a photomechanical transducer which comprises a photochromic element made of a first material and attached on a carrier element made of a deformable second material. The first material of the photochromic element changes its molecular shape when it is irradiated with light and thereby introduces a strain into the carrier element which as a result is deformed.

Abstract: A system and method are provided, for use with network communication systems such as Internet terminals having World Wide Web browsers, for indicating to the user a parameter related to a piece of remote information, such as an estimation of a length of time required to download a given piece of information resident at a remote site. Hyperlinks, icons, or menu items are displayed, as in conventional systems. Also provided are indicia which give the user the length of time estimate. The indicia may be displayed concurrently with the displayed hyperlink, or otherwise provided, such as by audio or tactile user feedback. In one preferred embodiment, each hyperlink is accompanied by a red, yellow, or green dot, the color of the dot being representative of the estimated download time.

Abstract: A tag for concealing in an object for providing antitheft protection and identification, and a system for incorporating the tag, include in one embodiment a magnetic antitheft element, and an identification code including a pattern of first and second segments of wires of high thermal conductivity situated at right angles to the antitheft element and in intimate thermal contact with the antitheft element. The length of the first segments is longer than the length of the second segments.

Abstract: To construct an inexpensive speech recognition system, a speech recogntion system includes an analyzing unit for extracting a sound, sequentially dividing the sound into a plurality of frames, converting each of the frames sequentially to first data, and sequentially storing the first data to an input pattern memory, a distance calculating unit for reading a predetermined number of the first data from the input pattern memory, reading one of second data from a standard pattern memory, calculating first distances between each of the predetermined number of the first data and the one of the second data, and a judging unit for judging a word representing the sound based on the first distances.

Abstract: Method for correcting aberrations of an optical system and solving the problem of tolerance buildup. The method posits a desired specification limit for each of at least one optical characteristic of an optical element, and requires embossing at least a portion of a surface of the optical element for bringing the or each optical characteristic within its corresponding specification limit.

Abstract: A data transfer apparatus controls a data transfer speed between a transmitter and a receiver operating asynchronously of each other. The apparatus includes a data buffer for buffering data from the transmitter and an address register for indexing the data buffer. The apparatus further includes a stage register for indicating operation phases of data transfer to the receiver. The address register is updated when the stage register holds a predetermined value.

Abstract: A disk drive with reduced seek acoustic noise and a method for implementation, without any additional hardware or mechanical modifications to the actuator includes a filter such that servo-loop stability is unaffected. The filter is inserted outside the existing servo loop to reshape the existing velocity profile in real time and to facilitate the suppression of forcing components that produce seek acoustics. A weighting factor may be used to provide a weighted average of the filtered and unfiltered velocity reference signal to the servo loop so that at the end of a track seek operation, the unfiltered reference signal is applied to the velocity servo, and there is almost no change in settle-out performance when the target track is reached. It is not necessary to store large volumes of velocity profile data to deal with different seek lengths.

Abstract: An electronic device assembly includes a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) chip mounted on a flexible substrate. The flexible substrate is connected to a second substrate via solder. The flexible substrate is also attached to the second substrate via a resin. When the assembly is manufactured, the solder is provided between the substrates. The resin fills an area between the substrates. The solder and the resin are heated simultaneously. The solder melts to electrically connect the substrates. The resin is set to mechanically couple the substrates.

Abstract: An optical amplifier circuit includes an optical amplifying unit for amplifying a light signal having a predetermined wavelength to output an amplified light signal, first and second optical branching units each for branching a part of the amplified light signal to output branched light signals, and a band rejection optical filter for removing light within a center wavelength band to allow only spontaneous emission light to be selectively transmitted. A subtractor outputs a control signal according to a difference between the light signal branched by the first optical branching unit and the spontaneous emission light. A controller controls the output of the amplified light signal based on the control signal, thereby to maintain precisely a constant light output level.

Abstract: The semiconductor package including a semiconductor element 11 having a first face 21a and a second face 21b which is opposite to the first face 21a, an electrode 22 provided on the first face 21a, and a conductive lead 23 connected to the electrode 22 comprises an insulating film member 24 provided on the second face 21b for connecting the other end of the lead, the lead 23 is bent as oppose to a side face of the semiconductor element 11, and is connected each other with an elastic force between the electrode 22 and the film member 24, a bent part of the lead between the electrode 22 and the film member 24 turns to be a terminal part 23a. The circuit board has a connection means, connecting to the terminal unit 23a, and having an adequate size for placing the semiconductor package 11. The connection means is constituted of an accommodation groove part 46 or a frame part 50, and a plurality of pattern electrodes 47a, 47b, and the terminal part 23a is connected between the pattern electrodes 47a, 47b.

Abstract: A single frame buffer is used in displaying on a display both an image from a first-type image source specified by a red-green-blue (RGB) value and an image from a second-type image source specified by an index value for a look-up table. A data-type buffer stores a data-type indicating whether each value stored in the frame buffer is the RGB value or the index value corresponding to each pixel on the display. A buffer writer may compress the RGB value. A buffer reader may decompress the RGB value from the compressed RGB value.

Abstract: A lock control for each processor is based on a lock variable status set by a lock control apparatus in a secondary cache. The lock control apparatus indexes lock address registers upon receiving one of LOCK, SETLS, and UNLOCK requests. The SETLS request sets the lock variables to a "lock" status in all banks after acquiring a "lock" in one bank. The SETLS request prevents a deadlock in a banked memory system.

Abstract: When an error occurs in a memory card of a computer system, error information having an error occurrence time, a number of a memory card in which the error has occurred, and an error status are sequentially stored as the error history information in a random access memory (RAM) connected to a system bus in the computer system. A number of errors of the memory card on which the error has occurred and an interval between the errors are calculated based on the error history information. When the calculation results deviate from each predetermined value, the memory card is deleted (e.g., disconnected from a memory board of the computer system) as having an intermittent fault or a high frequency of fault occurrence. During access to the memory, by referring to an address decode register, a memory card number is identified from the most-significant portion of the address.

Abstract: To use a high performance central processing unit (CPU)(e.g., operating with high frequency), a memory system includes a memory cell array having a plurality of word lines connected to memory cells, a latch circuit for receiving and latching a first control signal in response to a first clock signal and for outputting a second control signal, and a decoder for selecting one word line among the word lines in response to an address signal when the decoder receives the second control signal. The latch circuit includes a first latch portion for latching the first control signal during a first cycle of the first clock signal, and a second latch portion for latching the first control signal during a second cycle of the first clock signal.