Abstract: Electronic calculators are manufactured by use of a flexible insulative carrier, the carrier being a tape-like-plastic substrate a single length of which is sufficient to manufacture a plurality of the electronic calculators, wherein conductor patterns are formed on the carrier, a keyboard is formed on the carrier using selected portions of the aforementioned conductors as keyboard switch contacts and semiconductor devices are interconnected with selected conductors formed on the carrier.

Abstract: An electronic calculator or microprocessor system of the type preferably having keyboard input and a visual display is provided with a semiconductor chip having an arithmetic unit, a memory register and a dual speed shift register, the dual speed shift register being responsive to control signals generated on the chip for controlling the memory register to selectively read out a first or second number of digits of data stored therein to an input of the arithmetic unit.

Abstract: An electronic calculator or microprocessor system of the type preferably having keyboard input and a visual display is implemented with a semiconductor chip having an arithmetic unit, an address register responsive to the input, an instruction word memory for storing a number of instruction words and addressable by the address register, and instruction word decoder logic for decoding the instruction words and for controlling the arithmetic unit in response thereto. The system further preferably includes a plurality of operational registers for storing numeric data received from the input or outputted by the arithmetic unit and a plurality of operational register selector gates coupling the operational registers with the arithmetic unit or with each other. The instruction word decoder logic includes mask logic for generating mask signals to the plurality of operational register selector gates.

Abstract: An improved printed wiring board having a substrate disposed in at least two major planes and having conductors affixed to the substrate traversing between the at least two major planes. Further a method of manufacturing such an improved printed wiring board having a metal substrate is disclosed.

Abstract: A pair of input field effect transistors are arranged as a differential pair having an electrode of each connected in common and connected in turn to a circuit common by means of a third field effect transistor. A pair of output field effect transistors are coupled to the input field effect transistors and have an electrode of each connected in common and coupled to the gate of the third field effect transistor, thereby providing an amplifier which relatively insensitive to change in the threshold voltage of the field effect transistors.

Abstract: A calculator system, implemented on at least one semiconductor chip and having a read-only-memory for storing a plurality of program instructions, has a multi-function memory instruction register. The instruction register has a parallel input for receiving a selected program instruction from the memory, and preferably a parallel output for transmitting the program instruction to a decoder. The instruction register also has a serial output connected to a buffer. The memory is addressed by an address register which also provides a code indicative of whether or not the addressed program instruction is to control the calculator system. When the addressed program instruction is to control the system, the code has preselected setting and the program instruction is read out of the instruction register through the buffer and is sequentially serially re-entered into the instruction register via a serial input. Thereafter, the program instruction is read out of the instruction register to be decoded by the decoder.

Abstract: A printed wiring board comprised of a plurality of keys or switches, which form a keyboard, for entry of data or changing the function of an electrical circuit. Each key comprises a flexible conductive actuating element and at least two conductive contacts which are affixed in a nonplanar relationship to the substrate of a printed wiring board. The actuating element is caused to come in contact with the conductive contacts when the actuating element is depressed, thus closing the switch.

Abstract: This invention relates to enhancement of calculator versatility through connections provided in a calculator cradle leading to a printing mechanism therein when a calculator is nested in the cradle. In a more specific aspect, the invention relates to the communication between a calculator and a printer module which nests the calculator and responds to instructions and data flow from the calculator to print selected calculator information.

Abstract: Circuit means for eliminating the effect of excessive threshold voltages in insulated gate field effect transistor inverter-type circuits utilizes capacitor pull-up. Capacitors are selectively coupled from various phased voltage outputs of a multi-phase voltage supply to the driver-gate of various field effect transistors to provide increased voltage during voltage pulses of the phase involved. A voltage between the threshold voltage and a required minimum noise margin is thereby added to the driver-gate input signal to overcome the threshold voltage effect. This circuit means is particularly useful in dynamic circuits such as multiphase shift registers and bipolar-to-high voltage field effect transistor coupled circuits.

Abstract: A thermal line printer includes a semiconductor chip for control of A .times. N heaters arrayed in N groups past which thermally sensitive paper is stepped B times in printing a line of characters in an A .times. B dot matrix. A sequential access memory stores N multibit words, one word for each character to be printed on a given line with a commutator cyclically to read words from the memory A .times. B times for each line to be printed. A ROM has an A .times. B dot matrix code therein for each available character. A time sequencer and decoder connected to the ROM is synchronized with the commutator to produce a different one bit output from the ROM each time each given word is read from memory. A set of N enable circuits leads from the ROM to N groups of heaters. A set of A enable circuits leads from the sequencer to A groups of heaters where one heater in each A group is from one of the N groups.

Abstract: A vacuum fluorescent display is disclosed having a grid plate substantially coplanar with the anode and which is controllable with conventional metal oxide semiconductor devices. Each digit of the display includes a segmented anode structure substantially surrounded by a control electrode or grid plate. At least one cathode is disposed adjacent the anode segments and control electrode such that the distance between the cathode and the control electrode is less than the distance between the cathode and any of the anode segments. Utilizing such a structure, a voltage on the order of about -5 volts on the control electrode is effective to cut off luminescence from any of the anode segments of that digit.

Abstract: A method of assembling, positioning, and making connections to a thermal printhead is disclosed. A substrate is provided upon which heating elements or mesas are mounted. Leads from these heating elements are continued on the same side of the substrate as the one on which the elements are located. The leads are brought to terminal pads where connections may be made to the logic circuit which selectively energizes the heating elements to form numerals or characters on heat sensitive paper. A flat flexible cable with conductor ends exposed is held in place so that the exposed conductor ends make contact with the terminal pads of one or more of such substrates. The substrates and cable are clamped together by two metal plates. This entire assembly is mounted on a spring-loaded pivot arrangement so as to hold the heating elements against the heat sensitive paper on an advancing platen. Connections may be made between the cable conductors and the printing logic to allow the heating elements to be energized.

Abstract: A multiple character display device wherein a character is displayed by simultaneous excitation of common electrode along with selected ones of a plurality of segment electrodes. A gas discharge tube associated with each of the segment drives permits control of the display with voltages available on a conventional metal oxide semiconductor chip. In a preferred embodiment these gas discharge tubes are included as an integral part of the display tube itself.