Abstract: A threaded fastener that includes a drive head having a recessed region and a threaded shaft that is mechanically and radially attached to the drive head is improved to comprise a drive portion. The drive portion is mechanically attached to the opposite end of the threaded shaft as a drive head and has a geometric shape that is a mating image of the recessed portion of the drive head and is on the same axis as the drive head. With such a configuration, the drive portion of one threaded fastener can be mechanically coupled to the recessed region of another threaded fastener in a stacked fashion such that one threaded fastener is used to drive another threaded fastener into a threaded receptacle.

Abstract: A low current CMOS translator arrangement is disclosed that utilizes a low current inverting stage, having a peak current requirement, fed by a constant current source at a supply node that also has a capacitor coupled to it. This low current inverter is useful for a number of applications, including generating a sinusoidal signal when it is coupled to a crystal. When one or more are cascaded and coupled to a square wave input signal, the arrangement becomes a low current translator that level-shifts, or translates, the input signal having a first voltage range to a translated square wave output signal having a second voltage range. In another embodiment called a low current squaring translator, a squaring stage is coupled between the low current inverter and a low current translator that includes one or more inverting stages. This arrangement is able to achieve an output signal that maintains a precise duty cycle with low noise at a very low current.

Abstract: An hermaphroditic electrical connector comprising a pair of substantially identical body members. The two body members are arranged to be releasably secured together to electrically connect plural electrical contacts of one member to respective electrical contacts of the other member and for maintaining such electrical connections while enabling the two connector members to be pivoted with respect to each other about a longitudinal axis through a predetermined angular range.

Abstract: A method of joining surface mount components includes screen printing a single layer of solder paste or other adhesive onto a substrate, positioning a component with a planar lead with a hole through the planar lead over the solder and mounting a second component over the hole in the first lead. The assembly is heated or otherwise processed until the solder or adhesive flows by capillary action through the hole and into the space between the components such that it forms solder joint between the stacked components.

Abstract: In a communication system where outbound communications are comprised of a TDM format, and inbound communications are not, and wherein the outbound communications occasionally include system control information, a method for allowing a transmitting unit to occasionally interrupt its transmissions to allow reception of system control information.

Abstract: A radio communication system having the capability of providing acknowledgement messages to incoming messages while compensating for failed components that have the duty of acknowledging messages or redistributing the acknowledgment duties evenly among the components when there is a change in acknowledgment responsibilities. There is also disclosed a method for cooperatively reassigning certain tasks to certain users within a communication system.