Abstract: A toilet ventilation system including a fan housed within an interior space in a toilet seat lid, an intake passage created when the seat is down and the lid is raised, a stationary outflow duct through which evacuated air is driven, and a switch for activation of the fan. The system removes air from the toilet bowl, and vents it to a remote location.

Abstract: An voltage regulation apparatus for generating a supply voltage internally within an integrated circuit with a modular arrangement of charge pumps. The charge pumps feature a first plurality of parallel-connected blocks of charge pump stages including a first block of charge pump stages, a last block of charge pump stages, and at least one intermediate block of charge pump stages therebetween. Each of the parallel-connected blocks of charge pump stages includes a group of a second plurality of charge pump stages cascade-connected in series; and an output stage connected to an output node. Desired output voltages are obtained by using combinatorial clock signals, generated by a logic circuit, directed to the various charge pump stages.

Abstract: The present invention allows the use of low speed USB reader/connector to be use for full speed and high-speed transmission by introducing an accurate clock element into the smart card. In addition, the present invention eliminate the need of having a clock element in any USB compatible reader/connector, making the reader/connector a much simpler device that can be manufactured in a lower cost.

Abstract: This patent describes a new method and apparatus which allows optical cavities to be used simply and effectively as absorption cells for the purpose of performing sensitive absorption spectroscopy. This method introduces a continuous-wave light beam into the cavity using an off-axis cavity alignment geometry to systematically eliminate the resonances commonly associated with optical cavities, while preserving the absorption signal amplifying properties of such cavities. This reduces the complexity of the apparatus considerably compared with other optical cavity-based absorption methods when applied in conjunction with either cavity ringdown spectroscopy or integrated cavity output spectroscopy. This method can also be used to characterize other optical loss processes occurring within the cavity such as scattering or total extinction coefficients, and to determine the losses due to the cavity mirrors themselves (reflectometry).

Abstract: A digital counter that uses non-volatile memories as storage cells, wherein the storage cells are sub-divided into two groups, one for the implementation of a rotary counter that keeps track of the less significant part of the count and a binary counter that keeps track of the more significant part of the count. The rotary counter implements a counting method that maximizes the count that can be obtained before the endurance limit of the memory is reached by making sure that each change of state of each cell is recorded as one count and that all cells in the rotary counter experience two change of state in every cycle. The binary counter records the number of cycles the rotary counter has gone through.

Abstract: A fully self-sufficient configurable spare gate cell that has two types of inputs: a functional input bus and an equation input bus, whereby the spare gate cell can be transformed into any sum of product operator by the assertion of certain signals to the equation input bus. In a spare state, the functional input buses are connected to an area of pre-defined logic where the need for bug fixes are high. Thus, the spare cell would be automatically placed close to the bug-fix area during the place-and-route phase of chip design, thereby reducing the need to look for routing channels.

Abstract: An apparatus for filling and cleaning channels and inlet ports of a microchip substrate is disclosed. A device of the apparatus comprising an array of tubes is inserted into each of the inlet ports of the microchip. The array of tubes of the device comprises a plurality of pressure tubes, surrounded by a plurality of vacuum tubes. In conjunction with this, pressurized solutions such as matrix or wash are introduced into common openings on the microchip that provide a passage to microchannels of the microchip with the use of pressure tip injectors of the apparatus. As matrix or wash solutions are pumped through the common openings and microchannels of the microchip substrate, wash solutions are pumped through the plurality of pressure tubes and everything is vacuumed through the plurality of vacuum tubes surrounding the plurality of pressure tubes. Various reservoirs of solutions are selected and allowed to flow by proper valve actuation.

Abstract: A roof-screen system for supporting a roof screen on a roof, comprises a plurality of frame elements of round galvanized steel tubing configured as separate frames. The frames have a front element, a bottom element, and a diagonal brace element. A plurality of base supports are secured to the frame elements and sleeve connectors, including a base connector, an end connector, and a field connector which secure the frame elements together and to the base. A plurality of support elements are used for supporting the face panels to the front element of the separate frames.

Abstract: A multiport valve comprising a casing having at least one fluid inlet port and at least one fluid outlet port, a seal disposed adjacent to each outlet port, a cylinder disposed within a central opening in the casing and having an axial channel with a channel surface and at least one depression within the channel and balls biased toward the cylinder and away from each outlet port. Rotating the cylinder such that the depression aligns with the ball forces the biased ball into the depression and away from the seal opening the outlet port allowing for fluid flow therethrough and rotating the cylinder such that the depression is misaligned with respect to the depression causes the channel surface to overcome the bias and force the ball against the seal thus closing the outlet port. The multiport valve may include a bearing assembly disposed between the valve casing and cylinder and a ball biasing member angled to point towards the cylinder and bearing assembly, providing for ease in rotation of the cylinder.

Abstract: A method for joining metal parts in which an aluminum rich surface is produced on a first metal part by selective removal of the beryllium component of a beryllium-aluminum alloy, as by said etching. The aluminum rich surface may then be joined to another aluminum rich surface by a brazing.

Abstract: A bandgap voltage reference circuit that utilize a two-stage transconductance amplifier as a feedback control loop to improve the accuracy and stability of the output reference voltage without the need for an additional biasing circuit. The high gain provides a good power-supply rejection ratio, and improves the circuit performance. The amplifier does not require a biasing circuit, thus saving valuable chip space. Furthermore, eliminating the need for a biasing circuit reduces the power consumption of the circuit.

Abstract: A device to aid in firing a projectile firing device is disclosed. The device includes a hands-free switch which signals a firing mechanism to fire the projectile firing device.

Abstract: A test circuit aids in accurately measuring the input pin to output pin signal propagation speed through an integrated circuit by providing a D flip-flop in the signal path near the output pad to register the arrival of a test signal transition. The flip-flop is clocked at various clock frequencies. At the high frequencies, test signal transitions applied at the input pad coincident with a clock transition having not arrived at the output pad in time to be registered at the next clock transition. At lower clock frequencies, the test transition has time to propagate through the integrated circuit and thus will be registered by the flip-flop. By successively lowering the clock frequency and sending test signals through the circuit, one-half of that clock period that just registers the test signal transition corresponds to the input-to-output delay time being measured.

Abstract: A data compression device that serves the purpose of receiving large numbers of bits from inside a microcontroller or device under test which are fed to the data compression device featuring a content addressable memory and associated comparators that will recognize recurring digital data patterns. Each recognized large bit pattern will translate to a small bit numeric value that is output on an encoder output trace port. The trace port refers to the actual physical pins on the outside of the compression device that will be connected to the emulation or tracing instrument recording the sequence of patterns coming out from these very few pins.

Abstract: A method and a lock detector circuit for phase-locked loop for detecting lock between reference signal and a feedback signal in two phases: lock detection phase and lock assertion phase. The detector circuit comprises delay circuits coupled to a first, a second D flip flops, an OR logic gate, and an AND gate. In the lock detection, the lock detector circuit compares the phases of the reference input clock with the feedback clock. If the phases of these clocks are different or not within a window of tolerance, the sample clock outputs of the first and second D flip flops are different. This condition causes the logic gate to issue a reset signal to the divide-by-64 counters. As such, the lock detection signal is low, indicating the PLL is not in lock condition. In the lock assertion phase, if the two phases are the same or within the window of tolerance, the sample clock outputs of the first and second D flip flops are the same or both low at the same time.

Abstract: A method and system for decompressing a program word that is subsequently delivered to a processor for execution. Program word fields are compressed based on regularities between operations and operands. The resulting microcode, which describes the trajectory of the program, is stored in program memory and fed to dynamic program decompression devices, or dyprodes, which are assembled using registers and multiplexers and are driven by a clock, reset signals, and the microcode. At each cycle, the dyprodes produce an uncompressed field of the program word. The reassembled program word is then passed on to a processor for execution. The use of a dyprode system reduces program memory required to store code and reduces the size of the bus connecting a microprocessor to off-chip program memory.

Abstract: Integrated circuit device that uses tristate switching means to disconnect input/output pins from input buffers during a power down mode, thereby preventing current leakage through partially turned on MOS transistors inside input buffers. A transition detection means connected between the input/output pins and the controlling inputs of the tristate switching means monitors electronic signal at the input/output pins while the chip is in a power-down mode and turns on the tristate switching means when a signal transition is detected.

Abstract: A substrate with a plurality of microchannels is movably deployed with other movable objects that will load sample into the microchannels, stimulate molecular migration, read the results of the migration, remove and replace the substrate, and prepare for a new run. The other objects include a gripper for engaging and moving the substrate, an electrode array of fine wires suitable for fitting into the microchannels for electromigration, and a scanning detector for reading migration results. A sequence of automatic operations is established so that one substrate after another may be moved into position, loaded with sample, stimulated for molecular migration, read with a beam, and then removed and replaced with a fresh substrate.

Abstract: A redistribution metallization scheme combines solder bumps and wire bond pads in addition to existing bond pads to enhance the connectivity of a semiconductor device, especially in flip-chip applications. The fabrication method includes forming the additional bond pads during the redistribution deposition step. The metals used in the redistribution layer provide a solderable surface for solder bumping and a bondable surface for wire bonding.

Abstract: A circuit and method for expanding the pulse width of a signal based on the input signal's pulse width. A circuit generates a delay equal to the pulse width of the input signal for both a SHIFT and OUT signal, which are out of phase with each other. The delay is generated when a capacitor applies voltage to two control transistors in both the SHIFT and OUT blocks, reducing gate control in these transistors and generating a delay in the falling edge of these signals such that the pulse width of the SHIFT signal is reduced and the pulse width of the OUT signal is increased. The capacitor is charged by a transistor activated by the SHIFT signal. The pulse-doubling system is self-converging: when the SHIFT signal's pulse width is zero, the OUT signal's pulse width is doubled, and the capacitor's charging level is fixed since it is no longer charged by the transistor controlled by the SHIFT signal.