Abstract: An n bit D/A decoder is formed using P-type and N-type transistor switches, instead of convention CMOS switches. Each P-type and N-type switch may be formed of fewer transistors than those used to form a CMOS switch, thereby reducing the overall transistor count. The decoder may be used to decode digital values to non-linear GAMMA corrected analog output voltages.

Abstract: The invention described herein includes a system, method, and computer program product for adding functionality to an application program. The invention includes a tool which can be used in conjunction with any of a plurality of application programs. The tool can be represented to a user by a tool icon on a desktop. After creating or opening a file or other object with an application program, the user can drag and drop a tool icon representing the tool into the application window. This allows the tool program to operate on the object. A windowing system event handler receives information from a user interface regarding the dragging and dropping of the tool icon. The fact that the tool icon has been dragged and dropped into the application window is reported by the windowing system event handler to a base module. The base module mediates communication between the tool program and the application program.

Abstract: To operate a computer, a first graphical user interface of a server application is displayed in a first display region, which has user interface elements for presenting output from the server application and receiving runtime user input to the server application. A second display region is also provided, in which graphical user interfaces are provided. The second display region has a defined location and may be a sidebar. In response to user interaction with the first graphical user interface, a first user interface element is selected from the first graphical user interface. The first user interface element presents a type of output from the server application or receiving a type of input to the server application. Further, a client application is configured to display a second graphical user interface in the second display region, such that the second graphical user interface includes a second user interface element corresponding to the first user interface element.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus that use electrostatic and/or electromagnetic fields to enhance the process of spray forming preforms or powders. The present invention also describes methods and apparatus for atomization and heat transfer with non-equilibrium plasmas. The present invention is also directed to articles, particularly for use in gas turbine engines, produced by the methods of the invention.

Abstract: In accordance with a specific aspect of the present invention, a compressed video stream, such as an MPEG-2 video stream, is received by a transport demultiplexor, synchronized, parsed into separate packet types, and written to buffer locations external the demultiplexor. Adaptation field is handled by a separate parser. In addition, primary elementary stream data can be handled by separate primary elementary stream parsers based upon the packet identifier of the primary elementary stream. Video packets can be parsed based upon stream identifier values. Specific packets of data are stored in one or more system memory or video memory buffers by an output controller based upon allocation table information. Private data associated with specific elementary streams or packet adaptation fields are repacketized, and written to an output buffer location. In specific implementations, the hardware associated with the system is used to acquire the data stream without any knowledge of the specific protocol of the stream.

Abstract: An integrated circuit package includes an encapsulant retention structure located adjacent to a die on a substrate. The structure allows for the placement and retention of a larger quantity of encapsulant to seep under the die. The retention structure placed on the substrate may also serve as a substrate stiffener to maintain mechanical properties of the substrate, allowing use of a more desirable thinner substrate. In one embodiment, the use of openings and recesses in a stiffener allows passive electronic components to maintain mechanical properties when a thinner substrate is used. The use of either a retention wall or a stiffener allows for the manufacture of these integrated circuit package using strip, matrix, where a larger strip with a plurality of integrated circuit packages is produced industrially and then singulated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for independent video and graphics scaling in a video graphics system is accomplished by receiving a video data stream, wherein the video data stream includes video data in a first format. A graphics data stream is also received, and the graphics data stream includes graphics data in a second format. The video data of the video data stream is scaled based on a ratio between the first format and a selected video format to produce a scaled video stream. Similarly, the graphics data of the graphics data stream is scaled based on a ratio between the second format and a selected graphics format in order to produce a scaled graphics stream. The scaled video stream and the scaled graphics stream are then merged to produce a video graphics output stream.

Abstract: In accordance with a specific aspect of the present disclosure, a compressed video stream, such as an MPEG-2 video stream, is received by a transport demultiplexor, synchronized, parsed into separate packet types, and written to buffer locations external the demultiplexor. In addition, primary elementary stream data can be handled by separate primary elementary stream parsers based upon the packet identifier of the primary elementary stream. Video packets can be parsed based upon stream identifier values. Specific packets of data are stored in one or more system memory or video memory buffers by an output controller based upon allocation table information. Private data associated with specific elementary streams or packet adaptation fields are repacketized and written to an output buffer location.

Abstract: A thermal management device for a circuit substrate having at least a first heat generating component and at least a second heat generating component, the thermal management device includes a first thermal spreader and a second thermal spreader. The second thermal spreader is mountable to the circuit substrate to thermally couple with the second heat generating component. Additionally, the second thermal spreader is adapted to couple to the first thermal spreader to thermally couple the first thermal spreader to the first heat generating component when the second thermal spreader is mounted to the circuit substrate. The thermal management device also includes a bias device that is coupled to the first thermal spreader and the second thermal spreader and is adapted to maintain the thermal coupling between the first thermal spreader and the first heat generating component when the second thermal spreader is mounted to the circuit substrate.

Abstract: A digital data transmitting device is disclosed having differential signaling circuitry, a current source controller and a pair of transistor-implemented current sources is disclosed. The current source controller generates a current source control signal based on a detected mode of operation of the differential signaling circuitry. The pair of transistor-implemented current sources selectively generate source currents to adjust the output voltage levels as the differential output terminals in response to the current source control signal. The digital data transmitting device may also include a current bulk biasing circuit that generates a current source bulk biasing signal such that when the differential signaling circuitry is in one mode of operation, the current source bulk biasing signal retards currents leakage across the pair of transistor-implemented current sources.

Abstract: A direct access driver solves limitations of DirectX operation under the Microsoft architecture when using multiple monitors. The direct access driver allows applications employing DirectX application program interfaces to use hardware acceleration without display errors on the monitors. Display errors can occur if multiple frame buffer addresses are returned in response to “GetFrameBufferAddress” DirectX calls. A single address is returned for two or more frame buffers on a display driver card by performing, without the DirectX application's knowledge, background operations that track hardware acceleration demands from two or more graphic user interfaces and frame buffers. The background operations entail constantly changing the frame buffer pointers relative to the location of offscreen DirectX application data, while one or more DirectX applications are moved in the display space from monitor to monitor.

Abstract: A single-axis receiver processes, for example, a complex vestigial sideband (VSB) modulated signal with an equalizer accounting for DC offset within the modulated signal. The DC offset embedded in a received signal may degrade the process of equalization. The equalizer includes a method of blind estimation of the DC offset for removing the DC offset. The estimate is generated by jointly minimizing a Constant Modulus (CM) cost function over equalizer parameters and a DC offset estimate. An arbitrary DC offset the CM cost function admits local spurious minima in terms of the equalizer function. If the DC offset at the receiver is equal to the DC offset inserted at the transmitter, which is equivalent to neglecting the ISI caused by the channel, then only half of the CM equalizer minima remain unchanged.

Abstract: A device, suitable for playback of content, identifies components, installed on the device, to be used during playback of the content. Additionally, the device obtains a list of revoked components, which it compares with the identified device components. If one or more of the device components matches one or more entries in the list of revoked components, the identified revoked components are disabled such that they are prevented from playing back any pre-existing or future content. In a presently preferred embodiment, the device can automatically obtain an updated component corresponding to the revoked component and thereafter install the updated component so as to reinstate a secure environment. In this manner, user experiences regarding play back capabilities of devices may be improved and the overall security of the system is increased.

Abstract: An input signal is routed to a first logic one reference signal generator or alternatively routed to a second logic one reference signal generator based at least one a voltage level of the input signal. When the voltage level of the input signal is less than a threshold value, the first logic one reference signal generator selectively generates a first logic one reference signal. When the voltage level of the input signal is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the second logic one reference signal generator alternatively generates a second logic one reference signal. The first and second logic one reference signals may be used to control a first voltage scaling circuit that drives a scaled output signal having a logic one value corresponding to the voltage level of the first logic one reference signal.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for managing audio corresponding to a video stream in an audio-visual system are disclosed. The audio-visual system includes a display capable of simultaneously displaying two or more separate video streams, and sound reproducing devices intended to deliver audio to viewers. The method includes receiving an audio-video signal comprising various channels. Two or more channels are selected for viewing. The audio associated with the selected channels are identified. The viewers who want to watch the displayed channel are identified. The sound reproducing devices associated with the intended viewers are also identified. The identified audio streams are then directed to the identified sound reproducing devices such that only the viewers associated with a given channel can hear the audio associated with that channel, to the exclusion of other viewers.

Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling clock rates of circuits are provided. The systems and methods, collectively referred to as clock rate control, generate a clock rate control parameter from data of one or more fuses. The clock rate control detects any overclocked signal of received clock signals by determining a clock signal is running faster than a threshold represented by the clock rate control parameter. The clock rate control controls a circuit clock rate using a selected signal of the clock signals that is not an overclocked signal.

Abstract: A digital receiver, that may be used to receive VSB/QAM digital television signals, includes an adaptive fine carrier recovery circuit that compensates for deviations in the carrier frequency or phase. The carrier recovery circuit de-rotates a signal including phase errors. Estimations of phase errors are filtered using a filter whose gain and bandwidth are adjusted adaptively. This allows the carrier recovery circuit to track phase/frequency offset without introducing significant jitter. In one embodiment, the receiver includes a DFE, and the adaptive carrier recovery circuit mitigates instability that might be associated with the DFE.

Abstract: A variable clock control information generator receives graphics engine activity data relating to the operating level of a graphics engine, and memory activity data relating to an activity level of memory. In response, the variable clock control information generator produces graphics engine clock control information and memory clock control information with respect to each other, such that a relative difference between the graphics engine activity data and the memory activity data is within balance threshold data. Accordingly, the variable clock control information generator adapts to the varying levels of graphics engine activity and memory activity and adjusts the frequency of the graphics engine clock signal and the frequency of the memory clock signal to achieve a balanced relative activity level.

Abstract: A texture compression method is described. The method comprises splitting an original texture having a plurality of pixels into original blocks of pixels. Then, for each of the original blocks of pixels, a partition is identified that has one or more disjoint subsets of pixels whose union is the original block of pixels. The original block of pixels is further subdivided into one or more subsets according to the identified partition. Finally, each subset is independently compressed to form a compressed texture block.

Abstract: A method of packaging a plurality of semiconductor chips comprises: providing a substrate panel having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE); providing a carrier having a second CTE that is less than the first CTE; heating the substrate panel and the carrier to first and second elevated temperatures respectively; mounting the substrate panel at about the first elevated temperature to the carrier, the carrier being at said second elevated temperature, to provide a connection between the carrier and the substrate panel; and cooling the carrier and the substrate panel from the first and second elevated temperatures thereby putting the substrate panel into tension in at least one direction. A stiffener panel may be affixed to the substrate panel and heated to an elevated temperature and while the substrate panel is heated to an elevated temperature. A plurality of dies may be mounted and electrically connected to the substrate panel.