Abstract: A capacitive touch sensor has a clear top plastic film and graphics or other designs disposed on its reverse side. Only the bare plastic substrate is exposed to the environment and user wear. Non-conductive color inks are used in printing the graphics so that any printed capacitive sensors in contact behind will not be short circuited or desensitized. A silk-screened base color layer with a print-free margin left all around its edges allows a later application of adhesive to grip a more durable surface underneath. Capacitive touch sensors are deposited on a bottom plastic film with silvered conductive inks. The printed capacitive sensors on film are fastened with a silk-screen applied liquid water-based adhesive and face the graphics printed side of the first plastic film. A final overcoat of adhesive is applied to the bare backside of the bottom plastic film for final assembly to a frame or chassis.

Abstract: A dynamically reconfigurable universal transmitter system is disclosed herein. The electronic device includes multiple transmitter resources for generating transmission signals, an output bus; and an antenna summer coupled to the output bus. The output bus is selectively coupled to the plurality of transmitter resources and it selectively receives transmission signals from the plurality of transmission resources. The antenna summer stores transmission signals received on the output bus.

Abstract: A dynamically reconfigurable universal transmitter system is disclosed herein. The electronic device includes multiple transmitter resources for generating transmission signals, an output bus; and an antenna summer coupled to the output bus. The output bus is selectively coupled to the plurality of transmitter resources and it selectively receives transmission signals from the plurality of transmission resources. The antenna summer stores transmission signals received on the output bus.

Abstract: A dynamically reconfigurable universal transmitter system is disclosed herein. The electronic device includes multiple transmitter resources for generating transmission signals, an output bus, and an antenna summer coupled to the output bus. The output bus is selectively coupled to the plurality of transmitter resources and it selectively receives transmission signals from the plurality of transmission resources. The antenna summer stores transmission signals received on the output bus.

Abstract: A method for designing a time-sliced and multi-threaded architecture comprises the steps of conducting a thorough analysis of a range of applications and building a specific processor to accommodate the range of applications. In one embodiment, the thorough analysis includes extracting real time aspects from each application, determining optimal granularity in the architecture based on the real time aspects of each application, and adjusting the optimal granularity based on acceptable context switching overhead.

Abstract: An interactive device has a plastic case for a mobile phone has graphics printed on the reverse side of a clear plastic film using non-conductive color inks. Electronic capacitive touch sensors are patterned and printed with conductive inks on a second plastic film in positions corresponding to individual graphic objects. A light guide layer is placed immediately beneath or above the pattern of printed electronic capacitive touch sensors. Diffusers on the top surface of the light guide layer catch light propagating and reflecting inside by refraction redirect it up to the user's eyes through openings in the non-conductive color ink graphics. The phone itself, a micro-controller, software, and associated electronic components mounted on a circuit board are used to control the lights sent into the light guide layer from its edges, and they control the response to touches being sensed by the touch sensors.

Abstract: A capacitive touch sensor has a clear top plastic film and graphics or other designs disposed on its reverse side. Only the bare plastic substrate is exposed to the environment and user wear. Non-conductive color inks are used in printing the graphics so that any printed capacitive sensors in contact behind will not be short circuited or desensitized. A silk-screened base color layer with a print-free margin left all around its edges allows a later application of adhesive to grip a more durable surface underneath. Capacitive touch sensors are deposited on a bottom plastic film with silvered conductive inks. The printed capacitive sensors on film are fastened with a silk-screen applied liquid water-based adhesive and face the graphics printed side of the first plastic film. A final overcoat of adhesive is applied to the bare backside of the bottom plastic film for final assembly to a frame or chassis.

Abstract: Toy design methods break down the desired behavior of an electro-mechanical toy into unique states represented with electronics and/or mechanical modeling. The toy will exist in such rest state until some external event acts to trigger a state change in one or more of the parts. Any event can be defined at an appropriate user, environmental, or sensory input to can act as a trigger for the toy to react with some predefined behavior. Each of several physical toy states can be uniquely represented with an electronic circuit register. A multi-bit register status at any one particular instant directly represents the entire state the toy is in, and is quick and simple to inspect and act on. State changes triggered by input stimuli cause a change in the register bits reflecting the changing conditions of the toy.

Abstract: A capacitive sensor comprises patterned electrodes and printed wires of conductive material integrated with sensing circuits on flexible circuit substrates. The flexible circuit substrates are fingered or otherwise elongated to distribute sensing points to the limbs in a toy doll or animal, or squares on a board game. Such sensing points can detect the presence of a finger even though actual contact is not made by measuring the proportions and changes in stray capacitance attaching to the various electrodes. Touch sensors are therefore possible even when the capacitor sensor's sensing points are covered by a doll's plastic skin or a plush animal's fur. Including an interlayer of open cell foam under the flexible circuit substrate further implements a pressure sensor because applied pressures will deform the geometries of the capacitor electrodes and dielectrics enough to produce a measurable change in capacitance.

Abstract: A toy and software application accessory extends the distinguishing play experience of a particular toy to a digital play experience on personal digital assistant, personal navigation device, or other electronic device like an iPod or iphone with an accelerometer, speaker, and a touch-sensitive display screen. The software application accessory creates a digital play experience or video game on the electronic device that presents avatars, dialog, and backgrounds that convincingly accessorize the physical toy. Wireless connectivity to a PC and the Internet allows the toy or the electronic device to download updates, modifications, and enhancements to its basic program. New personalities can be downloaded that change the toy play experience, and extend the play life of the toy by introducing new and creative play experiences. A personality accessory kit includes the new personalities, clothes, props, and other matching accessories.

Abstract: A method for processing data in a spread spectrum system, including decimating a data rate of received spread spectrum data by a decimation factor to a decimated rate; storing the received spread spectrum data into a memory at the decimated rate; interpolating the decimated rate by an interpolation factor to an interpolated rate; and reading the received spread spectrum data from the memory at the interpolated rate.

Abstract: An architecture and method for dynamic resource allocation and scheduling in a communication device is disclosed herein. The method of controlling hardware resources in a communication device having a processor, a computer readable memory, and at least one hardware resource coupled to each other includes several steps. The first step locates a memory address in the computer readable memory that is associated with a first hardware resource. In the next step, control information associated with the first memory address is transmitted to the first hardware resource for it to be operated. In the last step, a pointer associated with the first address that locates a subsequent address for a subsequent hardware resource, is read.

Abstract: A method for designing a time-sliced and multi-threaded architecture comprises the steps of conducting a thorough analysis of a range of applications and building a specific processor to accommodate the range of applications. In one embodiment, the thorough analysis includes extracting real time aspects from each application, determining optimal granularity in the architecture based on the real time aspects of each application, and adjusting the optimal granularity based on acceptable context switching overhead.

Abstract: A dynamically reconfigurable universal transmitter system is disclosed herein. The electronic device includes multiple transmitter resources for generating transmission signals, an output bus, and an antenna summer coupled to the output bus. The output bus is selectively coupled to the plurality of transmitter resources and it selectively receives transmission signals from the plurality of transmission resources. The antenna summer stores transmission signals received on the output bus.

Abstract: An apparatus for reducing storage requirements and for allowing reuse of multiple rake fingers in a spread spectrum system includes a decimation circuit having an associated decimation factor, a memory coupled to the decimation circuit, and an interpolation circuit having an interpolation factor coupled to the memory. The decimation circuit decimates the sampling rate of received data to produce a decimated rate. The received data is stored in the memory at the decimated rate. The decimated rate is later increased by the interpolation circuit by the interpolation factor when the stored data is retrieved from the memory. The memory is a circular buffer or a single port RAM that is accessible by multiple rake fingers substantially simultaneously via selector circuits.

Abstract: An architecture and method for dynamic resource allocation and scheduling in a communication device is disclosed herein. The method of controlling hardware resources in a communication device having a processor, a computer readable memory, and at least one hardware resource coupled to each other includes several steps. The first step locates a memory address in the computer readable memory that is associated with a first hardware resource. In the next step, control information associated with the first memory address is transmitted to the first hardware resource for it to be operated. In the last step, a pointer associated with the first address that locates a subsequent address for a subsequent hardware resource, is read.

Abstract: An architecture and method for dynamic resource allocation and scheduling in a communication device is disclosed herein. The method of controlling hardware resources in a communication device having a processor, a computer readable memory, and at least one hardware resource coupled to each other includes several steps. The first step locates a memory address in the computer readable memory that is associated with a first hardware resource. In the next step, control information associated with the first memory address is transmitted to the first hardware resource for it to be operated. In the last step, a pointer associated with the first address that locates a subsequent address for a subsequent hardware resource, is read.

Abstract: A rake receiver in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of this invention is configurable by an external agent (e.g., microcontroller, DSP, or state machine) to suit the particular requirements of different spread spectrum systems. In an exemplary embodiment, the receiver includes multiple fingers. Each finger includes a plurality of generic despreaders/descramblers, a plurality of generic dechannelizers coupled to the despreaders/descramblers, and at least one timing estimation controller coupled to the despreaders/descramblers. The finger also includes at least one phase estimation controller, at least one frequency estimation controller, and at least one energy estimation controller all coupled to the generic dechannelizers.

Abstract: A dynamically reconfigurable universal transmitter system is disclosed herein. The electronic device includes multiple transmitter resources for generating transmission signals, an output bus, and an antenna summer coupled to the output bus. The output bus is selectively coupled to the plurality of transmitter resources and it selectively receives transmission signals from the plurality of transmission resources. The antenna summer stores transmission signals received on the output bus.

Abstract: An apparatus for reducing storage requirements and for allowing reuse of multiple rake fingers in a spread spectrum system includes a decimation circuit having an associated decimation factor, a memory coupled to the decimation circuit, and an interpolation circuit having an interpolation factor coupled to the memory. The decimation circuit decimates the sampling rate of received data to produce a decimated rate. The received data is stored in the memory at the decimated rate. The decimated rate is later increased by the interpolation circuit by the interpolation factor when the stored data is retrieved from the memory. The memory is a circular buffer or a single port RAM that is accessible by multiple rake fingers substantially simultaneously via selector circuits.