Abstract: The present disclosure includes a mining system which comprises ore, waste, and a reservoir which comprises a portion of said waste through which air can flow with low resistance for storing thermal energy from a tempered air source and supplying it to a tempered air consumer, and connections for tempered air flow between said tempered air source and said reservoir and between said tempered air consumer and said reservoir. Note: As used herein, “tempered air” means air of a temperature sufficiently high to heat, or low to cool, an object to a desired temperature. For example, in a house, the furnace is a source of tempered air for heating in winter, the air conditioner a source of tempered air for cooling in summer, and the house is a consumer of tempered air.

Abstract: An improved touchpad and measurement circuitry for enabling input to a computer or other electronic device. The system includes an X electrode, a Y electrode, a common sensing electrode, and a “water” electrode, wherein these four separate electrodes can be implemented in various physical configurations to obtain the desired effects, wherein moisture and water droplets can be identified and compensated for so as not to interfere with the input of data, wherein noise rejection is achieved by using a time aperture filtering method, wherein an improved scanning technique focuses scanning around an identified input object, wherein an adaptive motion filter responds to the speed and acceleration of an object being tracked, and wherein the measurement circuitry has an increased dynamic range enabling the touchpad to operate with greater tolerances to manufacturing variances.

Abstract: A zero-drift analog memory (ZDAM) cell that indefinitely maintains an output signal at a discrete voltage while the memory circuit is powered, wherein the memory circuit receives an input signal, passes the input signal to a storage element upon receiving an assertion signal, maintains an output signal at a level of the input signal when the assertion signal is removed, and utilizes a zero-drift transfer function feedback loop on the output signal to maintain the output signal. A memory array including a plurality of ZDAM cells and method of operation are also disclosed.

Abstract: An improved touchpad and measurement circuitry for enabling input to a computer or other electronic device. The system includes an X electrode, a Y electrode, a common sensing electrode, and a “water” electrode, wherein these four separate electrodes can be implemented in various physical configurations to obtain the desired effects, wherein moisture and water droplets can be identified and compensated for so as not to interfere with the input of data, wherein noise rejection is achieved by using a time aperture filtering method, wherein an improved scanning technique focuses scanning around an. identified input object, wherein an adaptive motion filter responds to the speed and acceleration of an object-being tracked, and wherein the measurement circuitry has an increased dynamic range enabling the touchpad to operate with greater tolerances to manufacturing variances.

Abstract: An improved touchpad and measurement circuitry for enabling input to a computer or other electronic device. The system includes an X electrode, a Y electrode, a common sensing electrode, and a “water” electrode, wherein these four separate electrodes can be implemented in various physical configurations to obtain the desired effects, wherein moisture and water droplets can be identified and compensated for so as not to interfere with the input of data, wherein noise rejection is achieved by using a time aperture filtering method, wherein an improved scanning technique focuses scanning around an identified input object, wherein an adaptive motion filter responds to the speed and acceleration of an object being tracked, and wherein the measurement circuitry has an increased dynamic range enabling the touchpad to operate with greater tolerances to manufacturing variances.

Abstract: An improved touchpad and measurement circuitry for enabling input to a computer or other electronic device. The system includes an X electrode, a Y electrode, a common sensing electrode, and a “water” electrode, wherein these four separate electrodes can be implemented in various physical configurations to obtain the desired effects, wherein moisture and water droplets can be identified and compensated for so as not to interfere with the input of data, wherein noise rejection is achieved by using a time aperture filtering method, wherein an improved scanning technique focuses scanning around an identified input object, wherein an adaptive motion filter responds to the speed and acceleration of an object being tracked, and wherein the measurement circuitry has an increased dynamic range enabling the touchpad to operate with greater tolerances to manufacturing variances.

Abstract: An improved touchpad and measurement circuitry for enabling input to a computer or other electronic device. The system includes an X electrode, a Y electrode, a common sensing electrode, and a “water” electrode, wherein these four separate electrodes can be implemented in various physical configurations to obtain the desired effects, wherein moisture and water droplets can be identified and compensated for so as not to interfere with the input of data, wherein noise rejection is achieved by using a time aperture filtering method, wherein an improved scanning technique focuses scanning around an identified input object, wherein an adaptive motion filter responds to the speed and acceleration of an object being tracked, and wherein the measurement circuitry has an increased dynamic range enabling the touchpad to operate with greater tolerances to manufacturing variances.

Abstract: A touchpad formed from the combination of a flexible and non-conductive material used for a touch-sensitive surface, and a PC board on which is mounted the touchpad circuitry, wherein touchpad sensing electrodes are disposed on the touch-sensitive surface by creating electrical traces formed from conductive ink, the touch-sensitive surface being capable of conforming to various arcuate surfaces, and being capable of sensing through a protective housing such that the touch-sensitive surface is protected, and does not come in direct contact with the pointing object.

Abstract: A touchpad wherein the user moves a pointing object on a touchpad in an arcuate motion having a large diameter to thereby provide coarse input resolution, and moves the pointing object in a small diameter to provide fine input resolution, and wherein a direction of circular movement, either clockwise or counter clockwise, determines if an input value is increasing or decreasing.

Abstract: A system for entering characters from a large character set into a small and portable information appliance such as a mobile telephone, wherein the information appliance includes a touchpad having a touch-sensitive surface, wherein the touchpad is used to enter alphanumerical data into the information appliance, wherein the characters can come from small or large character sets, and wherein characters are entered by providing a plurality of character groups, each group having a head character assigned to a specific region, and selecting a head character enables the user to cycle forwards or backwards through each of the characters within the selected character group, and selecting the desired character by raising a finger from off the touchpad surface when the desired character is found.

Abstract: A system for influencing a web consumer to keep a branded computer input device that has a hardwired or preprogrammable switch that directs the web consumer to a specific web site that is operated by the sponsor of the computer input device, thereby influencing the web consumer to continue to access the web site of the sponsor when the owner is seeking goods or services provided by the sponsor, and wherein the computer input device can provide any combination of web navigation, computer input ports, enabling of e-commerce, voice-over-IP telephonic communication, and audio reproduction.

Abstract: A system for entering characters from a large character set into a small and portable information appliance such as a mobile telephone, wherein the information appliance includes a touchpad having a touch-sensitive surface, wherein the touchpad is used to enter alphanumerical data into the information appliance, wherein the characters can come from small or large character sets, and wherein characters are entered by providing a plurality of character groups, each group having a head character assigned to a specific region, and selecting a head character enables the user to cycle forwards or backwards through each of the characters within the selected character group, and selecting the desired character by raising a finger from off the touchpad surface when the desired character is found.

Abstract: A touchpad formed from the combination of a flexible and non-conductive material used for a touch-sensitive surface, and a PC board on which is mounted the touchpad circuitry, wherein touchpad sensing electrodes are disposed on the touch-sensitive surface by creating electrical traces formed from conductive ink, the touch-sensitive surface being capable of conforming to various arcuate surfaces, and being capable of sensing through a protective housing such that the touch-sensitive surface is protected, and does not come in direct contact with the pointing object.