Abstract: The invention provides novel equipment packages, principally for portable equipment such as laptop computers, which provide decoupling, damping and shock isolation of acceleration sensitive components within the packages. Two principal embodiments are disclosed. In the flexible shell embodiment, a plurality of flexible fillers are attached to a flexible shell and a plurality of objects or components are attached to the fillers. In the flexible chassis embodiment, a plurality of objects or components are mounted to the flexible chassis to form an assembly and a plurality of flexible fillers are attached to the chassis to form the complete package. One design methodology employs a decoupled simple harmonic oscillator (SHO) model to optimize the shock response behavior. A second design methodology uses a deterministic method (finite element method) to establish the parameters for the filler and shell materials.

Abstract: A method and structure for preventing damage to an electronic device. The structure includes a sensor outputting signals indicating environmental conditions experienced by the electronic device, a non-volatile memory storing ones of the signals that exceed a limit, and an output device outputting signals stored in the non-volatile memory, thereby providing a history of the environmental conditions experienced by the electronic device that exceed the limit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for calibrating a thermal response of a magnetoresistive element is provided. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a thermal spacing signal is read using an MR element spaced apart from a surface of a moving storage medium. From the thermal spacing signal a signal value and calibration value are produced. Using the signal value and the calibration value a calibrated signal value is produced. The calibrated signal value may, for example, be compared against a pre-determined threshold to detect surface defects on the storage medium.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for calibrating a thermal proximity sensor are disclosed. Thermal responses from a thermal proximity sensor are used to sense the instantaneous distance between the sensor and a medium over which the sensor is moved, in a data storage system. Sensing the instantaneous distance results in detection of topographical variations on the medium. Calibration techniques for the sensor are disclosed herein and involve, in one aspect, using primarily electrical measurements to calibrate the sensor; and in another aspect, varying the distance between the sensor and the medium, obtaining actual thermal responses from the sensor, and using the actual responses (via direct comparison or curve fitting) to calibrate the sensor. In one embodiment, the sensor is a magnetoresistive access element used to access data on the medium.

Abstract: A stylus and table X-Y data input system for a video display system. The pen includes an optical styling having a suitable pickup mechanism and the tablet is passive in nature and provides direct digitized data readout. Absolute positional information is encoded in binary form in the tablet in such a fashion that the pen position upon the tablet is automatically determinable by illuminating a particular area of the tablet and reading off the digitized X-Y coordinate data stored therein. The pen and supporting hardware/software are rotationally insensitive so that the pen may be held in any desired position comfortable to a user. The system provides greatly improved resolution, sampling rate accuracy and general robustness particularly for such applications as text recognition as well as a wide variety of other graphical input uses.

Abstract: A cutterhead assembly suitable for forming a topographic signal representative pattern in a recording media, such as a disc substrate, is constructed having a base member, a piezoelectric element and a cutting stylus. The piezoelectric element in this structure is asymmetrically assembled to the base member to reduce phase modulation of the recorded signal which would otherwise occur from the transverse motion of the stylus during the cutting operation.

Abstract: Special low inductance switchable coupling means are provided to permit selective matching of the various segments of the ultrasonic transducer.

Abstract: Detection of peak phase change at ultrasonic frequency in two mutually coherent interfering light components, one of which is obtained by reflection from a rigid reference mirror and the other of which is obtained by reflection from a spot of a flexible pellicle mirror which is insonified by an ultrasonic radiation pattern, will provide an output proportional to the displacement amplitude of vibration of the spot of the pellicle, if, as is the case, the round trip optical path to the rigid reference mirror is wiggled through an excursion greater than one-half the wavelength of the coherent light at a frequency which is much lower than the frequency of the ultrasonic radiation insonifying the pellicle and the displacement amplitude is very many times smaller than the light wavelength. By raster scanning the spot over the area of the pellicle in synchronism with the raster scanning of the electron beam of a C.R.T., and at the same time intensity modulating the electron beam of the C.R.T.