International Business Machines Corporation

Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc.

Candido C Tiberia

Richard Ronald Hall

How Tzu Lin

David Erle Houser

Benson Chan

Ashwinkumar C Bhatt

John Henry Sherman

Joseph Duane Kulesza

James J McNamara, Jr

Michael Hills

James A Veasaw

A system and method for identifying and controlling the movement of various items, e.g., suitcases, associated with respective ones of various individuals, e.g., those desiring to travel on a selected means of transportation such as an airline, railway or the like. The system includes a plurality of programmable fingerprint readers each associated with a respective one of the items, a fingerprint scanner for scanning fingerprints from each individual and associating it with one or more of the items, a CPU for receiving readings from each of the item fingerprint readers and information from the scanner, and a retrieving unit (e.g., such as one owned by the transporting party) which retrieves selected ones of the fingerprint readings stored by the CPU for comparing with also retrieved readings from the respective fingerprint readers when the traveling individual presents an item to the transporting party for travel.

Item identification control method

A method and apparatus are disclosed for aligning an array of light transmitting elements to an array of photosensitive detectors. The array is adjusted along three axes. Any element (a coupled transmitting and detecting unit of the array) can be selected as the center of rotation. Small angular correction is made about the selected element by differentially moving the array in two axes, using adjustment tools. Alignment is accomplished by performing translational movement in the horizontal X and Y axes until a signal is detected. A rotational correction about the selected element is performed by moving one of a pair of adjustment devices until maximum light intensity is achieved for the end elements. Next, the array is scanned for the weakest performing element in the array. The alignment procedure is repeated until the performance of all of the elements in the array fall within a pre-established specification range.

Fiber optic assembly

A movable spindle tool machine, such as a printed circuit board line drilling machine includes a base and a spindle mounted to the base. A magazine is mounted proximate the spindle for storing a supply of tools. A pitch independent tool changer is moveably mounted relative to the base for transferring tools from the magazine for insertion into the spindle. A tool locator is mounted in line with the spindle. The tool changer is operable to initially transfer a tool from the magazine to the tool locator to align the tool with the spindle and thereafter transfer the tool to the spindle for insertion into the spindle. The spindle is mounted to a nested outrigger guide. A positioning system can move two or more spindles simultaneously. A bit detector in a pressure foot button uses fiber optics to detect broken bits.

Variable pitch spindle line drilling machine

An electronic package contains a circuit card to which a chip carrier plate is attached via solder balls. A heat spreader plate, supporting a heat sink, is spring loaded against the semiconductor chip of the carrier plate by means of elastomeric disks disposed upon a spring retainer plate that is, itself, disposed adjacent the chip carrier plate. A plastic cover both protects and supports the heat sink and semiconductor chip. A retention latch is disposed between the cover plate and the spring retainer plate.

Electronic chip packaging

An apparatus for applying a frictionless normal or radial force to a captured member. The apparatus has a fixed fluid bearing and a preloading, axially movable fluid bearing spaced apart from the fixed fluid bearing. A captured member is positioned between the fixed fluid bearing and the movable fluid bearing. A biasing member, disposed adjacent the movable fluid bearing member, biases the movable fluid bearing member against the captured member. The fixed and movable bearings each have oppositely adjacent end surfaces that define a recess for capturing the member therein.

Substantially frictionless bearing device for supporting and testing small captured members

An apparatus for fabricating holes in a thin film has an elongated holding block for holding a column of electromagnetic driving coils. The holding block acts as a single unit, and is magnetically attached to a punch diebar. The magnetic attraction between the holding block and diebar provides easy assembly and disassembly of the parts.

Growing community of inventors

Endicott, NY, United States of America

Candido C Tiberia