Bell Telephone Laboratories

At&t Bell Laboratories

Other

Harold G Alles

Peter Steve Kubik

Tommy Kinming Eng

A cursor control system and method for moving a cursor on a computer screen in response to movement of a ring over a keyboard. A ring contains a transmitter circuit which is activated by a switch positioned on the ring. A signal generated by the transmitter circuit is transmitted to a receiver attached to a computer keyboard. The receiver detects motion of the transmitter circuit over the keyboard and, in response, generates signals which are used to control the movement of the cursor on the computer screen.

Cursor control system

In a sort circuit comprised of m sort stages, the sort stages perform respective sorts, in parallel, on each input word as it is received. In particular, in the j.sup.th one of the stages, j=1,2, . . . m, a bit is associated with each different possible pattern of the values of the D.sub.j highest-order digits in the input word, D.sub.1 &gt;D.sub.2 &gt; . . . D.sub.m. As each input word is received, the values of its D.sub.j higher-order digits are examined and the associated bit is set. During output processing, the j.sup.th stage of the sort circuit receives from the (j+1).sup.st stage a D.sub.j+1 -digit pattern representing the D.sub.j+1 highest-order digits of a word or words previously input to the sort circuit. The D.sub.j+1 -digit pattern is used to identify the bits within the j.sup.th stage associated with the D.sub.j -digit patterns whose D.sub.j+1 highest-order digits match the input pattern. The bits thus identified are processed within the j.sup.th stage using priority logic circuitry so as to provide the D.sub.j -digit patterns associated with the ones of the identified bits which are set. These D.sub.j -digit patterns are provided to the (j-1).sup.st stage as its input digit pattern or, in the case of j=1, to the utilizing system. When the j.sup.th stage has processed all of the bits identified in response to a particular D.sub.j+1 -digit pattern, it requests a new pattern from the (j+1).sup.st stage.

Sort circuit and method using multiple parallel sorts of the sorted items

There is disclosed a tactile sensor comprised of a compliant overlay having a surface of spatially dispersed semi-spherical domes in registration with sequentially pulsed signal means, such as light emitting diodes. The domes adaptively collapse upon the application of pressure applied to the opposite surface of the overlay entrapping signals by reflection between the overlay surfaces. The entrapped signals migrate by reflection to the edges of the overlay for reception by photodetectors. The output from the photodetectors is then processed for determining the magnitude, location and profile of the pressure applied across the overlay. A feedback arrangement is also provided for controlling the magnitude of the externally applied pressure.

Pressure and optical sensitive device with deformable protrusions

A touch sensitive device is arranged with substantially parallel surfaces inside which light from a synchronized source, such as a CRT, can become trapped by total internal reflection. The screen is fitted with photodetectors which respond to the entrapment of light within the surfaces. The device is compliant so that a touch of the device at a particular point will cause an inward deflection of the surface at that point. The deflection causes light to become entrapped within the surface by total internal reflection thus making it possible, by comparing the photodetector output with the CRT raster position, to determine the exact surface position of the touch.

Deformable touch sensitive surface

A peripheral processor (13) and associated memory (21) cooperate with a main processor (10) in a data processing system to provide for the main processor multiple parallel timing channels (7) for timing functions of various durations in an extensive range of duration magnitudes. The main processor initiates the timing of an event by interrupting the peripheral processor to specify a device and the duration of its function to be timed for each such function as the need for each timing operation arises. The peripheral processor administers all of the timing channels are queues (8) time-outs as they occur and pending notification of the main processor of the time-out by an interrupt request. Such interrupt requests are generated in a predetermined order with respect to factors such as the order of occurrence of the time-out and the relative interrupt priority of the timed function.

Peripheral processor multifunction timer for data processing systems

A character applying device which is controlled by a separate signal processor can be manually moved across a writing surface while the characters are being applied. A single-tipped marking instrument is moved with a prescribed motion parallel to the surface as the device is moved across the surface to create a relatively dense array of line patterns. Simultaneously, received control signals cause the tip to move in and out of contact with the surface for, in effect, masking the array to produce characters represented by those signals.

Electric-signal controlled hand-held printer

Linearly binary-coded digital control signals representing specific time segments of musical sounds are used in part to control stepped ramp signal generators in a digital synthesizer which runs continuously on a fixed program. The ramp signals are used to control amplitude and frequency parameters of multiple digital oscillators that produce respective constituent tones of the musical sound segments. The synthesizer is operable in response to time-multiplexed digital control signals for multiple musical voices, one voice portion of which is also being computed in real time for multiplexing with previously computed and stored digital control signals for other voices. The indicated computations are effected by known techniques on a commercially available computer to translate performer-actuated transducer output signals, designating notes of a composition, into the aforementioned binary-coded digital control signals.

Real time digital sound synthesizer

At least one movable device is mechanically coupled to a coupling device which moves in response to the motion of the movable device. The coupling device moves in a path which closely parallels the path of a time-varying, propagating electric field. Upon interception of the electric field with the coupling device, a signal is transferred through the coupling device by capacitive coupling with the field to an input of a detector. The signal is detected by circuitry which generates a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal corresponding to the period of time between the initiation of the propagation of the electric field and the moment of interception. Circuitry is provided to generate pulse code modulated (PCM) signals responsive to the position location of up to 2.sup.n movable devices.

Multidevice position digital encoder

A data throttling arrangement is advantageously incorporated in a pulse width modulated (PWM) to pulse code modulated (PCM) signal converter for controlling the output rate of the PCM data stream. PWM data is converted to PCM data and stored in a memory. New PCM data is received and compared with the stored PCM data. The difference between the stored and the new PCM data is compared to a preselected threshold value. If the difference between the new and stored data is greater than the threshold value, the new PCM data is permitted to output; otherwise, the new data is disregarded as redundant or insignificant. Circuitry is provided to adjust the values of incoming PCM data by comparing it to predetermined zero offset values. Additional circuitry is provided to permit adjustment of the preselected threshold values in response to the rate of the PCM output data stream.

PCM data throttle

Multibit digital signals, being telephone call signal samples from different simultaneous call connections and coded in an ordered coding system, are stored in different locations of a first buffer store. The respective signals are coupled through a stored program controlled switching processor to randomly selectable locations of a second buffer store for transmission to corresponding respective different call destinations. A register is provided in the switching processor for temporarily storing each signal as it is coupled through the processor. Also included in the processor is the capability for additional selectable processing of those coupled signals en route.

Growing community of inventors

Bridgewater, NJ, United States of America

Harold G Alles