Verifone Gmbh

Poqet Computer Corp.

Fujitsu Personal Systems, Inc.

Secure Computing Corporation

Other

National Semiconductor Corporation

Verbatim Corporation

Greyhawk Systems, Inc.

Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd.

Information Terminals Corporation

Hytec Flow Systems

Poget Computer Corporation

Shinpei Ichikawa

Noah L. Anglin

John P. Fairbanks

Noah L Anglin

Stanley J Hludzinski

Peter F Cadwell

Paul R Hamerton-Kelly

Robert H Berry

Vladimir Perelman

John P Fairbanks

Robert G Garber

Harold Chen

Leroy D Harper

Krystyna Maliniak

Roy J Machamer

Nick Bacile

Stavro E Prodomou

Gary R Miracle

Ian H S Cullimore

A force/displacement touch device, this invention employs a base-planeand flexible mounting material to suspend, or 'float,' a non-rigidly mounted touch-plane, and uses sensors at each mounting pointto measure Z-axis deflection of the floating touch-plane. The system adapts existing planes in typical LCD assemblies to implement touch screens. This floating touch detection system provides an accurate, sensitive, compact and low-cost solution. It mitigates XY friction to improve detection of Z-forces. This approach provides latitude in locating sensors, allows for additional mid-plane sensors, enables greater accuracy and resolution, and adds features such as 'multi-touch' sensitivity. This touch system is defined as a unique and novel 'floating' co-planar assembly of a touch-planeto a base-plane, which uses a flexible materialor medium to define a consistent resting air gap, and then senses and measures any deflection from the co-planar resting position, using any among a broad variety of sensor types.

Floating plane touch detection system

Lens for portable computer security device

Portable computer security device

Portable computer security device that includes a clip

A highly efficient in-line fluid heater is suitable for heating ultra-pure fluids. Preferably, the heater can be used for heating various fluids, including water, as part of a 'wet bench' system used in a wafer processing fabrication facility for the semi-conductor industry. Many other uses for this in-line heater can be envisioned; e.g., water industry, gas processing, and any other use requiring an ultra-clean, highly efficient, non-contact method of raising the temperature of various liquids and gases. The preferred in-line heater utilizes one or more elongated lamps that generate IR radiation as the heating elements. A vessel is provided through which the fluid to be heated is passed. Typically, the vessel is a tube. The tube is preferably a straight single diameter tube, but can be formed in any convenient shape. For ultra-pure fluids, the vessel is formed of an inert or non-reactive material such as quartz. Preferably, the vessel is transparent to the IR radiation generated by the lamps. A chamber surrounds the lamps and the vessel. The interior surface of the chamber is made of a highly efficient reflecting material, preferably gold. The chamber is configured to have an integrally formed elongated parabolic reflector, one for each lamp to reflect radiation from the lamp toward the vessel. Each lamp is located at the focal point of its respective parabolic reflector. For systems having more than one lamp, the lamps are proportionally located around the inside periphery of the chamber. Preferably, the parabolic reflectors are sufficiently deep that radiation from one lamp cannot impinge directly onto any other lamp, thereby avoiding heating the lamps.

Efficient in-line fluid heater

Lead frames for integrated circuit packaging are partly fabricated using laser machining to form the very small diameter (0.005 to 0.010 diameter) holes in the lead frames which are later used for epoxy adhesive penetration. A high power Nd:YAG laser provides a laser beam which is moved and focused by a control unit onto the surface of a continuous stock strip in order is to drill the epoxy holes at the desired locations. A similar apparatus, but using a copper vapor laser, can trim very fine pitch (0.005 inch) leads for the lead frames. The remaining parts of the lead frames, which involve larger sized elements, are formed conventionally by using stamping or etching. By controlling the laser operating parameters in terms of laser power, pulse duration and pulse frequency and by control of the location of the laser beam by deflecting galvanometers, very precise cutting and drilling can be accomplished, with accuracy down to 0.00005 inch or less. Tooling costs are thereby reduced and in addition new types of lead frames with very closely spaced lead tips can be fabricated that cannot be fabricated using conventional processes.

Hole generation and lead forming for integrated circuit lead frames

A method for mounting a liquid crystal (LCD) display in a portable computer. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of mounting resilient shock mounts on the edges of the LCD assembly, installing the LCD assembly and shock mounts into a housing, placing a horizontal plate into the housing over the LCD assembly and shock mounts (wherein the horizontal plate covers the shock mounts), and joining the horizontal plate to the housing to form the mounting structure. The shock mounts are compressed during the joining step. The LCD assembly is supported by the forces exerted by the housing and horizontal plate against the shock mounts, and is not directly connected to the housing or the horizontal plate.

Method of mounting a liquid crystal display employing shock mounts with

Liquid crystal display mounting structure

A tray for inserting a memory card into a portable computer is described. The tray facilitates complete insertion of the memory card into the computer and optimum electrical interconnection between the memory card and the computer interior. The tray is dimensioned such that it creates a tight seal with the computer housing and provides a coplanar fit with the exterior of the computer housing. No portions of the tray or memory card protrude beyond the computer housing, thereby improving the durability, maneuverability, and compactness of the portable computer. A stop mechanism restrains the tray within the housing when the tray is opened. A memory card can easily be placed thereinto or removed therefrom when the tray is opened and yet the tray does not become separated from the computer and lost.

Memory card tray for portable computer

A point of sale terminal having a reader assembly for reading a data card having data stored on at least one data track thereon. The terminal includes a housing defining a guide slot location for the data carrier and a transducer for detecting data stored on the data track. A removable guide element is mounted to the housing at the data carrier slot location. This guide element has at least a bottom wall portion defining a bottom guide surface of a guide slot for the data card and one major side wall portion defining one side guide surface of a guide slot. An access window is formed in the major side wall portion. A mounting arrangement mounts the transducer at a prearranged location within the access window for accurate detection of data stored on the data track as the data card is manually swiped through the guide slot.

Card reader apparatus with replacable card guide

A point of sale terminal having a reader assembly for reading a data carrier having data stored on at least one data track thereon. The terminal includes a housing defining a guide slot location for the data carrier and a transducer for detecting data stored on the data track. A removable guide element is mounted to the housing at the data carrier slot location. This guide element has a read head bracket which is snap mounted thereto. A registration arrangement permits mounting of the read head bracket in two registered positions for determining which of multiple data tracks will be read by the transducer.

Card reader apparatus with replaceable card guide

A data terminal having a reader assembly for reading a data carrier having at least one data track formed thereon and having a predetermined track width. The terminal housing has a card guide slot with a read head mounted next to the slot. The bottom wall section of the card guide slot has an upper surface characterized by a downwardly tapering portion extending from an apex point substantially underneath the data pickup transducer such that a data carrier being swiped through the guide slot is more likely to maintain contact between the bottom of the card and the apex point and thus have sufficiently accurate registration between the pickup transducer and the data stripe for accurate detection of data recorded thereon.

Card reader with tapered card slot guide surface

A point of sale terminal having a reader assembly for reading a data card having data stored on at least one data track thereon. The terminal includes a housing defining a guide slot location for the data carrier and a transducer for detecting data stored on the data track. A removable guide element is mounted to the housing at the data carrier slot location. This guide element has at least a bottom wall portion defining a bottom guide surface of a guide for the data card and one major side wall portion defining one side guide surface of a guide slot. An access window is formed in the major side wall portion. A mounting arrangement mounts the transducer at a prearranged location within the access window for accurate detection of data stored on the data track as the data card is manually swiped through the guide slot.

Electronic circuit apparatus in the form of a transaction terminal and including a removable circuit component in the form of a portable memory cartridge. The terminal has a housing with a wall defining an opening for inserting the removable circuit component. A switch is mounted within the housing means substantially in the vicinity of the opening and is connected between a source of electric power and the removable circuit component to control application of power to the removable circuit component. A carrier arrangement carries the removable circuit component between a connected position within the housing and a disconnected position for removal from the housing through the opening. The carrier including a switch actuator and a cooperative interlock means. The switch actuator operates the switch to be ON and simultaneously locks the carrier within the housing. The switch actuator also functions to turn the switch OFF and simultaneously unlock the carrier for removal from the housing.

Terminal apparatus with removable memory device

A data terminal having a card reader assembly for reading a data card having at least a pair of magnetic stripes formed thereon at adjacent ones of at least three defined magnetic data track locations thereon. The terminal includes a read head having two magnetic pickup elements on a front face thereof, the pickup elements being separated by a distance corresponding generally to the distance between the separated magnetic data track locations on the data card. A housing assembly defines a card guide slot adapted to guide a data card during a manual swipe of the card through the card reader assembly. The card guide slot comprises first and second opposite side wall sections and a bottom wall section with one of the side wall sections defining an access aperture for admiting the read head into the card guide slot. A read head positioning arrengement is cooperatively associated with the card guide slot for mounting the read head in a preselected position relative to the bottom wall section of the card guide slot such that the magnetic pickup elements are positioned for detecting a prearranged set of magnetic data tracks located at one of the upper two data track locations and the lower two data track locations.

Data carrier reader apparatus for selective data track reading

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Noah L Anglin