International Business Machines Corporation

Index Systems, Inc.

Gemstar Developement Corporation

Rovi Guides, Inc.

Wing P Leung

Andrew Ching Tam

Peter Michael Baumgart

Thao Anh Nguyen

Henry C Yuen

Roy J Mankovitz

Karl Arthur Flechsig

Ullal Vasant Nayak

Anthony W Wu

Timothy C O'Sullivan

Hung V Nguyen

Michael F Lee

Daniel S Kwoh

Randall T Kerth

Douglas J Krajnovich

Murlidhar V Kulkarni

Tony T Tam

A method and apparatus for exercising access control over television programs using a parental control user interface that has different functions is provided. The method requires a password to enter into a master mode for obtaining access to all the functions of the parental control user interface. Once in the master mode, the user may enter a criterion for blocking a television program from being viewed or recorded or the user can override an already blocked television program. If a user, not in the master mode, attempts to watch or record a program that meets the blocking criterion and the program does not meet the overriding criterion, a prompt is provided to the user to enter the password. Upon entering a correct password, the program is unblocked.

Apparatus and method for parental control using V-Chip plus+ and master password

A video tape indexing system in which program broadcast identification information is entered into the system for use in recording the program. When the program is recorded, the system stores indexing information in an index memory. The system monitors a broadcast channel for electronic program guide information that includes titles and usually channel, date, time and length for the titles. The system matches the channel, date, time and length information from the broadcast channel with the identification information entered for the program to be recorded. The title in the broadcast channel associated with the channel, date, time and length information is then associated with the indexing information for the program.

Video tape indexing system and method

Apparatus and method for parental control using V-chip plus+ and master password

Video medium indexing system and method

A magnetic recording disk with a glass substrate is textured by a process which creates an array of bumps in a magnetic head contact start and stop (CSS) region of the disk. The texturing process uses a laser to provide pulses of predetermined energy fluence on the glass substrate to produce a plurality of raised bumps in the substrate surface, each bump having a surface elevation controllable to within a few nanometers. The bumps are created without unwanted micro-cracking or ejection of surface material by exploiting a narrow operating region below the abrupt thermal shock fluence threshold of the glass substrate. This textured glass substrate provides the magnetic recording disk with improved stiction, wear, coatability and sensor flying height properties.

Textured data storage disk having a brittle nonmetallic substrate

A process for creating a 'distant bump array' surface texture in a magnetic recording disk for reducing stiction and the disk so textured. The texturing process uses a tightly focused diode-pumped Nd:YLF or Nd:YVO.sub.4 or other solid-state laser that is pulsed with a 0.3-90 nanosecond pulse train to produce a plurality of distantly-spaced bumps in the disk surface. The bump creation process is highly controllable, permitting repeated creation of a preselected bump profile such as a smooth dimple or one with a central protrusion useful for low stiction without close spacing or elevated 'roughness'. Some bump profiles permit texturing of the data-storage region of the disk surface for low stiction without materially affecting magnetic data storage density.

Procedure employing a diode-pumped laser for controllably texturing a

Magnetic recording disk having protrusions centered in respective

A data recording disk having at least part of the data storage surface textured according to a process for creating a 'distant bump array' surface texture for reducing stiction. The texturing process uses a tightly focused diode-pumped Nd:YLF or Nd:YVO.sub.4 or other solid-state laser that is pulsed with a 0.3-90 nanosecond pulse train to produce a plurality of distantly-spaced bumps in the disk surface. The bump profile can be selected as a smooth dimple or one with a central protrusion useful for low stiction without close spacing or elevated 'roughness'. The data-storage region of the disk surface can be textured for low stiction without materially affecting magnetic data storage density.

Magnetic recording disk having a laser-textured surface

Crater shaped bumps are made on a calibration disk which can be used for calibrating a PZT slider, the PZT slider in turn being used for detecting predetermined asperities on a production run magnetic disk. The crater shaped bumps emulate predetermined asperities of production run magnetic disks and especially asperities which are undesirable and would cause the production run disk to be discarded after testing by the PZT slider. Crater shaped bumps which emulate undesirable asperities on current production runs of magnetic disks have a diameter in the range of 10 to 25 .mu.m and a peripheral ridge with a height h.sub.r above a nominal surface of the calibration disk in the range of 75 to 120 nm. Close tolerance crater shaped bumps with this configuration can be made by impinging two or more pulses of laser energy on the same location of a calibration disk. By increasing the number of pulses the height of the peripheral ridge progressively increases. By employing multiple pulses, the height of the peripheral ridge is increased while the diameter of the crater shaped bump stays substantially constant. Further, by employing multiple pulses diameters and heights of crater shaped bumps can be produced with close tolerances within a diameter range of 5 to 20 .mu.m and a height range of 2 to 120 nm. Different arrangements of the crater shaped bumps on a calibration disk are provided for increasing the range of calibration of the PZT slider.

Calibration disk with disk bumps for calibrating PZT sliders

A method is provided for making crater shaped bumps on a magnetic disk. The crater shaped bumps have a diameter in the range of 10 to 25 .mu.m and a peripheral ridge with a height h.sub.r above a nominal surface of the calibration disk in the range of 75 to 120 nm. Close tolerance crater shaped bumps with this configuration can be made by impinging two or more pulses of laser energy on the same location of the disk. By increasing the number of pulses the height of the peripheral ridge progressively increases. By employing multiple pulses, the height of the peripheral ridge is increased while the diameter of the crater shaped bump stays substantially constant. Further, by employing multiple pulses diameters and heights of crater shaped bumps can be produced with close tolerances within a diameter range of 5 to 20 .mu.m and a height range of 2 to 120 nm.

Method of making disk bumps with laser pulses

A process for creating an array of bumps to texture a brittle nonmetallic surface, such as a glass substrate for data recording disks. The texturing process uses a laser to provide pulses of proper energy fluence to the brittle glass surface to produce a plurality of raised bumps in the surface. The bump creation is accomplished without unwanted micro-cracking or ejection of surface material by limiting the laser pulse fluence to a value in a narrow operating region discovered below the abrupt thermal shock fluence threshold for the brittle nonmetallic surface material. The process is also applicable to other brittle surface textures, such as those intended for use as 'stamping surfaces' for the contact reproduction of the negative of a surface pattern, such as an optical disk.

Process for texturing brittle glass disks

Process for texturing brittle nonmetallic surfaces

A method is provided for making a high definition, high aspect ratio amorphous carbon element, such as a slider, which carries one or more magnetic heads in a disk drive. A special gaseous environment is provided during laser etching which results in virtually no redeposition of the etched material. The result is a carbon element which has good edge definition for establishing desirable flying characteristics of a slider. In a preferred embodiment the laser etching, which is preferably implemented by an excimer laser, is performed in an gaseous environment of oxygen saturated with water vapor at a pressure above ambient. Significant improvements were also realized with nitrogen saturated with water vapor at a pressure above ambient and steam at ambient pressure. High aspect ratios were achieved, namely slope angles of 50.degree. to 60.degree..

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Arcadia, CA, United States of America

Wing P Leung