Abstract:
A decorated ceramic floor tile is disclosed, comprising a clay tile substrate, an initial glaze layer applied to the tile substrate, and a high-fired glazed decal image applied to the tile such that the decal extends substantially at least to the edges of the initial glaze layer around the entire perimeter of the tile substrate. A ceramic floor having a substantially continuous decorative image thereon, comprising a plurality of ceramic floor tiles of the invention also is disclosed. A process for making floor tiles of the invention includes providing a clay tile substrate, bisquing the clay substrate to remove moisture from the clay, applying an initial glaze layer to the bisqued clay tile substrate, performing a first firing of the glazed tile substrate, applying a glazed decal image to the fired glazed tile such that the decal extends substantially at least to the edges of the initial glaze layer, and performing a second firing of the decaled tile such that the decal image is substantially fully bled to the periphery of the tile around the entire perimeter of the tile.
Abstract:
A sunshield comprised of a large lens assembly (32) providing protection for the face and head from solar radiation wind, snow, flying objects, caustic liquids, water, and other forces. A one piece lens (12) is comprised of a tinted transparent plastic coated with ultraviolet radiation blocking coating. Lens (12) can be comprised of optically correcting material to accommodate wearer's vision. Lens assembly (32) flips up over the front of the head to act as a visor by protecting the front of the head and shading the forehead or to enable lens assembly (32) to be out of the line of sight without removal. Lens assembly (32) can be adjusted to a comfortable distance from the wearer's face and to accommodate wearing of ordinary eyeglasses.
Abstract:
A preprocessor for conditioning interlace-scan video signals for frame based compression, includes apparatus to accept fields of interlace-scanned video and provide fields of interlace-scanned luminance and chrominance component signals. The fields of interlace-scanned luminance component are combined into respective frames of luminance signal and applied to compressor apparatus for further processing. The fields of interlace scanned chrominance components are independently processed at the field level to generate lines of chrominance values which are interstitial to the lines of the original chrominance values and at a lesser pixel and line density. The independently processed fields of interlace-scanned chrominance signals are combined into respective frames of chrominance component signals and applied to compressor circuitry for further processing. Performing the chrominance signal interpolation and subsampling at the field level tends to eliminate a majority of color distortions around moving images. Receiver apparatus is configured to perform post decompression processing to generate frame data having the original pixel and line density.
Abstract:
Apparatus for encoding/decoding a HDTV signal for e.g., terrestrial transmission includes a compression circuit responsive to high definition video source signals for providing ierarchically layered codewords CW representing compressed video data and associated codewords T, defining the types of data represented by the codewords CW. A priority selection circuit, responsive to the codewords CW and T, parses the codewords CW into high and low priority codeword sequences wherein the high and low priority codeword sequences correspond to compressed video data of relatively greater and lesser importance to image reproduction respectively. A transport processor, responsive to the high and low priority codeword sequences, forms high and low priority transport blocks of high and low priority codewords respectively. Each transport block includes a header, codewords CW and error detection check bits. The respective transport blocks are applied to an forward error check circuit for applying additional error check data. Thereafter the high and low priority data are applied to a modem wherein they quadrature amplitude modulate respective carriers for transmission.
Abstract:
A system capable of synthesizing multi-channel sound for a computer includes a sound generator for each audio channel. A circuit provides a programmable delay so that one generator produces sound in one channel that is delayed with respect to the sound in the other channel. Multiple generators may be provided in each channel with each such generator having an independently programmable delay circuit associated therewith.
Abstract:
A microprocessor embodied in an integrated circuit has a clock signal generator comprising an inverter in the integrated circuit and a frequency determining network external to the integrated circuit connected to the inverter through terminals. The clock signal generator generates a clock signal which determines the frequency of the instruction cycles of the microprocessor. The operation of the microprocessor is synchronized with a television horizontal rate signal by programming it to generate a comparison signal each time a predetermined number of instruction cycles, selected so that the comparison signal has the same nominal frequency as the horizontal rate signal have occurred. The simple wired AND gate serves as coincidence detector for the horizontal rate signal and the comparison signal and generates a pulse error signal representing the phase and frequency deviations between its two input signals. The error signal is filtered and coupled to the inverter to control the phase and frequency of the clock signal. This microprocessor synchronization arrangement is used to form characters on the screen of a picture tube without the need of an additional character generator.
Abstract:
Dual squelch circuits, the first preceding and the second following the video processor of a video disc player, are selectively activated by a control unit which receives transducer position information from the processor for calculation of disc playing time and control of the signal recovery transducer. The first squelch circuit aids in stabilizing the timebase correction servo of the video processor during the player pause operating mode. The second squelch circuit maintains video blanking during certain player transition operating modes (e.g., pause-to-play, load, etc.) while the control unit processes the position information to provide transducer control and playing time indicator signals.
Abstract:
In a phase locked loop tuning system including a phase comparator for producing a pulse type error signal representing the phase and frequency deviation between a frequency divided version of the local oscillator signal and a reference frequency signal and a mode switch for coupling the error signal to an integrator for developing a tuning voltage when a channel is initially selected and thereafter for coupling an AFT voltage to the integrator to modity the tuning voltage to correct for a frequency deviation of the IF signal, switching duty cycle control apparatus is provided for controlling the duty cycle at which the AFT voltage is coupled to the integrator in accordance with the selected channel and more particularly with its band to make the AFT response more consistent throughout the tuning range.
Abstract:
A volume control system includes means responsive to a single push button for reversing the direction of volume level change for each alternate depression of the push button. Specifically, for a first depression of the push button, the volume is continuously increased so long as the push button is held down. For a second depression of the push button, the volume is continuously decreased so long as the push button is held down. The disclosed system saves the cost of an additional push button while providing an easy-to-use system for volume level adjustment.
Abstract:
In a channel selection arrangement including scanning apparatus for causing the next channel after a presently selected channel to be selected when activated and skipping apparatus for automatically activating the scanning apparatus when the selected channel is not in a group of preferred channels, apparatus which allows a viewer to directly select a channel by the operation of a single respective switch element is provided which makes advantageous use of the scanning and skipping apparatus. Specifically, the direct channel selection apparatus includes a plurality of switch elements associated with respective decimal numbers which may be allocated to ones of the preferred channels having corresponding ordinal numbers and scan activation apparatus responsive to the operation of one of the switch elements for causing the scanning apparatus to be activated a number of times related to the decimal number associated with the operated switch.