| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20110093888 | USER SELECTION INTERFACE FOR INTERACTIVE DIGITAL TELEVISION - A method of selecting content for display on an interactive television may involve a multilevel selection process that includes selectable hot zones, for example in corners of a graphical user interface, and a central menu area. Selection of a hot zone may cause an increase in size or extension of the zone, prompting a further selection. This may lead to a display of content items in a central menu, with the user selecting content for display from the central menu. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110093889 | USER INTERFACE FOR INTERACTIVE DIGITAL TELEVISION - A method of controlling an interactive television includes displaying a layout on the interactive television that includes one or more visual cues to prompt a user regarding an action (click action) to be taken on an input device to activate a predetermined function (click event). The visual cues may include multiple visual cues, at least one of which is a visual cue for a cursor-based action that includes positioning a cursor with an input device, and another is a visual cue for a movement-based action that includes moving the input device. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110093890 | USER CONTROL INTERFACE FOR INTERACTIVE DIGITAL TELEVISION - A method of controlling a television increasing a control function when a user-movable object is on one side of a line displayed on a layout, and decreasing the control function when the user-movable object is on the other side of the line. The method may involve movements in one, two, or three dimensions. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110166968 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACTIVATING DISPLAY DEVICE FEATURE - A display device is initially provided with a deactivated feature that may be selectively activated as needed by an end user, with notification of the activation provided to an activation service. The activation service may provide an activation code or other activation either to the display device directly, or alternatively to the end user, for use in the activation process to activate the initially-deactivated feature. As another alternative the activation service may receive notification after the activation, or during the activation process, without necessarily providing any activation code or other key. The activation service may make use of the activation notification, such as for marketing purposes of determination of licensing fees due in connection with the initially-deactivated feature. The registration code may be used to create an activation code used for activating the initially-deactivated feature. | 07-07-2011 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20090168213 | VERIFICATION OF A GROUND CONNECTION FABRICATION PROCESS FOR ESD RESISTORS IN MAGNETIC HEADS - Test methods and components are disclosed for testing the quality of the ground connection fabrication process for ESD shunt resistors in magnetic heads. A wafer is populated with one or more test components along with magnetic heads. The test components are fabricated with ESD shunt resistor ground connections created by the same or similar process used to fabricate the ESD shunt resistor ground connections in magnetic heads on the wafer. The resistance of the test component ground connections may then be measured in order to determine the quality of the ground connections formed by the fabrication process. The quality of the ground connection fabrication process may then be determined based on the measured resistance of the test components. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20090168214 | VERIFICATION OF A FABRICATION PROCESS USED TO FORM READ ELEMENTS IN MAGNETIC HEADS - Test methods and components are disclosed for testing the quality of a fabrication process used to form read elements in magnetic heads. A wafer is populated with one or more test components along with magnetic heads. The test components are formed by the same or similar fabrication processes as the read elements, but do not include a conductive MR sensor between the test leads. By measuring the resistance of the test components, the formation of parasitic shunts can be identified in the test components, which may indicate the formation of parasitic shunts in the read elements. Thus, the quality of the fabrication process in forming read elements in magnetic head may be determined. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20090168217 | Test-device system for independent characterization of sensor-width and sensor-stripe-height definition processses - A test-device system and method for deconvoluting measurements of effects of a sensor-width definition process from measurements of effects of a sensor-stripe-height-definition process in a manufacture of a magnetic sensor. The test-device system comprises a first test device for generating data to characterize a sensor-width-definition process. The test-device system also comprises a second test device for generating data to characterize a sensor-stripe-height-definition process. The test-device system allows independent characterization of a sensor-width parameter and a sensor-stripe-height parameter. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20090168253 | METHOD OF MAKING A MAGNETORESISTIVE READER STRUCTURE - A method of making a magnetoresistive sensor includes defining a track width of a magnetoresistive element stack of the sensor. Further, processes of the method enable depositing of hard magnetic bias material on each side of the stack. These processes may permit both milling of excess depositions of the material outside of regions where the hard magnetic bias material is desired via use of a photoresist and making the material have a planar surface via chemical mechanical polishing, which also removes the material on top of the stack. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20090296285 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR USING RESISTIVITY OF SENSOR FILM IN AN ELEMENT SHUNT - A system in one approach includes a sensor stack formed of a plurality of thin film layers; a shunt formed of at least some of the same layers as the sensor stack, the shunt being spaced from the sensor stack; a first lead coupled to the sensor stack and the shunt; and a second lead coupled to the sensor stack and the shunt. A method in one embodiment includes forming a plurality of thin film layers; removing a portion of the thin film layers for defining at least a portion of a sensor stack and at least a portion of a shunt spaced front the sensor stack; forming a first lead coupled to the at least a portion of the sensor stack and the at least a portion of the shunt and a second lead coupled to the at least a portion of the sensor stack and the at least a portion of the shunt. Additional systems and methods are also presented. | 12-03-2009 |
| 20100073826 | MAGNETIC HEAD HAVING REDUCED COST ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE SHUNT - A method for manufacturing a magnetic head with an electrostatic discharge resistor for preventing electrostatic discharge damage to magnetic head. The electrostatic discharge resistor is formed by a processes that saves manufacturing time and cost by forming resistor in the same deposition and patterning steps used to form the magnetoresistive sensor. However, the resistor includes only a portion of the layers used to form the magnetoresistive sensor, thereby ensuring that the resistor will have sufficient resistivity. | 03-25-2010 |