1. A method for enabling instruction of a computer to perform tasks, the method including the steps of:
providing a user with at least one form printable on a surface to provide one or more first viewable information zones relating to one or more available commands and one or more second viewable information zones relating to one or more objects, the form including coded data indicative of an identity of the form and of at least one reference point of the form, the coded data comprising a plurality of substantially undifferentiated marks positioned relative to a set of predetermined nominal mark positions;
receiving, in a computer system, indicating data from a sensing device operated by the user regarding at least one of a movement and a position of the sensing device relative to the surface, at least one of the movement and the position including a stroke of part of the sensing device on or relative to said surface;
determining, in the computer system and from the indicating data, if the stroke substantially links one or more of said first viewable information zones with one or more of said second viewable information zones, and thereby interpreting the stroke as designating (i) a respective one or more of said available commands and (ii) a respective one or more of said objects; and
applying in the computer system the designated one or more of said available commands to the designated one or more of said objects.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each mark represents one of a plurality of coded values.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the coded value represented by a mark is at least partially determined by the position of the mark relative to the set of predetermined nominal mark positions.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined nominal mark positions are arranged relative to a plurality of nominal lines.
5. The method according to claim 4 wherein at least one pair of the lines are spaced apart from one another by a distance of less than 100 millimeters.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the marks have centers and wherein the relative spacing of the centers of at least one pair of adjacent marks is less than 12 millimeters.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein each mark has a minimum radius and a maximum radius and wherein the length of a mark’s minimum radius is greater than 40% of the length of that mark’s maximum radius.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein any 10 millimeter diameter area of the coded data indicative of the identity of the form includes sufficient information to identify the form.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein any 10 millimeter diameter area of the coded data indicative of the at least one reference point of the form includes sufficient information to identify the at least one reference point.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said indicating data regarding at least one of the movement and the position of the sensing device relative to the surface is generated by the sensing device sensing at least one of the movement and the position of the sensing device relative to the surface using at least some of the coded data.
11. The method of claim 1, including the step of identifying, in the computer system and from said indicating data, if the stroke has encircled one or more of said second viewable zones relating to one or more objects, thereby designating said one or more objects.
12. The method of claim 1, including the step of identifying, in the computer system and from said indicating data, if the stroke has intersected one or more of said second viewable zones relating to one or more objects, thereby designating said one or more objects.
13. The method of claim 12, at least one of said second viewable zones having a viewable boundary, and including the step of identifying, in the computer system and from said indicating data, if the stroke has crossed said boundary more than once, and to apply a different one or more of said available commands if such an occurrence is identified.
14. The method of claim 1, including the step of identifying, in the computer system and from the indicating data, if a user has effected the stroke to designate one or more of said second viewable zones and extend to intersect with one or more of said first viewable zones.
15. The method of claim 1 for designation of a feature of said one or more objects such that said designated one or more of the available commands is carried out with respect to that feature.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein said designated feature is a color attribute of said designated one or more objects, and the method includes the step of setting the value of said color attribute according to the designated one or more commands.
17. The method of claim 16, including the step of providing the user with a further form printable on a surface including one or more viewable information zones relating to said designated one or more of said objects, said one or more zones including representations of the designated one or more objects rendered according to the value of the color attribute.
18. A system for enabling instruction of a computer to perform tasks, the system including:
at least one form printable on a surface to provide one or more first viewable information zones relating to one or more available commands and one or more second viewable information zones relating to one or more objects, the form including coded data indicative of an identity of the form and of at least one reference point of the form, the coded data comprising a plurality of substantially undifferentiated marks positioned relative to a set of predetermined nominal mark positions;
a computer system for receiving indicating data from a sensing device operated by a user regarding at least one of a movement and a position of the sensing device relative to the surface, at least one of the movement and the position including a stroke of part of the sensing device on or relative to said surface,
the computer system adapted to determine, from the indicating data received, if the sensing device stroke substantially links one or more of said first viewable information zones with one or more of said second viewable information zones and thereby designates (i) a respective one or more of said available commands and (ii) a respective one or more of said objects one or more of said available commands,
the computer system adapted to apply the designated one or more of said available commands to the designated one or more of said objects.
19. The system according to claim 18, wherein each mark represents one of a plurality of coded values.
20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the coded value represented by a mark is at least partially determined by the position of the mark relative to the set of predetermined nominal mark positions.
21. The system according to claim 18, wherein the predetermined nominal mark positions are arranged relative to a plurality of nominal lines.
22. The system according to claim 21 wherein at least one pair of the lines are spaced apart from one another by a distance of less than 100 millimeters.
23. The system according to claim 18, wherein the marks have centers and wherein the relative spacing of the centers of at least one pair of adjacent marks is less than 12 millimeters.
24. The system according to claim 18, wherein each mark has a minimum radius and a maximum radius and wherein the length of a mark’s minimum radius is greater than 40% of the length of that mark’s maximum radius.
25. The system according to claim 18, wherein any 10 millimeter diameter area of the coded data indicative of the identity the form includes sufficient information to identify the form.
26. The system according to claim 18, wherein any 10 millimeter diameter area of the coded data indicative of the at least one reference point of the form includes sufficient information to identify the at least one reference point.
27. The system of claim 18, wherein said indicating data regarding at least one of the movement and the position of the sensing device relative to the surface is generated by the sensing device sensing at least one of the movement and the position of the sensing device relative to the surface using at least some of the coded data.
28. The system of claim 18, the computer system adapted to identify from said indicating data if the stroke has encircled one or more of said second viewable zones relating to one or more objects, thereby designating said one or more objects.
29. The system of claim 18, the computer system adapted to identify from said indicating data if the stroke has intersected one or more of said second viewable zones relating to one or more objects, thereby designating said one or more objects.
30. The system of claim 29, at least one of said second viewable zones having a viewable boundary, the computer system adapted to identify from said indicating data if the stroke has crossed said boundary more than once, and to apply a different one or more of said available commands if such an occurrence is identified.
31. The system of claim 18 including the sensing device.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A printed circuit board assembly comprising:
a substrate layer, wherein one or more solder pins are located on a rear surface of the substrate layer;
a non-conductive layer adjacent to the rear surface of the substrate layer;
a conductive layer adjacent to the non-conductive layer, wherein the conductive layer is electrically connected to a ground;
a mounting surface; and
a support layer compressed between the conductive layer and the mounting surface, wherein the support layer applies a mechanical force that presses the conductive layer towards the non-conductive layer.
2. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein:
the one or more solder pins are associated with one or more components mounted on a front surface of the substrate layer; and
the non-conductive layer comprises a non-conductive material that decomposes at temperatures associated with a fault condition at the one or more components mounted to the front surface of the substrate layer.
3. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 2, wherein decomposition of the non-conductive layer allows electrical connection between the conductive layer and the one or more solder pins, thereby grounding the one or more components.
4. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 3, wherein the mechanical force applied by the support layer assists in securing the electrical connection between the conductive layer and the one or more solder pins.
5. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 3, wherein a fault interruption circuit removes the application of power to the one or more components when the one or more components are grounded.
6. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 2, wherein decomposition of the non-conductive layers allows the solder pins to pierce through the non-conductive layer.
7. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the non-conductive layer comprises a plastic sheet.
8. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises a metallic film.
9. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the support layer comprises a foam layer compressed between the conductive layer and the mounting surface.
10. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the non-conductive layer comprises a dielectric material.
11. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the non-conductive layer comprises a material that increases in conductivity when heated to temperatures associated with fault conditions at one or more components mounted to a front surface of the substrate layer.
12. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 11, wherein the non-conductive layer increases in conductivity by becoming carbonized.
13. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board assembly is located within an appliance.
14. A printed circuit board assembly comprising:
a substrate layer supporting one or more components on a first surface and having one or more solder pins on a second surface, the one or more solder pins being associated with the one or more components;
a non-conductive layer adjacent to the second surface of the substrate layer;
a conductive layer adjacent to the non-conductive layer and connected to a ground;
a foam layer adjacent to the conductive layer; and
a mounting surface, wherein the foam layer is compressed between the mounting surface and the conductive layer so as to apply pressure to the conductive layer that influences the conductive layer towards the second surface of the substrate layer;
wherein the non-conductive layer decomposes at elevated temperatures associated with a high resistance connection, a failure of the one or more components, or an arc tracking event; and
wherein decomposition of the non-conductive layer allows electrical connection between the one or more solder pins and the conductive layer, thereby grounding the one or more components.
15. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 14, wherein:
the non-conductive layer comprises a plastic sheet; and
the conductive layer comprises a metallic film.
16. The printed circuit board assembly of claim 14, wherein decomposition of the non-conductive layer reduces the structural integrity of the non-conductive layer such that the pressure applied by the foam layer causes the one or more solder pins to pierce the non-conductive layer.
17. A printed circuit board comprising:
a substrate, the substrate having one or more conductive components embedded therein;
a non-conductive layer adjacent to the conductive components embedded in the substrate;
a conductive layer adjacent to the non-conductive layer, at least a portion of the conductive layer being conductive of electrical energy; and
a foam support layer adjacent to the conductive layer;
wherein the foam support layer is compressed so as to provide pressure forcing the conductive layer towards the non-conductive layer; and
wherein at least a portion of the non-conductive layer is formed from a material that decomposes at temperatures associated with a fault condition.
18. The printed circuit board of claim 17, wherein decomposition of the portion of the non-conductive layer allows electrical connection between the conductive components on the rear surface of the printed circuit board and the portion of the conductive layer being conductive of electrical energy.
19. The printed circuit board of claim 18, wherein the pressure provided by the foam support layer secures the electrical connection between the conductive components on the rear surface of the printed circuit board and the portion of the conductive layer being conductive of electrical energy.
20. The printed circuit board of claim 17, wherein:
the conductive layer comprises one or more ground planes or one or more ground traces; and
the conductive layer is integral to the substrate.