The Silicon Valley Group manufactures lithography systems and optical components used in spy satellites.
Allied Devices manufactures precision motion-control components used in medical equipment, scientific instrumentation and semiconductor manufacturing.
Other manufacturers there were almost certainly involved because they provide components used in advanced phones, industry analysts said.
The commission is considering requiring testing of components used by toy handicrafters, rather than the final product itself.
All these companies have been hit hard by rapidly contracting demand for information technology products like computers and digital devices, and for the components used to build them.
"The cost of the system will vary depending upon the components used, the complexity of the installation, and the cost of local labor," he said.
QT, a closely held company based in Sunnyvale, Calif., makes optoelectronics, the components used in clock-radio displays and electronic traffic signs.
Most of the materials and chemical components used in Polaroid's instant film packs are out of production and no longer available.
But the German copyright society representing musicians and composers is already pushing for fees on hard-disk drives and other components used in copying.
Round Rock, Tex., which makes components used in the production of semiconductors, said it would close a manufacturing plant in Hamilton, Scotland, to save $2.5 million a year.
He figured that the components used by OnStar's G.P.S. unit were probably the same and resolved to put his theory to the test.
