Abstract: A billing system for use in a chargeable program broadcasting is capable of reliably billing a subscriber for program reception while preventing unauthorized reception thereof. A receiving terminal includes a primary terminal 100 and a secondary terminal 150. The primary terminal 100 receives a compressed video signal and confirms by an error checker 113 thereof whether there is a transmission error and bills, by means of a billing device 114 thereof, the receiving subscriber on the basis of an error information and a program information, etc., separated from the video signal by a separation circuit 112. The compressed video data is time-axis multiplexed with a terminal identifying code and a key signal and transmitted to the secondary terminal 150. In the secondary terminal 150, a bill for the subscriber is confirmed by the terminal identifying code and the compressed data is decoded by a decoder circuit 166 thereof.

Abstract: Non self-passivating cathodic protection anode materials such as graphite and high silicon iron are treated to improve corrosion resistance. Anodically stable oxide coatings such as cobalt oxide (cobalt spinnel) or precious metal oxides are received on the underlying anode substrate. The rate of consumption of the anode material during the operation of the cathodic protection system is dramatically reduced.

Abstract: An IC card reader/writer having a body which includes an IC insertion slot and an operation display section. The body is separable into an upper cover and a lower portion. The upper cover and the lower portion are displaced from each other to form a step on the side of the body formed with the IC card insertion slot. A recessed portion recessed from the step is formed on the portion of the body having the IC card insertion slot. The surface of the upper cover is curved upwardly in a direction away from the IC card insertion slot in such a manner as to increase the thickness progressively toward the side of the body far from the IC card insertion slot, and a display section is located on the slope of the curved portion. The operating area of the IC card reader/writer is provided with function keys.

Abstract: A data processor comprising: a bus control circuit adapted to be interfaced with a synchronous DRAM which can be accessed in synchronism with a clock signal; a plurality of data processing modules coupled to said bus control circuit for producing data and addresses for accessing a memory; and a clock driver for feeding intrinsic operation clocks to said data processing modules and for feeding the clock signal for accessing said memory in synchronism with the operations of said data processing modules to be operated by the operation clock signals, to the outside.

Abstract: The pattern line width of a coil is partially widened in a predetermined dimension and wiring patterns of a coil on the surface side and a coil on the rear side are arranged so as not to be in overlapped positions. Consequently, a direct current resistance of the coil can be reduced and an adverse influence by a self resonance of the coil on a communication can be reduced.

Abstract: A balancing device (11) has a first balance pulley (20) provided in a hoisting drum (3) and a second balance pulley (40) connected to a coil spring (31). These pulleys are connected through a tension wire (50). The first balance pulley has a main pulley portion (25) for taking-up the tension wire at the beginning of a feed-out process from a fully opened position, and a zero-point return pulley portion (26) for taking-up the tension wire from halfway. The zero-point return pulley portion has an outer circumferential shape in which the tension wire passes the pulley axial center at a fully shut position. The second balance pulley (40) has a cylindrical portion (46) for feeding-out the tension wire at the beginning of the feed-out process from the fully opened position, and a conical portion (47) for feeding-out the tension wire from halfway. The conical portion has a shape in which its diameter is smaller on the cylindrical portion side.

Abstract: A tube-shaped stub (5) of an end piece (2) is inserted into ribbon tube core (1). The stub (5) has, adjacent to its free end, hook-like projections (11). This achieves secure anchoring of the end piece (2) in the core (1), even under changing climatic conditions.

Abstract: A method of solidifying a waste or soil composition containing at least one contaminant species which comprises adding to said composition binder and optionally water, mixing the binder into the waste or soil material to form a mixture thereof and simultaneously during formation of the mixture and/or subsequently after formation of the mixture, treating the mixture with sufficient carbon dioxide to achieve setting and subsequent hardening of said mixture so as to produce a solidified waste or soil composition.

Abstract: A ladder locking device used for securing ladders on truck and van racks with the ability to tighten and lock the ladder in place, providing safety and theft deterrent for the consumer. The ladder locking device includes a handle, a hook, and a locking arm assembly including a hook, and a threaded key mechanism. The hook accommodates a ladder rack. The handle can include a threaded tightening shaft which rotates through a threaded tightening shaft receiver in the locking arm assembly, moving the locking arm assembly hook against a ladder rung. The locking arm assembly can be extended to accommodate up to five ladders. A key is inserted into and rotates the threaded key mechanism, thus rotating a threaded shaft attached to the threaded key mechanism. Locking pins within the ladder locking device are then pushed downward by spring mechanisms and by the threaded shaft. The locking pins then extend through holes in the locking arm assembly, locking the locking arm assembly in place.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling a lifting magnet (12) of a materials handling machine (10) to eliminate arcing between contacts (70-80) within the magnet controller (26) as is well as is large voltage spikes. The controller (26) selectively excites the shunt field windings (66,68) of a direct current generator (22). The magnitude and direction of the current passing through the shunt field windings (66,68) is varied by the magnet controller (26) to control the magnitude and polarity of the voltage at the generator output (23). The armature (60) of the generator (22) is rotatably driven by a hydraulic motor at an essentially constant speed to minimize voltage variations at the output (23) of the generator (22). At least the drop cycle is controlled through use of a current transducer (200) that senses current flowing to the lifting magnet so that the electronic controller is able to control the flow of current to the lifting magnet based upon the sensed current in the magnet circuit.

Abstract: The envelope (6) of a light source is at least partly coated with electrochromic material (20), sandwiched between two conductive layers (21,22). A voltage applied to the electrochromic material by way of the conductive layers varies the intensity and/or color of the light from the source.

Abstract: A magnetic disk device of embedded-servo type is capable of performing dummy operation for suppressing waveform degradation of signal reproduced by magnetic heads at a high speed with high reliability. When a waveform deformation occurs in a No.0 head, a controller changes over the No.0 head to a No.1 head operating normally, whereupon a cylinder portion for which dummy operation is to be performed is sought on the basis of the servo information supplied from the No.1 head. The cylinder portion destined for the dummy write operation contains servo information at timing positions that are the same for the individual magnetic heads. When passing of the No.1 head over the cylinder portion is confirmed, the No.1 head is changed over to the No.0 head for performing dummy write operation for suppressing the waveform deformation of the reproduce signal outputted from the No.0 head. Before the timing for succeeding information, the No.1 head is restored-by issuing a head change command signal.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a microcomputer MCU adopting the general purpose register method. The microcomputer is enabled to have a small program capacity or a high program memory using efficiency and a low system cost, while enjoying the advantage of simplification of the instruction decoding as in the RISC machine having a fixed length instruction format of the prior art, by adopting a fixed length instruction format having a power of 2 but a smaller bit number than that of the maximum data word length fed to instruction execution means. And, the control of the coded division is executed by noting the code bits.

Abstract: Because the whole image of a retrieved document group cannot be viewed, next retrieval request after one retrieval attempt has been determined only perceptually. Therefore, displaying a means for displaying topic words on a display means, extracting a group of words characteristically appearing in a retrieved document group on request from a user, further examining the relation between topic words, and preparing a graph using the topic words as nodes, the whole image of the retrieval results is displayed on the means for displaying topic words. Additionally, by selecting an interesting word or a word with no interest on a displayed graph of topic words, the user can design a subsequent retrieval strategy effectively.

Abstract: In a thin film magnetic disk, a micro projections are formed on a substrate in a circumferential direction. A height of the micro projections is several nm to several tens of nm and a density of the micro projections is several hundred pcs/mm to several tens of thousands of pcs/mm.sup.2. With this arrangement, a magnetic disk fulfilling a head floating characteristic of a narrow space and further fulfilling a mechanical anti-sliding characteristic such as a contact start-stops characteristic and a head stickiness and the like is provided so that high reliability is attained. In the thin film magnetic disk, a bearing ratio curve of a sectional shape measured in a radial direction of the textured substrate has a bearing ratio of 0.1 to 10% at the surface layer (a cutting height of 5 to 10 nm). In this way, a pressure receiving area under a sliding of the magnetic head is increased.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the manufacture of extremely fine powders, which are ground wet in a mechanical grinder (1) and are subsequently dried. To obtain extremely fine sizes, the powders are ground wet as components of a suspension in the mechanical grinders. An air vortex grinder (4) is used as a dryer to obtain maximum agglomeration-free drying of the powders. The dried powder leaves the drying chamber (5) of the air vortex grinder (4) through an upper product discharge (8) and is fed through a line (9) to a filter cyclone (11). The suspension leaves the mechanical grinder (1) and is blown into the drying chamber (5) of the dryer (4).

Abstract: A microcomputer that is easy to use and connected direct to such memories as dynamic and static RAM's and to other peripheral circuits. The microcomputer has strobe signal output terminals CASH*, CASL* and RAS* for direct connection to a dynamic RAM, and chip select signal output terminals CS0* through CS6* for outputting a chip select signal in parallel with the output from the strobe signal output terminals. The microcomputer further includes address output terminals for outputting a non-multiplexed or multiplexed address signal as needed, and data I/O terminals for selectively outputting the address signal to comply with a multiple-bus interface scheme.

Abstract: Description of a thermo-transfer color ribbon with (a) a carrier, (b) a layer of a first thermo-transfer color formed on one side of the carrier, containing a luminescent pigment and (c) a layer of a second thermo-transfer color formed on the first thermo-transfer color layer containing a non-luminescent pigment, whereby, where needed, additional layers may be located between the carrier and the layer of the first thermo-transfer color and/or the layer of the first and the second thermo-transfer color. Said thermo-transfer ribbon is characterized in that in the remission spectrum of the non-luminescent pigment, in the wave length range of the light emitted by the luminescent pigment there is a remission maximum or an ascending flank of remission. The thermo-ransfer ribbon furnishes print-outs of high optical density without affecting the luminesce output of the luminescent pigment.

Abstract: In an analyzing apparatus of the present invention, sample racks, in each of which a plurality of sample containers are held, are transferred from a rack feeding unit to a discrimination unit for discriminating a type of each sample container. After the discrimination unit, a plurality of analyzing units are installed along a transfer line, and pipetters of different types are provided in the respective analyzing units. The discrimination unit detects information on the length and the width of each sample container held in each sample rack by using an optical detector. A control part selects one of the analyzing units, suitable for analyzing the sample container of which type was discriminated, based on the information detected by the discrimination unit, and transfers the sample container of which type was discriminated, to a sample pipetting position in the selected analyzing unit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a suction cleaning device which provides liquid dispensing, scrubbing, squeegeeing, and suction drying in a single, compact, self contained device. The suction cleaning device includes a cleaning device housing, a handle connected to the housing, an absorbent cleaning member mounted on the housing and movable between an extended and a retracted position, and a pair of squeegee blades. The squeegee blades are mounted in a squeegee tray, and at least one of the squeegee blades is movable between an extended and a retracted position in response to changes in the relative angle between the housing and the surface being cleaned. The movable squeegee blade is spring-biased into the extended position by one or more springs such as leaf springs. The device includes a suction system which draws the water from the floor surface which has been cleaned into a tank mounted on the housing which collects the liquid from the floor surface.