Patents Represented by Law Firm Parkhurst, Wendel & Burr
  • Patent number: 5700929
    Abstract: A coating base for solid enteric pharmaceutical preparations having a dissolution pH ranging from 3.5 to 4.5 essentially consisting of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose trimellitate obtained by substituting water-soluble hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose having 1.1 to 1.6 methoxy group per glucose ring thereof with 0.2 to 1.0 trimellitate group per glucose ring, or obtained by substituting water-soluble hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose having 1.7 to 2.1 methoxy groups per glucose ring thereof with 0.2 to 0.5 trimellitate group per glucose ring. The coating base can be dissolved at the upper portion of the small intestine without delay and a solid enteric pharmaceutical preparation provided with a coating film of the base can completely release the drug included therein before the preparation passes through the small intestine. Therefore, the base can ensure a high pharmacological action of the drug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1997
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyasu Kokubo, Katsuyoshi Minemura
  • Patent number: 5699929
    Abstract: A garbage container including a body member for containing garbage therein, the body member having an upper opening; a lid member for closing the upper opening of the body member, the lid member having a handle provided on an upper surface thereof, the handle being gripped with a hand of a user for moving the lid member to close or open the upper opening of the body member; an engageable member which is provided on one of the body member and the lid member and which is engageable with the other of the body member and the lid member to prevent the lid member from separating from the body member; and an operable member which is operable by the user for moving or displacing the engageable member between an engaged position where the engageable member is engaged with the other of the body member and the lid member and a disengaged position where the engageable member is disengaged from the other of the body member and the lid member, the operable member being provided on, or in a vicinity of, the handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1997
    Inventor: Taiichi Ouno
  • Patent number: 5698368
    Abstract: A thermal transfer sheet is provided which can eliminate the need to use any apparatus, such as equipment for vapor deposition, and to provide any anchor layer for vapor deposition and can provide a good print having high brightness even on paper having low smoothness. The thermal transfer sheet comprises: a substrate sheet; and a hot-melt ink layer provided on at least one surface of the substrate sheet, the hot-melt layer containing a metallic powder having such a particle geometry that the shape is tabular, the diameter is from 8 to 20 .mu.m and the thickness is from 0.01 to 5 .mu.m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Obata, Nobuyuki Tominaga
  • Patent number: 5698284
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical recording medium which has excellent scratch resistance and resistance to cracking derived from warpage and bending. It comprises a card substrate; and, laminated on the card substrate, an optical recording member comprising a laminate of a transparent protective layer and an optical recording material layer, wherein a specific surface hard layer is provided on the transparent protective layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Kubota, Hachiro Saito, Seiichi Nishikawa, Tetsuo Komori
  • Patent number: 5698489
    Abstract: A thermal transfer image-receiving sheet including a substrate sheet and a colorant-receptive layer, the substrate sheet having microvoids and having been formed by extruding a composition including a polyester resin and a polyolefin resin and biaxially stretching the resultant extrudate, the number of microvoids in the section of the substrate sheet being 3.7.times.10.sup.4 to 2.2.times.10.sup.5 /mm.sup.2. Additionally, a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet including a substrate and a colorant-receptive layer, the substrate including a plastic film having microvoids, the fractal dimension of the microvoids being not less than 1.45. Further, a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet including a substrate and, provided thereon in the following order, an adhesive layer composed mainly of a hydrophilic resin, a white opaque layer and a colorant-receptive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Shirai, Kazunobu Imoto
  • Patent number: 5698471
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a composite substrate and the composite substrate manufactured thereby wherein surfaces of first and second substrates having different thermal expansion coefficients are mirror finished and layered on each other. A first heat treatment is applied after which a part of the second substrate is removed to a depth sufficient to expose the first substrate. A final second heat treatment directly bonds the substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiko Namba, Tetsuyoshi Ogura, Yoshihiro Tomita, Kazuo Eda
  • Patent number: 5698927
    Abstract: A surface acoustic wave device including a substrate made of a lithium tetraborate single crystal (Li.sub.2 B.sub.4 O.sub.7) whose cut and propagating direction are determined such that Euler cut angles (.psi., .theta., .phi.) are .psi.=+5.degree..about.-5.degree., .theta.=9.degree..about.29.degree. and 32.degree..about.86.degree. and .phi.=85.degree..about.95.degree., and an electrode structure formed on a surface of the substrate to realize a natural single-phase unidirectional transducer property together with an anisotropy of said substrate. A lithium tetraborate substrate having cut angles of (0.degree., 51.degree., 90.degree.) shows an ideal NSPUDT and a lithium tetraborate substrate having cut angles of (0.degree., 78.degree., 90.degree.) reveals a zero temperature coefficient of delay. A directionality reversed electrode structure or a directionality corrected electrode structure may be advantageously used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Tanaka, Masao Takeuchi, Kazuhiko Yamanouchi, Hiroyuki Odagawa
  • Patent number: 5698931
    Abstract: A sensor element for detecting solid particles in a fluid includes: a detecting unit including a piezoelectric film consisting essentially of a ceramic material, a first electrode coated onto at least a portion of the outer surface of the piezoelectric film, and a second electrode coated onto at least a portion of the inner surface of the piezoelectric film; a vibrating portion consisting essentially of a second ceramic material, the detecting unit being placed on the vibrating portion so that the second electrode is coated onto at least a portion of the vibrating portion; and a fixing portion for fixing the may vibrate portion so that the vibrating portion vibrates. At least one of the detecting unit and the vibrating portion contacts-with a solid particle in the fluid so that the piezoelectric film converts the vibration into an electric signal. A particle sensor includes the sensor element. The sensor element and the particle sensor are excellent in particle detection precision and durability at low cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Shibata, Yukihisa Takeuchi, Eric J. Shrader, Joseph S. Eckerle, Ronald E. Pelrine
  • Patent number: 5698249
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a technique for packaging fresh plants, by which the freshness of the fresh plants can be retained from the time they are shipped by producers, until the time they are consumed by consumers. By controlling the water vapor permeability, and oxygen and carbonic acid gas transmission rates of a film, a package of fresh plant suitable for non-airtight or airtight packaging, a packaging material useful for such a package, and a method for retaining the freshness of fresh plants are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Hayashi, Koji Shimizu, Noriko Sugawara, Kozo Mita
  • Patent number: 5695326
    Abstract: A compressor for a refrigeration machine is provided without any problems of reduction in the life of a thrust bearing structure even when a substitutive coolant not containing any chlorine is used. In the compressor for a refrigeration machine having a thrust bearing made of steel for supporting a thrust load applied to a drive shaft, a thrust bearing surface made of a material different from that of the drive shaft is formed in the thrust bearing by means of a surface treatment. Alternatively a washer defining the thrust bearing surface may be surface treated to provide a material different from that of the drive shaft. The washer may also be made of a material different from that of the drive shaft. According to the the present invention, even when a boundary lubricating state is produced between the drive shaft and the thrust bearing surface sticking is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideto Oka, Shigeru Muramatsu, Hirotsugu Fukuoka, Hiroshi Matsunaga, Masahiro Tsubokawa
  • Patent number: 5695209
    Abstract: A ski or other snow board, has an injected core extending at least up to the tip. Along a neutral fiber there is placed either a metal plate which is coated with rubber on its two faces, or a simple band of rubber or visco-elastic material. Resilience to shear forces is thus obtained, and the risk of breaking the tip is thereby reduced. The same structure may also be provided at the heel of the ski.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Skis Rossignol S.A.
    Inventors: Henri-Charles Deborde, Fran.cedilla.ois Jodelet
  • Patent number: 5693223
    Abstract: A column for low pressure-high speed liquid chromatography, including a column body being made of a transparent or translucent plastic and having a column chamber, said column body having one end opened and the other provided with an outflow opening, a pair of upstream and downstream filters for shutting a granular filler inside said column chamber, and a head portion being made of a plastic and detachably being fitted to said one open end of the column body and having an inflow through opening communicating with interior of said column body. A column device includes the column and a method for using the column device are also disclosed for low pressure-high speed liquid chromatography.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Saichi Yamada, Hideki Takeuchi, Kazunari Yamada, Tsuyoshi Majima
  • Patent number: 5693988
    Abstract: A filtering device, connected between an electrical power supply source and a load, comprises an active filter connected to the source and to the load, and a passive filter connected to the load. A voltage, generated between two terminals of the active filter, is monitored by first and second circuits. The first circuit receives a signal representative of a current, and monitors the voltage according to the signal representative of the current on input of the filtering device and to a first coefficient. The second circuit receives a signal representative of a voltage, and monitors the voltage according to the voltage signal and to a second coefficient. The first and second coefficients have values variable according to the frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignees: Schneider Electric SA, Electricite de France
    Inventors: Eric Bettega, Miaoxin Wang
  • Patent number: 5690031
    Abstract: The chairs or the cabins of an overhead cable transport installation are driven on a transfer rail in a station by means of friction sheaves staggered along the travel circuit and interconnected by a belt drive arrangement. The rotational movement of the friction sheaves is derived from a cable support sheave by means of a movement take up module, having a girder like box secured adjacent to the girder which supports the friction sheaves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: Pomagalski S. A.
    Inventors: Alain Bach, Jean-Pierre Rastello
  • Patent number: 5691593
    Abstract: A piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator including a ceramic substrate, and at least one piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator unit formed on at least a portion of at least one surface of the substrate, each piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator unit having a first electrode film, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film and a second electrode film which are laminated in the order of description, with the piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator unit formed on the substrate by heat treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignees: NGK Insulators, Ltd., Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yukihisa Takeuchi, Koji Kimura, Masato Komazawa
  • Patent number: 5691082
    Abstract: A beta-alumina solid electrolyte for use in a sodium-sulfur battery is composed of beta-alumina crystals having a degree of orientation toward the C axis thereof, of 0.2-0.4 and an aspect ratio of 4.0 or less. The beta-alumina solid electrolyte is composed of the beta-alumina crystals having a degree of orientation toward the C axis thereof, of 0.2-0.4 and has such a particle diameter distribution that the average particle diameter is 3 .mu.m or less, the proportion of the particles having a particle diameter of 5 .mu.m or less is 90% or more, and the maximum particle diameter is 300 .mu.m or less. A process for producing a beta-alumina solid electrolyte using an alumina source material, a magnesium source material and a sodium source material, uses a magnesium-aluminum spinel as the magnesium source material and subjects all materials to mixing, granulation, molding and firing to obtain a beta-alumina solid electrolyte without subjecting the materials to calcination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaharu Kajita, Takehiro Kajihara, Takao Totoki
  • Patent number: 5690734
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for continuously producing a single crystal by drawing downwardly a melt of a single crystal raw material, wherein a single crystal body grown from the melt is continuously pulled downwardly, and a plurality of single crystal products are continuously formed by intermittently cutting the single crystal body being downwardly moved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Imaeda, Akihiko Honda, Katsuhiro Imai, Yuichiro Imanishi, Nobuyuki Kokune, Shoji Sogo, Kazuaki Yamaguchi, Tetsuo Taniuchi
  • Patent number: 5690320
    Abstract: A fluid-filled damping device wherein a center shaft member and an outer cylindrical member are elastically connected by first and second elastic end walls and an elastic intermediate wall interposed between the end walls. The first elastic end wall has two recesses opposed to each other in a first diametric direction of the center shaft member, and cooperates with the elastic intermediate wall and the outer cylindrical member to define a first fluid chamber. The intermediate wall cooperates with the second elastic end wall and two partition blocks to define a first and a second pocket which are opposed to each other in the first diametric direction. The two partition blocks are interposed between the intermediate and second end walls and opposed to each other in a second diametric direction perpendicular to the first diametric direction. The two pockets are closed by the outer cylindrical member to provide a second and a third fluid chambers communicating with the first fluid chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: Tokai Rubber Industries, LTD.
    Inventor: Ryouji Kanda
  • Patent number: 5691277
    Abstract: A 2-(unsubstituted or substituted) (benzyloxy or phenoxy)-4-substituted-6-(meta-substituted phenoxy)pyridine represented by the formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R represents C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy or cyano; each X, which may be identical or different if n is greater than 1, represents a halogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 haloalkoxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 haloalkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 haloalkythio, C.sub.3 -C.sub.5 alkenyloxy, or C.sub.3 -C.sub.5 alkynyloxy;Y represents trifluoromethyl, difluoromethoxy, trifluoromethoxy, or trifluoromethylthio;m represents an integer of 0 or 1; andn represents an integer of 0 to 5, which is useful as a herbicide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: Kureha Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hisashi Kanno, Youichi Kanda, Susumu Shimizu, Yoshikazu Kubota, Tsutomu Sato, Masato Arahira
  • Patent number: 5691594
    Abstract: A piezoelectric/electrostrictive element including a thin ceramic substrate, and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive portion formed on the ceramic substrate by a film forming technique without an adhesive agent, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive portion consisting essentially of a plurality of electrodes and at least one piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer. The ceramic substrate is formed of a material which includes as a major component zirconia having a crystal phase that is stabilized by addition of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of: yttrium oxide, ytterbium oxide, cerium oxide, calcium oxide and magnesium oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukihisa Takeuchi, Koji Kimura