Abstract: Powdered compositions comprising in admixture inorganic salts and silica gel, and optionally a fragrance additive, are disclosed. The novel compositions are useful in absorbing and deodorizing liquid waste and for removing such waste from irregular surfaces, such as textiles and carpeting, as well as from smooth hard surfaces. The compositions are effective in absorbing liquid biohazards, such as blood, vomit, urine, and other body fluids. For this application, a halogen-containing compound, such as sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite is preferably included in the composition. The mixtures can also be utilized for the absorption of oil-based spills and hydrocarbons and are also effective in removing moisture and malodors associated with pet urine and other moisture-related stains encountered in the home. When applied to liquid wastes, the absorbent properties of the compositions contain the spill, creating a solid cohesive matrix that allows for easy disposal.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an information communication apparatus that allows communication management information to be readily printed out at desired time while also achieving reductions in standby power consumption.

Abstract: A toy gun produces a series of traveling smoke rings. It has a smoke chamber fed with smoke from a battery-powered electrical resistance generator. An elastic, edge-mounted diaphragm extends across at least a portion of the rear of the smoke chamber. A reciprocating actuator movable in response to a trigger strikes the diaphragm to eject a smoke ring through an orifice in the opposite wall of the smoke chamber. The smoke generator includes a supply tank of a suitable liquid and a source of variable pressure to drive the liquid through a narrow annular clearance to the heater where it is rapidly vaporized. The generator includes a pair of concentric tubes that define the annular clearance and an electrical resistance heating element mounted on one of them at a point spaced from the supply tank. The generator also includes a spacer and a member that increases the length of the flow path of the fluid driven through the narrow annular gap.

Abstract: In a charge amount detection circuit, one part of circuit elements constituting a low pass filter circuit and one part of circuit elements constituting a voltage amplifier circuit are commonly use. A charge sensitive amplifier is followed by the low pass filter circuit and the voltage amplifier circuit, respectively, in this order. Since the low pass filter circuit is provided so as to share one part of circuit elements of the voltage amplifier circuit, it is possible to suppress the enlargement of the chip size due to the provision of LPF as much as possible so as to suppress the rise of the chip cost as much as possible.

Abstract: The present invention relates to treatment media for purifying water, and methods for forming such treatment media. Formation of the treatment media of the present invention entails heating an alumina substrate to a temperature in the range of 375° F. to 300° F. and then depositing a predetermined quantity and concentration of silver onto the activated alumina substrate such that silver ions are released and catalysis reactions occur, thus beneficially ensuring both an immediate and a residual germicidal effect to water that is treated by the treatment media.

Abstract: According to a method of measuring a thickness, to measure a thickness d of a liquid crystal layer 11, a property of reflected light is utilized, in that the light returns maintaining the same polarizing plane as that of an entrance when a polarizing plane-maintaining condition is satisfied in which a difference in optical path lengths between an ordinary ray and an extraordinary ray of the reflected light is a sum of an integer multiple of the wavelength and a half-wavelength or an integer multiple, to find a wavelength at which the polarizing plane-maintaining condition is satisfied. A reasonable &Dgr;n·d is thereby found. This is performed for a plurality of wavelengths to find a relational expression of a wavelength and &Dgr;n·d. A known combination of a wavelength &lgr; and &Dgr;n is assigned to the relational expression to find d.

Abstract: An objective lens is made up of a light-source-side lens and a medium-side lens wherein at least either one of rim portions of respective opposing surfaces of the light-source-side lens and the medium-side lens forms a rise-up section projected towards the other lens, the rim portion which forms the rise-up section and the rim portion of the other lens at least partially contact one another, and these two lens are fixed together by an adhesive resin layer formed in a spacing between the respective rim portions. With the foregoing structure, an objective lens made up of a pair of lenses which has high rigidity as a whole and is capable of high speed recording and reproducing by suppressing adverse effects of resonance can be realized.

Abstract: A grille system comprising at least two rod arrangements 1a and at least one clamping member 12. The clamping member 12 retains the rod arrangements b 1a in a predetermined spacial configuration. Each rod arrangement 1a comprises a straight rod 2 having a first end portion 2a provided with an expanded portion 3 received by the clamping member 12. The clamping member 12 comprises two separate, corresponding portions 5 secured together by a bolt 10 and nut 11. The grille system is used as a security grille or in the manufacture of garden furniture or plant supports.

Abstract: A combinational object lens 3 constructed of a first lens 1 and a second lens 2 is formed. The first lens 1 and a first lens barrel 4 for retaining the first lens 1 are fixed by bonding to a second lens barrel 5 for retaining the second lens 2 only via a spacer layer 7 made of an adhesive. With this arrangement, residual aberration of the combinational object lens constructed of a plurality of lenses can be reduced, and this further enables the compacting and reduction in weight of the object lens barrels, an object lens barrel drive unit and an optical information recording and reproducing unit.

Abstract: A laser projector for projecting a 3-D image onto an object. The laser projector has an optics module, a controller module, a power module, and a timing module. The timing module coupled with the optics module measures the distance between the laser projector and the object.

Abstract: A cable raceway for carrying cables, e.g., fiber optic cables, across interior or exterior spaces is disclosed. The cable raceway includes a series of support channels and a plurality of main channels, each main channel being disposed in an overlaying relationship between successive pairs of support channels. An elongated slot is formed through end portions of the main channels, and bolts pass through spacers attached to the support channels and disposed in the elongated slots. The cable raceway also includes a plurality of covers set over respective channel members. Each cover includes a top portion; a pair of opposing sides extending downward perpendicularly from the top portion; and, a pair of steps formed on inner surfaces of respective sides adjacent to the top portion, thereby extending longitudinally along the length of the cover.

Abstract: In a two-way optical communication device, a rising mirror bends light transmitted from a light-emitting element in a virtually perpendicular direction to a surface of a substrate, and the light is gathered on an end of an optical fiber via a light-gathering mirror having a curved surface and is coupled to the optical fiber. Further, in the two-way optical communication device, received light, that is propagated from the optical fiber, is reflected on the light-gathering mirror and is gathered on the light-receiving element. The two-way optical communication device can transmit and receive light through a single optical fiber, causing only small loss in transmission and reception, so that light can be efficiently coupled to an optical fiber such as a POF having a large diameter.

Abstract: Featured is a device controller in a system having a multiplicity of such controllers and a conveying system and method for controlling a multiplicity of devices using such controllers. Each controller includes a plurality of bi-directional communications ports, a processor that processes information and provides outputs, where at least one output controls the device, and an applications program for execution within the processor that includes instructions and criteria for processing the information and providing the processor outputs. Specifically, the applications program includes instructions and criteria for communicating information between and among controllers; instructions and criteria for processing information received by a controller; and instructions and criteria for modifying the operation of a device responsive to the communicated information. For a conveying system having a multiplicity of conveying sections, a controller is provided for each section.

Abstract: A connectionless steam cooker has an insulated housing that surrounds an internal cooking compartment accessible through a door. A supply of water is held in the compartment and immerses a plate-like heating element mounted at the floor, preferably of the electrical resistance type. A steam outlet located above the maximum water level is in fluid communication with and adjacent an electrically-operated solenoid valve that is normally open to atmosphere. A temperature sensor in close physical proximity to the steam outlet and the solenoid valve closes the solenoid wherein the sensed steam temperature is at or above a set level. The outlet steam is also connected to a pair of water column pressure-responsive microswitches. One microswitch controls power to the heating element. It is set closely, e.g. to cycle between ON and OFF in response to a sensed pressure range of 1 and 3 inches of water W.C.) The second microswitch responds to a higher set pressure (e.g. 9 inches W.C.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes ring electrodes for controlling flying of toner from a carrier to a sheet, and a control power source section for applying a potential that is in accordance with an image signal to each ring electrode. The control power source section carries out, in the case where the image signal is applied to each ring electrode so that the potential is applied at the same timing, a control of shifting the timing of applying ON potential so that the sum of transient current flowing through each ring electrode at a predetermined time is smaller than the sum of maximum value of the transient current flowing through each ring electrode. This ensures that the amount of transient current supplied at a predetermined time to each ring electrode by the control power source section is reduced.

Abstract: In an optical pickup device, the numerical aperture (NA) of an objective lens is set at 0.7 or more, and the ellipticity of polarized light of a light beam which is incident upon the objective lens is set to be larger than (1.4×NA)−0.7. According to the structure, an optical pickup device which can prevent deterioration of the jitter and crosstalk characteristics, for example, due to oval deformation of a beam spot can be provided.

Abstract: In the case where an image of a document or the like is taken by an economical camera in a TV conference system and the image is transmitted and received through a communication line, when an image of the whole of the document is taken, small characters are defaced and illegible, and, when an imaging operation is performed with a resolution at which characters are readable, it is impossible to take an image of the whole of the document. An image F1 at time T1 which is taken while moving an imaging section is captured into an image storing section and a feature point extracting section. The feature point extracting section extracts feature points of the image F1. An image F2 at time T2 when the subsequent frame is started is captured into the image storing section and the feature point extracting section.

Abstract: A toy gun (10) produces a series of traveling smoke rings (12). It has a smoke chamber (14) fed with smoke from a battery (24)-powered electrical resistance generator (30). An elastic, edge-mounted diaphragm (74) extends across at least a portion of the rear of the smoke chamber (14). A reciprocating actuator (68) movable in response to a trigger (22) strikes the diaphragm (74) to eject a smoke ring (12) through an orifice (14d) in the opposite wall (14a) of the smoke chamber (14). The smoke generator (30) includes a supply tank (32) of a suitable liquid (34) and a source (36) of variable pressure to drive the liquid (34) through a narrow annular clearance (43) to the heater (38) where it is rapidly vaporized. The generator (30) includes a pair of concentric tubes (40,42) that define the annular clearance (43) and an electrical resistance heating element (38) mounted on one of them at a point spaced from the supply tank.

Abstract: An image forming system, wherein a second digital copying machine stores image data temporarily on behalf of a first digital copying machine at its request and returns the stored image data upon receipt of a return request. When the second digital copying machine has not received any return request from the first digital copying machine within a predetermined period, the second digital copying machine erases the stored image data to utilize its own memory efficiently.

Abstract: A method is provided for driving an active matrix substrate including a plurality of signal lines provided on an insulator substrate along a first direction, a plurality of scanning lines provided along a second direction to intersect the plurality of signal lines, a plurality of pixel electrodes provided at the intersections of the plurality of signal lines and the plurality of scanning lines, and a plurality of common electrodes provided to form a storage capacitor between each common electrode and the corresponding pixel electrode, a semiconductor layer being provided between each common electrode and the corresponding pixel electrode. The method includes the step of applying a signal to each common electrode such that the depletion layer formed in the semiconductor layer has the maximum width.