Abstract: A fastener applicator, for example for cable clips, uses the kinetic energy of a flywheel rotated by a prime mover, preferably a battery driven electric motor, to drive a striker for firing a fastener into a support. An actuator which strikes the striker may be a fixed projection on the flywheel or be an element on the flywheel movable relative to the flywheel by centrifugal force to project the actuator from an inoperative position to an operative position for striking the striker. The drive from the prime mover to the flywheel is through a clutch or releasable drive coupling which temporarily disconnects the drive when the actuator strikes the striker so that the kinetic energy at the flywheel alone drives the striker and the prime mover is protected from the impact. A micro-processor measures the rotational speed of the flywheel and stops the prime mover when a pre-determined speed for the necessary kinetic energy is achieved.

Abstract: A checkered characteristic pattern is picked up by an image input device to form pick-up data. Characterizing points (intersecting points) are detected from the pick-up data. From the arrangement of the characterizing points about the center of the pattern and the positions of the characterizing points on the picture plane, a mapping function obtained when a TV camera is assumed to be a pin-hole camera is prepared. Reference positions of the characterizing points through the entire picture plane are calculated from the mapping function. The reference positions are compared with the actual positions on the picture plane to calculate a correcting function which in turn is stored in a correcting function preparing device. Normally, the inputted image is corrected by the correcting function and then outputted to an image output device.

Abstract: A flexible heating element is composed of at least one resistive conductor circuit having a first pair of ends, two sheets of electrically insulating material enclosing the conductor circuit, and a member for connecting the conductor circuit to at least one exterior electric unit. The member for connecting is constututed by at least one flexible connection tongue forming a projecting portion of the heating element. Two connection strips are each conductively connected to a respective end of the conductor circuit and are dimensioned to have a resistance appropriate to their connection function.

Abstract: A method of automatically setting a coordinate conversion factor in which, under the condition where a sample having a simple contour, such as a wafer with a known contour, is installed in a shape observing unit, in order to determine the conversion factor between a coordinate system defined by the contour of the sample and a control coordinate system for an observing position such as a stage coordinate system, the edge position of the contour of the sample is automatically recognized at a high accuracy from a secondary electron picture which has been obtained from the shape observing unit, from the result of which the conversion factor between the sample coordinate system and the stage coordinate system is automatically set.

Abstract: In a gas scavenging unit for gas chromatography analysis of gas generated in a thermal analyzer, the thermal analyser is equipped with a gas scavenging unit for scavenging gas generated in the thermal analyzer without usage of a carrier gas and no influence of a switching valve exists in the case of multi-stage sampling. For scavenging, there can be provided multiple sampling flow paths each have an aperture placed between the sample and the carrier gas outlet of the thermal analyzer, a flow regulator, a flow path switching valve, and a suction unit which is connected to the switching valve. The gas generated in the thermal analyzer is suctioned by the suction unit through a sampling flow path which is changed with the flow path switching valve. The appropriate volume of gas is scavenged to the GC analysis without any influence of the flow (rate) of the carrier gas even when the scavenging is done through switching to multiple scavengers.

Abstract: A switch for operating an electric device, the switch having a released position in which the device can be switched on or off, and a locked position in which switching on of the device is prevented, in combination with a removable key element including a key insertable into the switch and displaceable for placing the switch in a selected one of the released and locked positions. The switch includes a function element fixedly disposed within the electric device, and an actuating element for switching the electric device on and off, seated on the outside of the device and in operative connection with the function element. The key element is composed of a cap-like slip-on element to which the key is permanently fastened and which is configured to be securely and removably mounted on the actuating element.

Abstract: A system in which a plurality of spinning frames and a plurality of winders are connected by a common bobbin conveying passage, a circulating passage having a bobbin sensor is provided on a spinning bobbin supplying passage from the bobbin conveying passage to the winders, and a stopper is provided at an inlet of the circulating passage, the stopper being adapted to stop receiving bobbins when the number of passing bobbins per a predetermined time detected by the bobbin sensor exceeds a set value.

Abstract: The facsimile machine has a CPU and a couple of memory devices which co-operate to change a control mode of the facsimile machine from a first control mode to a second control mode if a facsimile signal does not come from a calling party within a prescribed period from signal reception in the first control mode and for transmitting an answering message to the calling party, the first control mode enabling switching between voice transmission/reception and image data transmission/reception and the second control mode enabling switching between from-a-calling-party voice recording and image data transmission/reception.

Abstract: The bobbin feeding system of the automatic winder comprises a bobbin feedback line from the automatic winder which is branched off into a residual-yarn bobbin conveyor line and an empty-bobbin conveyor line, each conveyor line being joined with each other and connected to the empty-bobbin discharge line, and a bobbin stripper for removing residual yarn from the bobbin which is mounted on the residual-yarn bobbin conveyor line, thereby enabling smooth conveyance of bobbins.

Abstract: An improved scissors includes a pivot joint having a pivot axis, a first blade member having a first cutting edge and a longitudinal axis, and a second blade member having a second cutting edge. The second blade member is pivotally coupled by the pivot joint to the first blade member with the first cutting edge adjacent and in contact with the second cutting edge. Moreover, the pivot joint is coupled to the first blade member to incline the first blade member relative to the second blade member and the pivot joint, so that the inclination of the first blade member produces a load transverse to the pivot axis of the pivot joint, which corresponds to the direction along the longitudinal axis of the first blade member to produce and determine the tension and friction along the cutting edges. The load transverse to the pivot axis may be oblique to the pivot axis of the pivot joint and may also be inclined between 0.1 to 10.

Abstract: If the facsimile machine on the called side detects a facsimile signal such as a CNG signal sent from the calling side after the initiation of the recording operation, the facsimile machine on the called side is switched to the facsimile operation. If the timing for switching to the facsimile operation is within a prescribed period from the initiation of the recording, the facsimile machine on the called side considers that a facsimile message is sent from the calling side without voice message. Then, the data recorded on the called side is erased. If the timing for switching to the facsimile operation is after the prescribed period from the initiation of the recording, the facsimile machine on the called side considers that a facsimile message is sent from the calling side after a voice message. In this case, the data recorded on the called side is maintained.

Abstract: A spectroscope or spectrometer for detecting a driving position of a main wavelength dispersive device using a diffraction line produced in that light from a light source having a narrow wavelength bandwidth is incident on a sub-wavelength dispersive device in an arrangement that a plane diffraction grating is used as the sub-wavelength dispersive device which is affixed on a driving axis in a manner of forming a suitable angle with the main wavelength dispersive device. When the main wavelength dispersive device is used between 0.degree. and 90.degree. , a diffraction angle of the sub-wavelength dispersive device comes within about 45.degree. . In such a range, the angular dispersion is not changed significantly, thus the interval between diffraction lines is hardly varied. For this reason, the width of a sub-detector can always be set at an optimum condition for raising the positional detecting accuracy while one or more diffraction lines are allowed to be incident.

Abstract: Disclosed is a thermal head comprising: plural heating elements, and a driving circuit element comprising plural switching elements connected individually to the heating elements, gate elements connected individually to the switching elements, and a shift register connected to the gate elements; wherein the plural heating elements are divided into plural blocks, and the gate elements of each block are connected to plural shift registers in the same number of bits as the number of heating elements of each block individually; strobe signals in the same number as the number of divisions of the block are fed into gate elements corresponding to each block; a clock gate element is provided in each block in order to obstruct clock input into the shift register corresponding to each block when printing of each block is active; and each block is further divided into plural small blocks, and the heating elements corresponding to each small block are disposed in every different block.

Abstract: A surface analyzing and processing apparatus analyzes the surface of a sample by detecting secondary electrons, secondary ions, and the like coming out from the surface of the sample while exciting the surface of the sample by means of a probe of an atomic force microscope (AFM) and minutely etches the surface of the sample or deposits a thin film thereon after observing the sample with a high resolving power in the nanometer range by means of the AFM.

Abstract: A sound localization control apparatus is used to localize the sounds, which can be produced from a synthesizer and the like, at a target sound-image location. The target sound-image location is intentionally located in a three-dimensional space which is formed around a listener who listens to the sounds. The sound localization control apparatus at least provides a controller, a plurality of sound-directing devices and an allocating unit. The controller produces a distance parameter and a direction parameter with respect to the target sound-image location. The allocating unit allocates acoustic data (e.g., two-channel binaural signals), representing the sounds to be localized, to the sound-directing devices in response to the distance parameter and the direction parameter. Each of the sound-directing devices is applied with each of predetermined sounding directions which are arranged in a horizontal plane with respect to the listener.

Abstract: A scanning probe microscope uses a conductive material as a probe of AFM. The probe scans a sample while the probe is forcibly oscillated by applying alternating current voltage from an oscillator between the probe and the sample. Signals .omega. and 2.omega. from the probe are extracted with an analog processor using a discrete Fourier transformation, so that distribution of surface potential of the sample is obtained using the signals .omega. and 2.omega..

Abstract: The nozzle plate is provided for spraying the candy melt from the first pressure vessel into the second, third, and fourth pressure vessels so as to create maximum contact of the gas and candy melt. Further, the agitation propeller is provided for dispersing again the candy melt sprayed through the nozzle plate. The process according to the present invention comprise spraying the candy melt through the nozzle plate and dispersing again the sprayed candy melt by the agitation propeller. The candy produced has gas content of 4-5 cc/g.

Abstract: A switching regulator having a series resonance push-pull converter (GW) and two clocked boost regulators (AR1, AR2) connected in series with the converter, wherein: the converter comprises a transformer (Tr) having two primary windings (w1, w2) which are galvanically isolated from one another, and two push-pull switches (S1, S2) each connected in series with a respective one of the primary windings; each of the boost regulators comprises a series inductance (L1, L2) and an output capacitor (C1, C2); and the boost regulators are connected to the converter to form two push-pull branches, each of the push-pull branches being composed of the series inductance of one of the boost regulators connected in series with a respective one of the primary windings and a respective one of the push-pull switches, and the output capacitor of each of the boost regulators constituting a resonance capacitor of the converter.

Abstract: This invention provides a method of inhibiting coagulation in extracorporeal circulation in a subject, comprising administration of a therapeutically effective amount of a monoclonal antibody which inhibits the ability of tissue factor to bind to factor VII/VIIa. The method prevents complex formation between tissue factor and factor VII/VIIa and thus inhibits coagulation of blood in extracorporeal procedures such as cardiopulmonary bypass and other shunt procedures. Anti-tissue factor monoclonal antibodies produced by hybridoma cell lines TFS-5G9 or TF9-6B4 may be used in the claimed methods.