Abstract: Process of producing polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) by esterification of terephthalic acid (TPA) with trimethylene glycol (TMG) in the presence of a catalytic titanium compound, precondensation and polycondensation. The esterification is effected in at least two stages, where in the first stage a molar ratio of TMG to TPA of 1.15 to 2.5, a content of titanium of 0 to 40 ppm, a temperature of 240 to 275° C., and a pressure of 1 to 3.5 bar are used. In the at least one subsequent stage a content of titanium is adjusted which is higher than in the initial stage by 35 to 110 ppm.

Abstract: Process of producing polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) by esterification of terephthalic acid (TPA) with trimethylene glycol (TMG) in the presence of a catalytic titanium compound, precondensation and polycondensation. The esterification is effected in at least two stages, where in the first stage a molar ratio of TMG to TPA of 1.15 to 2.5, a content of titanium of 0 to 40 ppm, a temperature of 240 to 275° C., and a pressure of 1 to 3.5 bar are used. In the at least one subsequent stage a content of titanium is adjusted which is higher than in the initial stage by 35 to 110 ppm.

Abstract: A cross-linked or at least partially cross-linked thermoplastic elastomeric composition formed of from 10 to 90 percent of a first polymeric material comprised of ethylene, &agr;-olefin and optionally a non-conjugated diene, and 90 to 10 percent of a second olefin polymeric material, wherein at least one of the first or second polymeric materials is at least partially the product of a metallocene polymerization reaction.

Abstract: A process for preparing polytrimethylene terephthalate in which a carbonyl-containing 1,3-propanediol stream is purified for reuse of the 1,3-propanediol. The process involves reacting, under condensation polymerization conditions, terephthalic acid and a molar excess of 1,3-propanediol, with vacuum distillation and condensation of a major portion of the unreacted 1,3-propanediol. To this condensed stream is added a sufficient amount of base to raise the pH to a value greater than 7, and from this base-containing condensate the 1,3-propanediol is distilled and recycled to the polymerization reaction.

Abstract: A 1,3-propanediol-based aromatic polyester such as polytrimethylene terephthalate is modified by reaction with a hindered phenolic acid or ester to provide an endcapped polyester which has improved resistance to generation of acrolein when heated in air.

Abstract: Food cooking apparatus for melting cheese disposed on a food product. The cheese topped food product, for example a bun half, burger patty and cheese stack, is transferred in and out of a cooking chamber by a trolley. Entry of the trolley to the cooking chamber starts a cooking cycle. A steam generator provides pressurized steam from a location just above the cheese by a distance of up to about 2.0 inches for a short time until the cheese is melted. The trolley carries a transport medium upon which the food product is placed. A plurality of holes is disposed in the medium to remove from it any water formed by condensation. The steam generator includes a heated platen and a lid that form a steam generating chamber. Water is injected into the chamber onto the heated platen in a small enough quantity that substantially all of the water is converted to steam substantially instantaneously.

Abstract: Polytrimethylene terephthalate is prepared in a process which includes adding a hindered phenol and an aromatic organophosphite to the polymerization reaction mixture. The process generates a reduced level of acrolein and prepares an improved polyester product compared with processes without the phenol and organophosphite additives.

Abstract: A thermoplastic composition which may be unvulcanized or vulcanized is provided which comprises a polymer blend of an elastomeric thermoplastic engineering resin and a halogen-containing copolymer of a C.sub.4 to C.sub.7 isomonoolefin and a para-alkylstyrene. A process for preparing a dynamically vulcanized composition is also provided.

Abstract: A alternating aliphatic polyketone polymer is surface derivatized to alter the surface properties of an article without affecting the bulk properties of the polymer it is made from. Derivitization may be done with reducing agents and/or silylating agents. Articles so produced display a range of improved properties including reduced wettability and improved tribological properties such as lubricity and wear resistance.

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for forming a composite web for use in making a fuel element for smoking articles comprises a dual bobbin unwinder from which alternate glass fiber webs are unwound. A splicing apparatus is used to splice together the webs unwound from the two bobbins of the unwinder. Sensing and speed controls are provided for sensing unwinding speed and the amount of web remaining on a bobbin for controlling web accumulation prior to splicing and stopping of the web to effect a splice. Downstream of the splicing apparatus the web is fed to a composite web former where it is slit into equal halves and vertically separated. A paper web is guided between the two web halves and the webs are converged into a three layer composite web with the paper web sandwiched between the glass fiber web halves. The composite web is fed to a KDF filter maker where it is combined with a carbonaceous rod for making a fuel element.

Abstract: Cigarettes and methods of making them, in which an insulated fuel element is combined with a substrate assembly comprising a substrate within a tube, combining a roll of tobacco with a plug of tobacco paper, combining the fuel element/substrate assembly with the tobacco/tobacco paper assembly, and combining the resulting combination with a filter element to produce filter cigarettes. Methods of constructing the various and preferred subassemblies are also disclosed.

Abstract: According to the invention, an amorphous copolyester is prepared by contacting, under polymerization conditions an aromatic dicarboxylic acid or ester or anhydride thereof, a 2,2,4,4-tetraalkyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol and 1,3-propanediol or 1,4-butanediol. The resulting copolyester exhibits superior thermal and impact properties.

Abstract: The cyst puncture catheter assembly comprises: a catheter having a distal portion, a central lumen, an open distal end and a smaller-in-diameter distal end lumen between the central lumen and the open distal end; and, at least one stylet sized to fit within the catheter distal portion. The stylet comprises an elongate shaft having a distal end and a shoulder extending radially outwardly from the shaft at a location close to the stylet distal end. The distal portion of the catheter has an annular shoulder in the central lumen between the central lumen and the smaller-in-diameter lumen against which the shoulder on the stylet can seat so that the stylet and the catheter can be inserted together through tissue to a location of a cyst without the catheter moving longitudinally relative to the stylet.

Abstract: An addressable MNOS transistor structure is disclosed employing a plurality of gate regions between the source and drain diffusion regions of each transistor cell. The transistor cell is characterized by high and low threshold states which are settable by selective actuation of the corresponding plurality of gate regions. Reading of the state of the transistor is accomplished by applying a read voltage, having a value intermediate the two threshold values, to the corresponding plurality of gate regions and measuring whether or not an applied charge discharges from one diffusion region to the other.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for charge addressing a non-volatile MNOS memory cell in a LSI array of memory cells, is disclosed. Each MNOS cell of the array is made up of a substrate; adjacent diffusion areas in the substrate; a memory window intermediate the adjacent diffusion areas, controlled by a memory gate; and an enable gate adjacent the memory window and overlapping one of the diffusion areas. The memory gate and the enable gate are each separated from the substrate and each other by silicon dioxide/silicon nitride layers to provide a capacitive dielectric. Addressing of an individual cell in the array is achieved by selective activation of a corresponding enable gate and a corresponding memory gate, which are formed in an orthogonal grid array. The cell is accessed by a single stage of a shift register for both read and write operations through a transfer gating means.

Abstract: Polymeric styrene compositions having high optical transparency, impact strength and heat distortion temperature properties comprising the polymeric reaction product of:A. 100 parts by weight of a monomeric mixture of:(1) about 25-75% vinyl aromatic monomer selected from the group consisting of substituted and unsubstituted styrenes;(2) about 5-70% methyl or ethyl methacrylate; and(3) about 5-60% of an alkyl methacrylate having at least four carbon atoms in the alkyl group; andB. about 2-30 parts by weight of a rubber selected from the group consisting of butadiene and a block copolymer of butadiene and styrene containing up to 50% by weight styrene.

Abstract: The proposed general-purpose, fully-analog device is capable of such functions as auto-correlation, cross-correlation, convolution, transversal filters, etc. at high speeds (one megahertz typical sample rates) with no analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog conversions. The device correlates analog samples in one CCD channel against analog samples in a second CCD channel by means of balanced MOSFET's which multiply the associated voltage samples to give current products that are summed for all multipliers. The two CCD channels include unique floating-clock sensor and buffer circuits which sense the CCD charge samples without affecting the efficiency of their propagation along the CCD shift register.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine cold start device has an air valve which co-operates with a valve seat to vary the cross-sectional area of an gas supply passage upstream of a plug valve in the passage. The air valve is urged towards the valve seat by a coil spring and a plunger, which is urged towards a stop by another coil spring, provides a resilient abutment for the air valve which limits movement of the air valve away from its valve seat. The plunger is urged away from its stop, against the action of its coil spring, by manifold depression which is fed to the plunger bore by a short straight pipe.

Abstract: A CCD focal plane processor having a plurality of columns of individual sensor elements with plural sensor elements per column. The structure includes plural CCD shift registers corresponding to the number of columns of sensors, each CCD shift register including a pair of stages corresponding to each of the element sensors of the corresponding column of the array. Two "snapshots" of the scene are taken at time-displaced intervals and are compared to detect differences therebetween to eliminate background, or unchanging scene content. The individual sensors provide outputs which are injected into the .alpha. stages of the corresponding paired shift register stages of each CCD shift register in a first time interval corresponding to the first "snapshot". The resulting charge packets in the first (.alpha.) stages then are advanced to the second (.beta.) stages of each shift register pair. The second "snapshot" corresponds to injecting a second signal into the .alpha. stages of the plurality of pairs of .alpha.

Abstract: "Progressive summation" of analog signals with a parallel-in/serial-out (P/I/SO) CCD structure replaces the conventional "simultaneous summation" of analog signals in serial-in/parallel-out (SI/PO) structured systems. Gain non-uniformities presented by buffer circuits and caused in part by threshold non-uniformities are avoided; on-chip power consumption is reduced, thereby avoiding a source of further exaggeration of gain non-uniformities of buffer circuits. Transversal filtering and correlation systems in accordance with the invention accordingly are achieved with these problems of prior art circuits avoided. Reduced power consumption on-chip also maintains more reasonable and constant operating temperature levels, avoiding deleterious effects of temperature increases on dynamic range of CCD systems due to leakage current levels which sharply increase with increased temperature, contributing noise and reducing the maximum charge potential of the CCD wells available for signal.