Abstract: A housing (3) has an upper end wall (3a) which supports an upper slide portion (11) of a clamp rod (5) vertically movably. The housing (3) has a lower end wall (3b), a support cylinder (13) of which supports a lower slide portion (12) of the rod (5) vertically movably. The rod (5) is provided with an input portion (14) between the upper slide portion (11) and the lower slide portion (12). A clamp spring (20) connected to the input portion (14) drives the rod (5) downwards for clamping. The lower slide portion (12) has an outer periphery provided with a helical rotary groove (27) and a straight groove (28) which is in upward continuity with the rotary groove (27). A ball (29) engages with the rotary groove (27) and the straight groove (28). The ball (29) is supported by an inner wall (13a) of the support cylinder (13).

Abstract: A magnetic coupling for toy vehicles includes a stationary protruding member and a retractable member, each having a rounded end piece. One of the end pieces is at least partially formed of a magnetic material and the other is at least partially formed of a non-magnetic, magnetically attractive material. A separate end piece can be provided on each of a pair of toy vehicles or each vehicle can be provided with both. The retractable member can be configured to receive the protruding member in a mechanical coupling.

Abstract: A linear guide comprises a linear guide comprises a rail having a plurality of running tracks, a carriage having at least one sliding element positioned opposite at least one of the running tracks, and an adjuster positioned between the at least one sliding element and the carriage. The sliding element has an inclined surface that faces away from the at least one running track and extends at an angle with respect to a travel direction of the carriage. The inclined surface has a plurality of first steps. The adjuster is shiftable in the travel direction and has an adjuster surface with a plurality of second steps that rest in shiftable fashion against the plurality of first steps. The adjuster is biased in a biasing direction against the sliding element such that the second plurality of steps can slide over the first plurality of steps as the sliding element moves in the travel direction.

Abstract: A control method of nonvolatile memory is provided, wherein it does not happen that data which ought to have been erased are not erased, or data which ought to have been written are lost even if a forced interruption takes place due to shutdown of a power source for a memory device, a reset command, or the like occurs when data are written in a last page of a block, the block is validated by setting the block data validation flag provided in the redundant area of the last page of block 0 (valid). Furthermore, a counter judges whether the data is new or old, and data can be protected even if the above-mentioned solution cannot be implemented.

Abstract: An investment company is administered by issuing one or more classes of shares that are bought from and redeemed with the company at a net asset value, issuing one or more classes of shares that are listed for trading on a securities exchange and that are bought and sold at negotiated market prices, and maintaining, in one or more computers, account data ofthe outstanding shares. A shareholder may acquire exchange-traded shares by requesting conversion of a designated number or dollar value of shares belonging to the one or more classes of shares that are bought from and redeemed with the company at a net asset value for a monetarily equivalent number of shares of the one or more classes of shares which are exchange-traded shares of the company. An authorized participant may purchase exchangetraded shares directly from the investment company in exchange for a basket of securities of generally equivalent monetary value. A direct purchase requires a purchase of a predetermined number of exchange-traded shares.

Abstract: In a brushless motor control method and a brushless motor controller in accordance with the present invention, a rotor rotation position detection means detects the time of the intersection of a detected induced voltage and an induced voltage reference value. In addition, a motor speed calculation means calculates the rotation speed of a brushless motor on the basis of the interval of the intersection times detected by the rotor rotation position detection means. Furthermore, a speed control means outputs a duty factor index on the basis of the deviation between the command speed and the rotation speed of the brushless motor. Still further, a switching signal generation means outputs switching signals to groups of switching devices on the basis of the rotation speed and the duty factor index at the time of the intersection.

Abstract: A method for reducing latency in conversions from a SMII (Serial Media Independent Interface) to a MII (Media Independent Interface). The method involves generating receive and transmit clock signals from a physical layer device; generating receive and transmit clock signals at a media access controller; and synchronizing the clock signals at the media access controller and the clock signals at the physical layer device such that MII clocks are generated from the SMII and a synchronization signal of the SMII is always delayed 8 nsec from a positive edge of the MII clock.

Abstract: A sensor, especially a temperature sensor, has a measuring resistor (7) including a substrate with an electrically insulating surface and a resistor layer situated thereon, which is enclosed by a housing (6) having current lead-ins to a plug system (1) for connection leads or contact pins (10) in a region of the housing facing away from the measurement. The measuring resistor (7) is arranged in the region of an end (14) of the housing facing the measurement, and between the measuring resistor (7) and the contact pins (10) at least one spacing element (9) of electrically insulating material is provided with lateral recesses for guiding the electrical connection leads (12) which extend from the measuring resistor (7). The temperature sensor can be simply adapted by variable configuration of the plug system and spacing element to various types of customer-specific requirements.

Abstract: A waffle baker grill for producing a waffle product, including a first heating plate having a first surface and a first peripheral wall extending from the first surface to a predetermined distance. The first peripheral wall includes a first side and a second side. A second heating plate has a second surface and a second peripheral wall extending from the second surface to the predetermined distance. The second peripheral wall includes at least a third side and a fourth side. The second heating plate is pivotally connected to the first heating plate to move between a closed position and an open position. The first and second surfaces include at least one scoring flange extending to a distance less than the predetermined distance. The waffle produced from the grill may be divided into a plurality of waffle sticks along score lines created by the scoring flanges.

Abstract: The paste type positive electrode of the present invention contains a first active material and a second active material. The first active material comprises X parts by weight of particulate nickel hydroxide with aX/100 parts by weight of cobalt oxyhydroxide carried thereon. The second active material comprises Y parts by weight of particulate nickel oxyhydroxide, of which an oxidation number of nickel is ?, with bY/100 parts by weight of cobalt oxyhydroxide carried thereon. Here, all the following relations are satisfied: (1) 2.5??<3.0, (2) 0.01?(aX/100+bY/100)/(X+Y)?0.20, (3) 0<b?a?10 or 0=b<a?10, and (4) 2.1?(2X+?Y)/(X+Y)<2.2.

Abstract: A toner cartridge is removably attached to a printer and discharges toner into a hopper of the printer. When the toner is to be discharged into the hopper for a first time after the toner cartridge has been attached to the printer, the toner cartridge discharges a certain amount of toner for immediate printing operations. Thereafter, a toner-discharging mechanism operates to discharge fractions of the toner held in the toner cartridge in succession into the hopper. The printer has a controller and a detector. The detector detects an amount of toner remaining in the hopper. The controller controls the toner-discharging mechanism in accordance with the detection signal of the detector such that the toner in the hopper is replenished depending on the amount of toner consumed. The controller controls the toner-discharging mechanism only when the toner remaining in the hopper is below a threshold.

Abstract: A multiband high-frequency switch that is mainly used for mobile phones, comprising a strip line formed of the series connection of first and second strip lines. A second transmitting port is connected to the connection point of the strip lines connected in series via a third diode, and a second control port is connected between the second transmitting port and the third diode. In addition, first and second receiving ports are connected to the receiving-side port of the high-frequency switch via a diplexer.

Abstract: An electric motor position control apparatus in accordance with the present invention has a plurality of sets of control parameters including at least the proportional gain of a position control section and the proportional gain of a speed control section beforehand, wherein set selection and the measurement of the response state of an electric motor to a position command at the time when the electric motor is controlled by using the control parameters of the selected set are carried out sequentially, one preferable set is selected depending on the measured response state, the control parameters of the selected set are set, and the control parameters are changed as a set.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory card is provided that includes: a data storing part; a control part writing and reading data into and from the data storing part; an interface circuit; and a plurality of input and output terminals, wherein data input and output terminal pairs are each allotted to a different terminal pair so that no terminal pair acts as both the data input terminal pair and the data output terminal pair, and a clock input terminal and a clock output terminal are included. The interface circuit receives an input clock from the clock input terminal, receives a complementary input data pair synchronized with the input clock from the data input terminal pair, outputs a complementary output data pair from the data output terminal pair, and outputs an output clock synchronized with the complementary output data pair from the clock output terminal.

Abstract: A method is provided for the production of liquid cleaning agent or detergent compositions which are ready to use and packaged. In rest (quiescent) condition the compositions exist separately in at least two aqueous phases. At least two separate preliminary mixtures are produced, exhibiting non phase separation in a temperature range of about 0° C.-40° C. The preliminary mixtures are mixed together only upon or directly before they are placed in the packaging container.

Abstract: A method of activating a prepaid account uses an existing electronic funds transfer network which includes a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, debit/credit card processing infrastructure and an account issuer authorization center. The method includes obtaining identification data concerning the account to be activated at the POS terminal; sending an activation request from the POS terminal through the card processing infrastructure to the processing center; receiving the activation request message at the processing center, deciding whether or not to activate the account and generating a response code based upon the activation decision, the response code not resulting in the transfer of any funds and being a code other than an approval code or a denial code; sending the response code through the card processing infrastructure to the POS terminal; and receiving the response code at the POS terminal and confirming at the POS terminal that the account has been activated.

Abstract: A process is provided to prepare production data for a print job. In one embodiment of the present invention, the production data includes an electronic document defined by a page description language (PDL). The electronic document is stored in a PDL image file, such as a Postscript file, a PDF file, or the like. A still image proxy, which may be a JPEG file, a GIF file, a PNG file, or the like, is created of the PDL image file. An image display of the still image proxy is electronically manipulated. Information about the manipulations are recorded and subsequently used to revise the PDL image file so as to match the PDL image file to the manipulations made to the image display of the still image proxy.

Abstract: An optical disc comprises a first base plate having a surface in which a recess is formed and a multi-layer structure disposed over the surface. The multi-layer structure includes a reflection layer, a recording layer, and a transparent member. The reflection layer is disposed on the surface of the first base plate. The recording layer is formed on the reflection layer for substantially filling an inside of the recess. The transparent member is disposed for covering the recording layer, and is capable of transmitting writing/reading radiation.

Abstract: A refractory nozzle is provided for a metallurgical vessel, in particular for steel melts, wherein the nozzle has a flow-through opening with an upper end, a lower end, and an inner wall laterally enclosing the flow-through opening. In order to improve known discharge nozzles, in particular with regard to their thermal shock resistance, a heater and/or a thermal insulating material, that dissolves or bums upon contact with fluid steel, is arranged along the inner wall in the flow-through opening.