Abstract: A portable electronic device includes a optical reception device, (R), a microcomputer (4) which is appropriate for processing the signals received, a display device (6), an electrical energy source for supplying the various circuits, a keyboard (8), and a device (12) for storing data. The microcomputer (4) is programmed to permit the user of the device to participate in a televised program which is unfolding according to a predetermined chronology by entering at the keyboard responses to questions posed on the screen during the unfolding of the program. Its application is to televised games.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a smokable article which is intended to permit the smoker to avoid the condensates usually present in the smoke while retaining the taste experience familiar from conventional cigarettes; this is achieved in that a sheet-like carrier element coated with an aroma-carrying material and having a low thermal capacity is brought into direct thermal contact with a heat source comprising a hollow cylindrical combustion element having at least one passage therethrough wherein said passage is separate and distinct from the hollow portion; in the pauses between draws a cavity serves as collecting container or reservoir for the aromatic substances developed which can be inhaled in the next draw by the smoker.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for preparing an optically active cyclopentenone derivative represented by the formula ##STR1## by oxidizing an optically active cyclopentanone derivative represented by the formula ##STR2## with an oxidizing agent, and subsequently subjecting the oxidized compound to an elimination reaction. (In the above formulae, R.sup.1 is a protective group for hydroxyl, R.sup.5 is straight-chain or branched alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl or alkylaryl having 5 to 22 carbon atoms and containing or not containing oxygen, sulfur or silicon, R.sup.6 is alkyl, aryl or heterocyclic group having or not having a substituent, Z is selenium or sulfur, and the symbol * represents an asymmetic carbon atom.

Abstract: A spread spectrum communictdion system includes a transmitter and a receiver, and an on-off keying signal is inputted to the transmitter. A carrier signal is modulated by the on-off keying signal, and a spread spectrum signal is produced by multiplying a modulated signal by a first PN code which is repetition of 3-bit data. The spread spectrum signal is transmitted through a transmission antenna. In the receiver, a second PN code which is repetition of 4-bit data larger than the first PN code by 1 bit is generated. Therefore, a phase of the second PN code becomes coincident with a phase of the first PN code every 12 bits. Then, a spread spectrum demodulation is performed by multiplying a received spread spectrum signal by the second PN code to reproduce the carrier signal being modulated by the on-off keying signal. The on-off keying signal is restored by envelope-detecting a reproduced carrier signal.

Abstract: A power transmitting apparatus on a four-wheel-drive motor vehicle can distribute and transmit drive power from a power unit to front and rear drive road wheels such that the rotational speeds of the front and rear drive road wheels can differ from each other.

Abstract: A helmet having a sound device therein, includes a shell of a rigid material for protecting the head of a wearer, a liner mounted inside the shell and filled with a buffer material, and a speaker mounted inside a lower end portion of the shell or inside of the chin guard of the helmet. The speaker may be facing inwardly or outwardly. A plurality of speakers may also be employed. The positioning of the speaker as described above enables the wearer of the helmet to hear the sounds from the speaker without altering the shape of the helmet shell to position the speaker near the ears.

Abstract: A method to continuousky harden light-curable resins, by irradiating at least one shaped article made of a light-curable resin by continuously moving the article past a multiplicity of light sources while changing the flux of the irradiated light in multiple steps corresponding to the moving positions of the object and an apparatus to accomplish this method including means to continuously move the article relative to the multiple irradiation sources and means to adjust the flux density in multiple steps corresponding to the moving positions of the article. Specifically, the flux density of the light irradiated on the moving article is changed stepwide depending upon the position and the location of the article and the polymerization speed of the article and the hardening depth can be controlled in relation to its position and time.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device containing an orientation film. The orientation film is made by building up at least one mixed monomolecular film on a substrate having an electrode layer thereon. The mixed monomolecular film is obtained by spreading on a water surface a mixture of:(a) an amphiphilic high-molecular weight substance having a number average molecular weight of 2,000 to 300,000, which contains a repeating unit (I): ##STR1## wherein at least one of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 represents a group having benzenoid unsaturation and at least 6 carbon atoms; R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, and R.sup.6, which may be the same or different, each represents a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent C.sub.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to continuously harden articles made of visible light-curable resins, including continuously moving the articles to be hardened relative to a multiplicity of sources of visible light which are independently controllable to be able to vary the radiation to which the articles is exposed during its passage while independently controlling the temperature at which this takes place; and apparatus to accomplish this such that a large number of the objects to be irradiated passing through the hardening apparatus have the same exposure history to the visible light and to heating or cooling respectively. As the result, there is substantially no variation in the physical properties of these photo-polymerized products.

Abstract: A twist-grip device for operating the gears of a bicycle includes indexing associated with the hand-grip for snap-locating the hand-grip in the various positions corresponding to the engagement of the various gear ratios. The device includes a spring which biasses the hand-grip in the opposite sense from the sense of biassing of the spring of the derailleur which effects the engagement of the various gear ratios. The device also includes a screw for adjusting the average torque which needs to be applied to the hand-grip to snap-rotate the hand-grip between two successive positions. The rotation of the screw varies the preloading of a resilient expandable bush associated with the indexing pin springs.

Abstract: An N.sup.2 -(1-substituted-3-phenylpropyl)-L-lysine derivative is disclosed and is represented by formula (I) ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents an acyl type or urethane type protective group; R.sup.2 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or an aralkyl group. X represents a cyano (CN) group or an aminocarbonyl (CONH.sub.2) group; and the mark * represents the (S) position to the asymmetric carbon atom.

Abstract: Probe card is a part which is incorporated into probing equipment to test finished IC chips. This card is customarily mounted with a plurality of probes, very fine needle and generally L letter shaped, each of which is disposed so that its front end may project downwardly toward an IC chip. Conventional probes are difficult to align all the probe front ends with electrical ends on the IC chip. Overdrive is normally taken to produce adequate contact pressures with respective probes after all contacts between the probe front ends and the IC ends are formed, but this action often causes conventional probe ends to slip down from the IC ends. The proposed probe card includes a new provision of a resin layer of an elastic, insulative characteristic to fill the central open area of the supporter which is assembled into the probe card. The filling, by such a resin layer, makes the probe front ends resiliently held in position so that a deviation from proper respective dispositions by overdrive becomes avoidable.

Abstract: Disclosed is an anti-fogging film having a multilayer structure comprised of at least two layers of a cured film formed on a substrate. The cured film contains as main components (A) polyvinyl alcohol and (B) at least one member selected from (a) colloidal silica having an average particle size of 5 to 200 m.mu., (b) an organic silicon compound of the formula R.sup.1 R.sup.2.sub.a SiX.sub.3-a in which R.sup.1 is an organic group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, R.sup.2 is a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, X is a hydrolyzable group and a is 0 or 1, and (c) a hydrolysis product of an organic silicon compound of the formula R.sup.1 R.sup.2.sub. SiX.sub.3-a in which R.sup.1, R.sup.2, X and a are as defined above, wherein the ratio S.sub.2 /S.sub.1 of the weight ratio S.sub.2 of component (A) to component (B) in the layer contiguous to the topmost surface layer to the weight ratio S.sub.1 of component (A) to component (B) in the topmost surface layer is at least 1.05.

Abstract: An ignition system has a series-gap discharge-bulb through which a high voltage is supplied to a center electrode of an ignition plug. A short-circuit element is made of a material that reversibly deforms when it is heated to a predetermined temperature when an engine is operated in a steady state. The short-circuit element is electrically connected to the plug such that two discharging electrodes are short-circuited by the short-circuit element when the short-circuit element is heated to thermally deform. The discharging electrodes may be made of a reversibly deformable material so that the electrodes deform into contact with each other when they are heated to a predetermined temperature.

Abstract: A D/A converter converting a digital signal having n bits (n is an integer) into an analog signal includes constant-current output circuits, provided for the n bits of the digital signal, for selectively generating n constant currents on the basis of the n bits of the digital signals. The n constant currents have mutually different current values with respect to the n bits of the digital signal. The constant-current output circuits have resistance elements respectively provided for the n bits of the digital signal. The resistance elements define the mutually different current values. The D/A converter also includes an output circuit for adding the n constant currents to each other and for outputting the analog signal based on an addition result, and a temperature-dependent voltage generating part for generating a temperature-dependent voltage which changes as a temperature around the D/A converter changes.

Abstract: A thermoplastic polyester series foamed material having a thickness of at least 3 mm and an apparent density of from 0.05 to 0.7 g/cm.sup.3 is disclosed, wherein the crystallinity of the resin in the surface portion within 0.5 mm from the surface of the foamed material is not more than 30% and at least 1% lower than the crystallinity of the resin in the central portion of the foamed material.

Abstract: An artificial lure 1 for fishing both in fresh water and in sea water including a first part composed of a volume-of-revolution 2 crossed by a duct 3 along an axis of revolution of the volume and a spiral second part 4, the whole being made of a flexible material.

Abstract: A low frequency component restoration circuit of a digital VTR restores cut off low frequency component of a reproduced digital signal. The low frequency component restoration circuit includes a first low frequency compensation path for performing feed-back low frequency compensation to an input digital signal and a second low frequency compensation path for performing low frequency compensation to the input digital signal, and wherein an output of the first low frequency compensation path is selectively supplied when a normal reproduction mode is selected where the amplitude of the input digital signal wanders slightly, and an output of the second low frequency compensation path is selectively supplied when a special reproduction mode is selected where an amplitude of the input digital signal greatly wanders in a short time period.

Abstract: An ac spindle motor (10) for driving a spindle motor of a machine tool provided with a rotor (14) having an output shaft (12) connected to the spindle, and a stator (16) surrounding the rotor and having a laminated core (20) serving as a yoke, and stator winding assemblies of three phases (U-phase, V-phase, W-phase). The stator winding assembly of each phase (18u, 18v, 18w) has: windings (C.sub.2, C.sub.4) of a first group which are energized for a rotation of the spindle in both a low-speed range not higher than a given speed, and a high-speed range above the given speed; windings (C.sub.1, C.sub.3) of a second group energized only for a rotation of the spindle in the low-speed range; and electrical contact means (S1, S2, S3, S4) controlled so that the windings (C.sub.1, C.sub.2, C.sub.3, C.sub.4) of the first and second groups are energized to generate a first multipolar revolving magnetic field for the rotation of the spindle in the low-speed range, and so that only the windings (C.sub.2, C.sub.