Abstract: A silicon nitride base sintered body having high strength and high density is formed by a normal sintering, namely by sintering without pressure. The sintered body is produced of silicon nitride and the metal oxides yttrium oxide and cerium oxide.A silicon nitride base sintered body having yet a higher strength and higher density can be produced by heating yttrium oxide and cerium oxide together for forming Y.sub.2 O.sub.3.2CeO.sub.2 before sintering.

Abstract: A small-sized electronic wristwatch assembly, wherein a support plate is constructed and arranged to position the operative elements of the wristwatch to reduce the size thereof is provided. The electrical components of the wristwatch include a battery, a quartz crystal oscillator coupled to the battery for producing a high frequency time standard signal, a divider circuit coupled to the oscillator for dividing the high frequency time standard signal and producing a low frequency timekeeping signal, and an electro-mechanical transducer for receiving the low frequency timekeeping signal and in response thereto being continuously incrementally rotated. The mechanical components of the wristwatch include a center wheel and a gear train disposed intermediate the electro-mechanical transducer and the center wheel for transmitting to the center wheel a predetermined amount of rotation in response to each incremental rotation of the electro-mechanical transducer.

Abstract: A waste bag for use with lawn mowers and other gardening machinery having a sleeve formed with first and second openings on opposed sides thereof, a first fixed frame in the first opening and a second selectively closable and openable frame in the second opening. The second frame is defined by four elongated rigid members hingedly joined at their respective ends and a locking arrangement for selectively holding the frames in a closed position.

Abstract: A shock isolating lamp assembly for a vehicle lamp including an improved shock isolating mounting is provided. The assembly includes a lamp housing for receiving a lens and a shock isolating mount of a resilient material including a central body portion formed with a vertical opening for receiving a lamp socket and two opposed pairs of parallel arms symmetrical to the center line extending outwardly from the body in a plane. The arms are spaced apart a distance approximately the diameter of the lamp socket. Each pair of arms is joined to a perpendicular mounting bar of the same resilient material which cooperates with a pair of opposed mounting tracks extending into the lamp housing. The lamp socket is substantially tubular, open at the top and bottom end and formed with a pair of opposed barbs for engagement by a pair of opposed recesses formed in the inner wall of the mount body portion for retaining the socket therein.

Abstract: An apparatus for storing and supplying parallel lead circuit elements that are secured to an elongated web is provided. The apparatus is adapted to supply the parallel lead circuit elements to a mechanism particularly adapted to process and secure the parallel lead electronic circuit elements to a printed circuit board. Storage and supply of the electronic circuit elements is affected by winding each of the webs carrying the parallel lead circuit elements about a reel, which reel is enclosed in a case. The apparatus is adapted to support each of the cases at predetermined positions and further dispose appropriate guiding and feeding structure proximate to each of the cases to effect guiding and feeding of each of the webs to the mechanism for processing and securing the parallel lead electronic circuit elements to a printed circuit board.

Abstract: A lightweight case for carrying bottles comprises a rack member having bottom and apertured side faces of a rigid but flexible plastic for engaging the bottom and side portion of each of a plurality of bottles. The case also includes a clip for gripping the top edges of the side faces and drawing the top portions of the side faces against the shoulders of the bottles, thereby holding the bottles securely within the case.

Abstract: In a line printer character belt in which characters are mounted on flexible fingers which are struck by printing hammers toward a platen in the printing operation, the fingers are flexed toward the platen by a projection on the fingers or on a character block on which the fingers are mounted. Vibration subsequent to the printing operation is eliminated, thereby providing excellent printing quality free of dirt and ghosts.

Abstract: A flexural mode tuning fork quartz crystal vibrator having two vibrator tines including first and second opposed substantially planar surfaces, the thickness of the plate between said opposed surfaces being no greater than 0.2 mm is provided. Both surfaces of each tine have three electrodes on at least the lengthwise peripheral sides of the respective surfaces of the tines and a third electrode intermediate and not in contact with the two peripherally disposed electrodes with each intermediate electrode being short-circuited to the peripheral electrode on the other tine. A fourth electrode is disposed on at least one lengthwise side edge of both of the respective tines, the fourth electrode electrically coupling the peripherally disposed electrode on the lengthwise peripheral sides of the respective surfaces of the tine.

Abstract: A miniaturized printer wherein the duration of each print cycle, the sequence of printing operations performed in each print cycle and the time between each print cycle is controlled by a detecting arrangement. The detecting arrangement is adapted to detect the rotary position of a plurality of print rings having print characters circumferentially disposed therearound and for generating a character selection timing pulse for each of the available rotational positions of each print ring during a print cycle. The rotational position of each print ring corresponds to a print character circumferentially disposed about the print ring and, to this end, a print selection mechanism associated with each of the print rings selectively positions each of the print rings at respective predetermined print positions during each print cycle in response to the character selection timing pulses produced by the detection arrangement so that printing can be performed thereby.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for filling petri dishes include the features of situating a stack of empty petri dishes at a dish-drop station where the stack rests with the lowermost petri dish of the stack on a stationary support. A moving structure engages this lowermost petri dish and moves it beyond the stationary support to a filling station, and during this movement of this lowermost petri dish to the filling station a lower dish member of the petri dish drops down from an upper lid member thereof and remains spaced beneath the upper lid member while being supported by a movable support which carries the lower dish member to the filling station. At the filling station a nozzle of a pump becomes situated in the space between the upper lid member and the lower dish member of the petri dish and fills a given quantity of agar into the lower dish member, whereupon this latter member and the upper lid member spaced thereover are moved to an elevating station.

Abstract: In a rack and tie-back clip assembly, the clips are joined in pairs by a cord and are held in a linear array on the rack. The clips can be disengaged in pairs from the rack, the mounting arrangement of the clips on the rack being such that entanglement of the cords does not occur either in storage or during removal of the clips. The rack has bars which sit within slots in the clips so as to prevent rotation of the clips while held in the rack. In a preferred arrangement, each rack holds two rows of clips, the clips lying against each other so as to provide additional stability to the assembly.

Abstract: An improved valve arrangement for distributing liquid and/or gaseous subsces from a plurality of substance storing vessels to a processing vessel utilizing fluidic pressure control valves. A common conduit line runs through a block and has an output end connectable to a receiving vessel, the line has a series of openings along one surface of the block. Flexible membranes disposed above the openings of the common conduit line and similar openings in the block surface connected to the supply conduit lines control the fluid communication between the supply conduits and the common conduit.

Abstract: An improved interfacing circuit that is readily adapted to be integrated into the same circuit chip as the remaining circuitry in an electronic instrument having a digital display formed of passive display elements, and is adapted to deliver a plurality of discrete voltage levels to the digital display drive circuitry is provided. Specifically, a two-terminal voltage supply is provided for producing a first voltage level at a first terminal and a second voltage level at a second terminal. The interfacing circuit includes a voltage divider circuit having at least two series-coupled resistance circuits coupled intermediate the respective first and second terminals of the voltage supply so that the junction defined by the coupling of each pair of series-coupled resistance circuits and the first and second terminals of the voltage supply are respectively coupled to the digital display drive circuitry for delivering a plurality of discrete voltage levels thereto.

Abstract: A voltage compensating drive circuit for a thermal printer is provided. The thermal printer includes a power supply for producing a supply voltage of varying magnitude. A plurality of exothermic printing elements are disposed on a substrate for recording print characters on a thermally sensitive medium in response to a current driving pulse being applied thereto. The printing density of the print characters, recorded on the thermally sensitive medium, are varied in response to variations in the duration of the current drive pulse applied to the exothermic printing element. The voltage compensating drive circuit is coupled to the power supply in order to detect changes in the magnitude of the supply voltage and includes an oscillator circuit for controlling the duration of the current driving pulses in response to changes in the magnitude of the supply voltage to thereby stabilize the printing density of each print character recorded on a thermally sensitive medium.

Abstract: An apparatus re-forms the axial lead of an axial-lead type electronic component into the shape of a U and affixes the electronic components with U-shaped leads to a support tape so as to form a continuous web-carrier carrying a series of electronic components each with a U-shaped lead. The apparatus feeds the electronic component one-by-one to a transfer assembly which transfers the components to a re-forming position and an affixing position in sequence. Means for forming a kink in a lead of each component and for removing excess lead wire are also provided.

Abstract: A small-sized printing apparatus which operates at a low noise level and provides good printing quality includes a plurality of printing rings, each having type characters on the peripheral surface thereof. The printing rings are mounted on a shaft which reciprocates for the purpose of bringing a selected character on each of the rings to a printing position. The shaft reciprocates through forward and reverse directions of rotation. An inking roll transfers ink intermittently to the type characters.