Abstract: Biodegradable thermoplastic compositions comprising a starch component, a cellulose ester or ether, a plasticizer for the starchy phase and of the cellulose and derivatives, and a compatibilizer agent selected from polymers compatible with the cellulose and or starchy component, grafted with aliphatic or polyhydroxilated chains; copolymers obtained from hydroxy acids and/or diamines with 2-24C and aliphatic or aromatic diisocyanates; copolymers obtained from aliphatic polyesters, polyureas and polyalkylene glycols and aliphatic or aromatic diisocyanates; copolymers obtained from polymers compatible with cellulose ester or ethers and/or the starchy component by grafting starch soluble polyols; polymer capable of complexing starch; starch compatible polyols.

Abstract: A compact disk auto-exchanger and a method thereof which are capable of more rapidly and accurately moving a compact disk arranged in a magazine to a compact disk player, and loading/unloading the compact disk arranged in a compact disk mechanism into/from the magazine within a limited space.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a repeatable motion profile from a biased piezoelectric transducer (28) in which a first set of stored calibration voltage values corresponding to points in a predetermined voltage profile on the transducer (28) are retrievably accessed from a random access memory (20) by sequentially addressing (30,32,34) the memory (20) in order to drive the piezoelectric transducer (28) with the retrievably accessed calibration voltage values. Gain current values associated with motion of the piezoelectric transducer (28) at the same measurement points on the voltage profile associated with the stored values are measured (48,50,52) and compared against the stored calibration values and any differences are corrected for in order to produce the repeatable motion profile. The measurement points are preferably in a region of constant rate of change of voltage in the voltage profile, such as corresponding to the crossover point (54) in a motion profile of linear slope.

Abstract: The present invention is an improved method for automatically generating chenille filled embroidery stitch patterns and/or chain stitching in a computer aided design system in which the shape to be filled is a complex polygon. The medial axis of the polygon is determined, concentric polygons are then constructed and sorted and spirals are placed along the polygons with stitches being placed along the spirals. For chain stitching, rather than placing spirals, the chain stitches are placed on the perimeter of the concentric polygons.

Abstract: A laminated film including at least one first layer of a polymeric material which has a starchy matrix and is insoluble in water or at most expands in water, constituted by destructured starch and an olefinic copolymer and a second layer of a hydrophobic material adhering to the first. Applications are for the packaging of food products and for colostomy containers, for which a very effective barrier against gases and vapours is needed.