Abstract: A balloon insertable and inflatable in the stomach to deter ingestion of food and having, when inflated, a plurality of smooth-surfaced convex protrusions disposed to permit engagement of the stomach wall by the balloon only at spaced localities, for minimizing mechanical trauma of the stomach wall by the balloon.

Abstract: A facsimile machine uses cut sheets ofrecording paper of a predetermined size. If data to be recorded requires a cut sheet of paper of a size larger than the cut sheets of paper of the predetermined size set in the facsimile machine for use, then upon completion of recording part of the data on one of the cut sheets of recording paper of the predetermined size, a predetermined number of lines recorded at the end of the one of the cut sheets of paper are once again recorded at the beginning of the next following cut sheet of paper prior to recording of the following portion of the data to be recorded. In this manner, since that portion of data, which is divided between the two consecutive pages, is recorded twice in accordance with the present invention, no information will be lost even if the data to be recorded is significantly long.

Abstract: An electronic device carrier structure includes at least one signal line which is connected to an electronic device, such as a one-chip operational amplifier, and at least a pair of guard lines extending substantially along the corresponding signal line each at one side thereof thereby preventing an electrical signal carried on the signal line from being adversely affected. Such a structure is preferably applied to a one-to-one image sensor including a single array of photoelectric elements and operational amplifier chips for amplifying signals supplied from the photoelectric elements through signal lines connected therebetween.

Abstract: A sheet-reversing device suitable for use in copying machines and other sheet-handling machines has a main roller and a feed-in and a feed-out roller which are frictionally driven by the main roller. The axes of those rollers remain fixed with respect to each other. When a sheet is fed to the nip between the main roller and the feed-out roller, it is transported without reversing, but when fed up to the nip between the main roller and the feed-in roller, it enters into a switchback path and the formerly trailing edge of the sheet is fed to the nip between the main roller and the feed-out roller and then is reversely transported (trailing edge first). By selecting the appropriate inlet path, the sheet is selectively reversed.

Abstract: A method of making an integrated electrooptic solid state device array comprising forming a structure having a multiplicity of active, solid state electrooptic component bodies in a solid state device material, including arranging the component bodies in a geometrical pattern and forming the component bodies to a prespecified size of less than 15 microns each and to an accuracy to within a fraction of a micron, and providing at least one electronic rectifying barrier at each of the component bodies for the operation of each component body as an active solid state electrooptic component.

Abstract: A garment which is converted into a carrying pack to be worn on an individual's back. The invention comprises a garment, a pocket on the side of the garment, and straps on the inside of the garment, the pocket being invertible such that the garment may be folded therein, forming a carrying bag and exposing straps which enable the carrying bag to be worn on an individual's back.

Abstract: A lubricant for metal forming comprises a dispersion of particles of a waxy material in a solution or dispersion in a volatile liquid medium of a monomeric organic carrier which is a solid or a viscous liquid at ambient temperature. The particles may be 5-25 microns, the volatile liquid may be xylene, the carrier may be an ester with a MW below 320 and the weight ratio of particles to carrier may be 1:1 to 6:1. The waxy particles provide good lubricating performance without coalescing under load. The lubricant is compatible with adhesive and is easily removed from a workpiece.

Abstract: An anodic aluminum oxide film (12) has a system of larger pores (14) extending in from one face (16) and interconnecting with a system of smaller pores (24) extending in from the other face (26). The film is made by anodizing an aluminum metal substrate, then reducing the applied voltage at a rate to permit partial or complete recovery of the oxide film, either continuously or incrementally in small steps down to a level preferably below 3 V, and separating the oxide film from the substrate.

Abstract: A thermal print head driving system supplies a predetermined number of driving pulses to each of a plurality of heat-producing elements arranged in a line to record a single dot of desired tone. The pulse width of driving pulse is controlled in accordance with the temperature at or in the vicinity of the heat-producing elements thereby allowing to maintain the density level of desired tone at constant. In another aspect of the present invention, it is so structured that driving pulses may be applied to the heat-producing elements in a continuous manner without producing a cooling period during switching between tone levels. In a further aspect of the present invention, it is so structured that a predetermined number of driving pulses for each of predetermined number of tone levels is altered in consideration of the data in at least one of preceding recording lines, thereby allowing to carry out a high speed recording operation without causing fluctuations in predetermined tone density level.

Abstract: An optical pick-up device suitable for use in an optical disk memory system includes a semiconductor laser unit which emits a laser light beam which, in turn, passes through a beam splitter, a quarter-wave plate, and an objective lens to impinge on an optical disc thereby forming a light spot thereon. The light is then reflected from the disc and this reflected light passes through the objective lens and the quarter-wave plate and its direction of advancement is altered by the beam splitter to move into a convergent lens. Then, as the reflected light further advances, it is partly blocked by a tracking error detecting sensor and the remaining non-blocked portion of the reflected light impinges upon a focusing error detecting sensor. The objective and convergent lenses have f.sub.0 and f.sub.1 as their focal distances, respectively, and, preferably, ratio f.sub.0 /f.sub.1 is set equal to or larger than approximately 10.

Abstract: Disclosed are a process and a system for improving seismic returns and other signals representative of non-time varying series which have been degraded by interaction with unknown wavelets. Use is made of a sequence of two-term operators, each derived from the most recent version of the signal and each applied thereto to obtain the next version. The operators are selected such that their application tends to increase the entropy of the signal, and to remove the effects of the unknown wavelets and change the observed signal in a manner which tends to reveal the signal of interest.

Abstract: A video processing system which allows sequences of video pictures to be transferred to disc stores in real time. These sequences can be read out of the disc store and processed before being returned to the disc store to be read out in real time. This effect is achieved by employing disc stores with five parallel heads so that five bits of information can be written in or read from respective tracks on the disc in parallel.

Abstract: A device useful for the in vitro study of cell migration across a monolayer of epithelial cells while simultaneously measuring the transepithelial electrical resistance of the epithelial monolayer is provided and is characterized as including at least three components, a cylinder, a chamber and a punch. The cylinder is designed for tissue culture, the chamber provides a controlled space and/or environment for the cylinder and the punch is provided to cut the epithelial monolayer and its substrate.

Abstract: A thermal recording system includes a thermal print head provided with a plurality of electrical resistors arranged in the form of a single row and selectively activated when an activation pulse is supplied, a brute supply for supplying a power supply voltage to the resistors and a pulse generator for controlling the duration of the activation pulse in accordance with the level of the power supply voltage actually applied to the resistors. The pulse generator controls the pulse width of the activation pulse so as to maintain substantially constant the activation energy defined as a product of (power supply voltage actually applied).sup.2 and (pulse width of activation pulse).

Abstract: An optical pickup for detecting a distance to an optical disk on which information is optically stored includes a tracking error detecting device for detecting a tracking error by receiving a part of the light reflected from the disk and a focusing error detecting device for detecting the remaining part of the light reflected from the disk, structured such that the tracking error detecting device receives 60% or more of the reflected light.

Abstract: An aluminium potline comprises rows of reduction cells with the cells arranged transversely in each row. The invention provides an asymmetric arrangement of busbars (1, 1', 2, 2') for conducting current from the upstream collector bars 16 of an aluminium electrolytic reduction cell 10 underneath the cell to the next downstream cell 12 in the row. One or more of the busbars is displaced longitudinally of the cell towards the end facing a magnetically dominating neighboring row of cells. The extent of the displacement is such as to counteract the magnetic field induced by the neighboring row.

Abstract: A printer system using a cassette housing therein printing ribbon is provided. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cassette provided with an electrically conductive sheet for preventing the cassette from accumulating charge. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal printing process in which a heat-sensitive ink ribbon is separated away from a recording medium while the ink is still half-melted thereby allowing to prevent a printed image from becoming reflective. In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer system in which a printing ribbon is extended as inclined with respect to a recording medium such that the printing ribbon is separated farther away from the recording medium in a printing direction.