Abstract: An inexpensive enclosure providing a protected space on a beach, lawn or the like. An inflatable tube forms a wall surrounding a space having an open end, so that a user is shielded from small kicked or thrown material or objects, running pets and the like. The tubular wall has flaps extending from its bottom surface, with pouches or separate tubes which a user fills at the site to hold the enclosure in place. The enclosure may have a floor, and may have attachment portions for removably connecting an extension unit having a floor which extends beyond the open end of the space between side portions of the wall.

Abstract: A low frequency to high frequency power converter having a power feedback network from a high frequency voltage source to the low frequency input to a DC supply circuit for the high frequency voltage source. The network forms part of a feedback path which has an inductive impedance at one or more frequencies within the operational range of the high frequency source. In a fluorescent lamp ballast embodiment, feedback is from a load connection point through a path having at least an inductor and a capacitor in series. A low pass filter input to the DC supply circuit may have a shunt capacitor across the rectifier input. The feedback network may include a capacitor in series with the parallel combination of an inductor and a capacitor. In another embodiment the feedback inductor is a tapped inductor connected to the rectifier input, its two inductor portions having mutually exclusive periods of zero current flow.

Abstract: A thin-film magnetic read head device comprises an end face extending in a first direction, in which a magnetic information carrier is movable with respect to the magnetic head device, and in a second direction, perpendicular to said first direction. The magnetic head device further comprises a multilayer structure with at least two soft-magnetic layers separated by a magnetic insulation layer and with at least one exchange biasing layer, which multilayer structure extends in the second direction and in a third direction, perpendicular to the first and the second direction, and forms at least one flux path in the first and the third direction. The exchange coupling between one of the soft-magnetic layers and the exchange biasing layer is at least partly reduced locally, i.e. interrupted or at least substantially reduced, in at least the second direction, while the exchange biasing layer extends uninterruptedly in the region of said reductions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the transmission format of complex symbols in a received signal which is formatted in complex symbol blocks. Each block has a first occurrence (GIk) of a sequence of complex symbols and second occurrence (gIk) of the same sequence of complex symbols. A correlation between the first and second occurrences is effected by means of acquisition and correlation time windows, the transmission format being determined by searching for maximum correlation between the first complex symbol sequence and the second complex symbol sequence via synchronization of the windows with the received signal so that the windows select the first occurrence and the second occurrence of complex symbols, respectively. Particularly useful in a digital transmission system employing Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM).

Abstract: A local area network with a plurality of nodes for transmitting cells in the asynchronous transfer mode over a ring system having two opposite direction rings. In the event of a defect in a transmitting line from a node, or a defect in a neighboring node, a loop is formed in this node to reroute messages from one ring to the other. First, a node detecting a defect transmits a message of a first type to all other involved nodes, identifying the location of the detected defect. This information is entered in a respective status table in each node. After evaluating the information in its status table, a node which should form a loop does so, and sends a message of a second type identifying the loop to any nodes which do not already have this information.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive magnetic field sensor comprises a bilayer with a first soft magnetic layer and in direct contact therewith a second soft magnetic layer. The layers are exchange coupled to one another. The second soft magnetic layer is located below, on or in the first soft magnetic layer in a meandering, spiraling or suchlike structure. The electrical resistivity of the first soft magnetic layer is higher than that of the second soft magnetic layer, while the difference in electrical resistivity between both soft magnetic layers is at least a factor of 10, preferably a factor of 100. The magnetoresistive magnetic field sensor is applied in a magnetic read head device for a recording information system.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a multilayer film consisting of a stack of primary soft-magnetic layers and secondary non-magnetic layers on a substrate by way of reactive sputtering, use is made of one type of target at least as regards composition for alternately depositing a primary and a secondary layer, which target is particularly made of an FeHf alloy. For performing a sputtering process, use is preferably made of a gas mixture of Ar and O2 in which the quantity of O2 in the gas mixture is controllable and is smaller for sputtering the soft-magnetic layers than for sputtering the non-magnetic layers.

Abstract: The control panel of a telephone set is detachable from a base station portion of the set. The control panel and base station can communicate mutually cordlessly, or the control panel can be connected for communication independent of the cordless facility. The control panel includes an interactive display panel with a touch screen and a graphic tablet, and control electronics for the display panel. Telephone numbers, spoken and written messages can be transmitted via the touch screen with a finger, or via the graphic tablet with a special pen.

Abstract: The invention relates to a dynamic groove bearing (9) comprising an internal bearing part (23) and an external bearing part (17) which are rotatable relatively to each other about an axis of rotation (7), a bearing surface (31, 35) of one of the bearing parts comprising two grooves for co-operation with a bearing surface (39) of the other bearing part. The groove bearing further comprises a reservoir made from a porous material for a lubricant which is present between the bearing surfaces. According to the invention, the reservoir is mounted between the two groove patterns, viewed in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation. In this manner, a uniform supply of the lubricant from the reservoir to the two groove patterns is obtained, while also the number of parts of the groove bearing is limited. In a preferred embodiment, the reservoir comprises a ring-shaped body (29) which is made from the porous material and mounted in the external bearing part.

Abstract: A dictation system is disclosed comprising a hand held dictation device (1) for storing a speech signal in memory means (15,20), the device comprising data compression means (30) for data compressing the speech signal into a data compressed speech signal and storing means for storing the data compressed speech signal in the memory means. The data compression means (30) are adapted to carry out a data compression step on the speech signal in one of at least two different data compression modes, the at least two different data compression modes resulting in different data compression ratios when applied to the same speech signal, the said at least two different data compression modes being selectable by a user.

Abstract: A power converter for providing high frequency current to a load such as a fluorescent lamp. A rectifier circuit provides DC power to a half-bridge inverter whose output is connected to one end of a resonant load circuit. One load connection is at the other end of the load circuit, and is connected to one AC-side terminal of the rectifier circuit to provide current feedback. A voltage feedback capacitor is connected between the other AC-side rectifier circuit terminal and the other load connection. The two feedback paths contribute equivalent components to charging current for a bulk capacitor for the DC power to the inverter. Excellent fluorescent lamp ballast performance is obtained with constant inverter frequency, and with either full bridge or voltage doubler embodiments.

Abstract: A transmission system comprises a plurality of network nodes which for receiving and transmitting packets which contain connection-related status information about the transmission system. A network node comprises at least one evaluation unit which stores status information extracted from a packet in a table. Furthermore, irrespective of the order of the received packets, the evaluation unit determines current, connection-related statuses in a given order for each connection, based upon the statuses also stored in the table and determined thus far, as well as on the received connection-related status information signals.

Abstract: The invention relates to a packet switching system comprising at least a coupling device which comprises a main memory for buffering packets arriving by auxiliary lines, a main memory controller for generating addresses for the packets to be stored in the main memory and for controlling the write and read operations of the packets and a demulfiplexer controlled by the main memory controller for transporting the packets by trunk lines. The main memory controller comprises an address memory for producing an address for a write operation, buffers assigned to each trunk line, for buffering the addresses produced by the address memory, and a decoding device. The decoding device is provided for selecting a buffer for an address to be stored in dependence on the destination of the packet, for selecting a buffer for producing an address for the read operation from the main memory and for accordingly controlling the demultiplexer.

Abstract: A transparent sheet is provided on both sides with a lenticular array (4,). The embossments (7) of at least one of the arrays (6) has a cross-section showing at least two bends (11-14), thereby improving the visibility of the Moire pattern formed by the two arrays. The sheet may be used as an anti-counterfeit mark.

Abstract: A magnet-head device for a magnetic-tape apparatus having a rotatably supported head disc carrying magnetic heads (10) at its periphery. A magnetic head has lateral additional limbs (12) which extend into the path of the magnetic tape (14), so that their end faces (12a) form a common contact face with the end face (11a) of the magnetic head (10).

Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetic-tape-cassette apparatus having a loading mechanism for loading the magnetic-tape cassette from an eject position into a play position and having a magnetic head transport mechanism for moving a magnetic head. To guarantee a trouble-free operation of the magnetic head transport mechanism latching means have been provided in order to latch the magnetic head transport mechanism in dependence upon the position of the loading mechanism.

Abstract: A scanning device for a tape cassette having a coupling element at an end of the tape which can be pulled from the cassette in a pull-out direction by a pull-out element in the device. The coupling element couples to the pull-out element as a result of relative movement of the cassette with respect to the pull-out element in a direction transverse to a main wall of the cassette, so as to form an assembly having a circular segment cross-section which can engage in a corresponding recess of a take-up reel in the device. The pull-out element is held in a standby position by a holder which is pivotably connected to the device housing.

Abstract: A device such as a cassette recorder of a computer has a wall portion formed with a loading aperture for introduction of standard-type objects, such as a magnetic-tape cassette or a cassette for an optical or magnetic disc. To prevent damage or incorrect operation, the device includes a blocking mechanism which blocks the introduction of objects having a smaller width and/or height. A spring urges a partially inserted object in a direction parallel to the dimension or dimensions to be sensed.

Abstract: A cassette having a reel which is movable axially away from the cassette bottom wall to a drive position against the force of a spring. When in a rest position the reel is locked against rotation by a latching device which is arranged completely inside the cassette. A blocking device adjacent the reel hub prevents movement of the reel axially. Upon movement of a reel drive device into the cassette, the blocking device is moved to a release position so that the reel can be moved axially to a drive position in which the latch device is inoperative.

Abstract: Loading mechanism for loading and unloading an information disc into or from an information-technology apparatus in which first and second guides have respective first and second grooves each provided for engaging the edges of the information disc, and the second guide includes a rotationally drivable transport wheel which rolls the information disc into and out of the apparatus along a loading plane for the purpose of loading and unloading, and the first guide and the second guide are supported so as to be movable, and the first groove and second groove each have respective pressure faces inclined relative to the loading plane, and the first and second grooves each having a circumferential bottom surface and a minimum gap dimension where the respective circumferential bottom surfaces each extend substantially perpendicularly to the loading plane, and the respective minimum gap dimensions are each selected to be smaller than the thickness of the information disc, and wherein, during the loading process, the c