Abstract: The present invention relates to a spill resistant keyboard including at least one conduit to permit a spilled liquid to drain through the keyboard without damaging the keyboard's electronics. The conduit is positioned along a sloped surface located along a front edge of a recessed area of the keyboard to promote the drainage of the spilled liquid through the conduit. The keyboard also includes water protection walls positioned around certain elongated keys prevent the spilled liquid from entering the body of the keyboard.

Abstract: A decorative cover for a computer monitor made of a pliable material that enables it to be placed over a computer monitor to protect it from hazardous elements. The decorative cover is also in the form of an animal that will enhance the appeal of the computer to a given group of computer users. There is also a conductive material disposed inside of the decorative cover that helps discharge electrostatic charges from the computer monitor when the cover is placed over the monitor and in contact with a ground.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image formation method using electrophotography, comprising the steps of supplying a developer by a developing device (17) onto a photosensitive drum (11) in rotation to form a toner image thereon, transferring the formed toner image onto a transfer paper to form an image on the transfer paper, and removing untransferred developer by use of a cleaning blade (21), wherein an OPC photosensitive drum (11) is used for the photosensitive drum and includes a photosensitive layer (27) being formed on an electrically conductive base (25) and having an initial thickness which is a value within a range of 20 to 50 &mgr;m, and wherein the amount X of reduction in the thickness of the photosensitive layer (27) in the OPC photosensitive drum (11) satisfies the following expression (1) 0.5 &mgr;m<30X/R<1.

Abstract: In an electroluminescent element having at least two light-emitting parts, the electric interconnection is ensured in the part in which the light-emitting parts are connected, and the electric short-circuiting in that part is prevented. In the electroluminescent element comprising a light-emitting part A and a light-emitting part B, a flexible, insulating resin layer 5 is provided in the connecting part C in which the two parts A and B are connected. In this, the transparent electrode 2 and the back electrode 6 in the connecting part C are prevented from being cracked owing to the layer 5 existing in the part C. As the means for compensating the electric interconnection between the light-emitting parts in the device, provided are a transparent electrode leading part 9 and a back electrode leading part 10 both of resin binder-containing ink layers.

Abstract: In a quartz oscillation circuit, electric current flowing through a quartz oscillator is reduced. Resistors Rg and Rd are provided respectively in any of paths formed by an output terminal, a capacitance element Cd and a power supply terminal VDD of a CMOS inverter 2 and any of paths formed by an input terminal, a capacitance element Cg and a power supply terminal VDD, thereby reducing a current flowing through a quartz oscillator. In particular, the total value of the resistors Rd and Rg is determined in a range of from 10&OHgr; to 320&OHgr;, thereby reducing a quartz current and obtaining a required negative resistance.

Abstract: An improved delta sigma digital-to-analog converter in which the thermometer code, which is output from a thermometer code converter, is divided into P blocks for every Q bits. An arrangement of the blocks is shifted in rotation by a barrel shifter at a frequency fs. Along with this, an arrangement of bits within each block is shifted in rotation by a shift register at a frequency of Q times fs. The bits within the code thus obtained are provided to local DACs, each specified to correspond to each of the given bits. In this manner, it is possible to maintain a lower operating frequency while at the same time to reducing the distortion in the output caused by a change in shifting the data in rotation in the local DACs, which change occurs depending on bit levels of the data in a form of the thermometer code.

Abstract: There is disclosed an oscillator circuit in which the first capacitor is connected between the input side of a CMOS inverter in a quartz oscillator circuit and a higher potential side, the second load capacitor is connected between the input side of the inverter and a lower potential side, the third load capacitor is connected between the output side of the inverter and the higher potential side, and the fourth load capacitor is connected between the output side of the inveter and the lower potential side, so that variation in amplitudes of the voltage sources synchronized with the oscillation can be reduced with the realization of lower current consumption.

Abstract: A variable inductor with a saturable core having three legs, including a center leg and two outer legs. A control winding is wound on the center leg and two outer windings are connected in parallel and wound on the outer legs. The inductances of the windings on the outer legs vary with the current through the control winding. The current through the control winding varies the saturation level of the outer legs. In one embodiment, the inductance of the control winding is substantially constant with a change in current in the control winding. In another embodiment, the outer legs are saturated and the center leg is not saturated. Portions of the core connecting the three legs are tapered down from the cross-section of the center leg to the cross-sections of the outer legs. The invention further includes methods of varying the inductance of an inductive circuit element in accordance with a control current.

Abstract: A multimode mobile telephone apparatus incorporating a transmitter; a receiver; a display unit; a dial input portion; and wireless communication means for a plurality of communication methods to establish communication with a base station, wherein the multimode mobile telephone apparatus is sectioned into single-mode portable terminals 2a and 2b with which communication is established with the base station for each communication method, a transmitter, a receiver, a display unit and a dial input portion of each of the single-mode portable terminals 2a and 2b are integrated into one shared MMI portable terminal 1, and local wireless communication means 43a, 43b, 21 is provided which establishes communication between the single-mode portable terminals 2a or 2b and the MMI portable terminal 1 by a wireless method, and selection and connection with an arbitrary single-mode portable terminals 2a or 2b are performed from the MMI portable terminal 1 through the local wireless communication means 21.

Abstract: Multifunction key switch in which a multifunction key 6 is fitted into a hole 4 formed in a front case 3 so as to be able to pivotally move in a thicknesswise direction of the front case 3, as well as to enter a plurality of different operation instructions. A hole 8 is formed so as to penetrate through the multifunction key actuation section 6 in the thicknesswise direction of the front case 3. An execution key actuation section 7 is fitted into the hole 8 and determines the operation instruction entered by way of the multifunction key actuation section 6 when being pressed in the thicknesswise direction of the front case 3.

Abstract: There is provided a D-type flip-flop circuit which is improved in terms of operating frequency. First and second current supplying circuits are provided as sources for supplying currents to first and third differential circuits for inputting data and to second and fourth differential circuits for holding data in a master circuit and a slave circuit. Further, timing for supplying the currents to the respective differential circuits for inputting and holding data are controlled by first and second clock signals, respectively. The D-type flip-flop circuit is improved in terms of operating frequency by optimizing timing for writing input data and timing for holding data by arranging the first clock signal so as to have a certain delay with respect to the second clock signal. Further, the D-type flip-flop circuit is improved with respect to the operating frequency also by optimizing the value of the currents supplied to the respective differential circuits.

Abstract: A switching power supply system is disclosed for powering electrical equipment while minimizing disturbance to an AC power line source. The system includes first and second AC switches which are operated at alternate intervals with respect to each other to permit current to flow between the AC power line source and the load over intervals of the AC voltage cycle. An energy storage element is included in an output filter and stores energy during intervals of the AC voltage cycle and releases the stored energy during the alternate intervals of the AC voltage cycle. By the disclosed switching power supply, the voltage applied to the load and the current flow between the source and the load are sinusoidal, have minimal energy in frequencies other than the fundamental AC power line frequency, have minimal harmonic distortion, result in a power factor close to unity, and are steady and non fluctuating.