Abstract: Methods are disclosed for producing multi-layer peelable sheaths having formed tips, for use as medical introducer devices, e.g., sheaths for inserting a catheter or the like into a patient. The methods include the steps of preparing a first composition blend for forming an inner layer of the multi-layer sheath, preparing a second composition blend for forming an outermost layer of the multi-layer sheath, combining the first and the second composition blends into a multi-layer pre-form, processing the multi-layer pre-form for producing tubing, and forming a tip at one end of the tubing using a thermal process, thereby producing the multi-layer sheath having the inner layer, the outermost layer, and the formed tip. The methods of the present invention include adding a detectable material to the blend used for making the inner layer for facilitating external visualization of the multi-layer sheath, thereby achieving a sheath with a formed tip having no visible discoloration.

Abstract: An adjustable golf ball tee has a base embedded under a commercial mat and an adjustable support unit placed perpendicularly within the base through the aperture in the center of the base. The adjustable support unit comprises vertical ribs to absorb shock at impact from a golf club. A second support unit also capable of being adjusted in height is placed within the first unit. The lower end of the second unit has an arrowhead structure slightly larger than the width of the aperture of the first unit to prevent its disassociation from the first unit. The top end of the second unit has a concave structure in order to accommodate a golf ball. The first unit can be adjusted to a height beyond the top of the base. The second unit can be adjusted in height beyond the top of the first unit. The adjustable golf tee is made of synthetic material such as rubber or of thermoplastic material, which will endure repeated striking with a golf club.

Abstract: A developing device and a blade of the developing device, includes a contact section which is in plane contact with a development roller, and an inclined section which extends from an end of the contact section so as to form a flare at an inflow section of a one-component developer between the blade and development roller. When a flare angle between the blade having the flare and a line tangent to the development roller is denoted by a tilt angle &thgr;, 30°≦&thgr;≦90°. Thus, if the flare angle at the inflow section of the one-component developer between the blade and development roller is optimized, even when the one-component developer deteriorates with time, for example, the flowability is changed with time, it is possible to provide a developing device and a blade of the developing device capable of forming a one-component developer layer with an extremely stable deposit of one-component developer.

Abstract: Machine for competition and entertainment through impulse of an object with three-dimensional freedom of movement where two teams of participants play a game, one team on either side shooting an object with three-dimensional freedom of movement (1.3) to one another. The object moves on a gameboard (1.1) until one team fails to repel it, thus scoring points for one of the participants. Repulsion of the object originates from a repulsion sector (1.9) from which, by working a group of controls (1.7 and 1.8), movement can be provoked. The mobile object (1.3) has freedom within a zone where it is controlled by a mechanical system (1.6) where the movements are produced as a result of the action of motive elements which are governed by a control unit according to the position of the mobile object, the position of the repulsion sector and the operation of the controls.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polyamide resin composition comprising 100 parts by weight of a polyamide resin and 0.001 to 2 parts by weight of at least two kinds of fillers having different average particle sizes from each other, an average particle size of a filler having minimum average particle size in said at least two kinds of fillers being 0.001 to 2 &mgr;m, an average particle size of a filler having maximum average particle size in said at least two kinds of fillers being more than 2 &mgr;m and not more than 15 &mgr;m, said at least two kinds of fillers having the following particle size distribution: (a) 20 to 90% by weight of a filler having a particle size of not more than 2 &mgr;m, (b) 0 to 15% by weight of a filler having a particle size of more than 2 &mgr;m and less than 3 &mgr;m, and (c) 10 to 80% by weight of a filler having a particle size of not less than 3 &mgr;m.

Abstract: The present invention provides polyester/polyurethane/vinyl dioxolane based coating compositions containing no or essentially no volatile organic components. Oligomers for forming the coating compositions of the present invention are vinyl dioxolane end-capped polyesters and polyurethane oligomers.

Abstract: A flip-chip package technology is proposed for use to fabricate a dual-chip integrated circuit package that includes two semiconductor chips in a single package unit, which is characterized in the forming of a flash-barrier structure that can help prevent the underfill material used in flip-chip underfill process from flashing to other unintended areas. The flash-barrier structure can be either a protruded dam structure over the underlying semiconductor chip, or a groove in a coating layer formed over the underlying semiconductor chip. During flip-chip underfill process, the flash-barrier structure can confine the underfill material within the intended area and prevent the underfill material from flowing to other unintended areas such as nearby bonding pads, so that the finished package product can be assured in quality and reliability.

Abstract: A solution containing an organic solvent and a compound including impurities, represented by, for example, general formula (1) (wherein R1 to R10 independently represent H, F, a hydrocarbon group or an alkoxy group, at least one of R1 to R5 is F, at least one of R6 to R10 is F, M is H, alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or alkaline earth metal halide, n is 3 or 4, and m is 2 when M is an alkaline earth metal, or m is 1 when M is the other) is mixed with water. The purified compound is reacted with a compound which forms a monovalent cation seed to prepare a derivative. Thus, a purifying method capable of efficiently and easily separating and removing colored components contained in tetrakis(fluoroaryl)borate compounds can be provided. Moreover, it is possible to provide a method capable of preparing a highly-pure tetrakis(fluoroaryl)borate derivative efficiently and at low costs.

Abstract: Featured is a method and device that minimize the effects of reflections from a transparent surface while viewing an object or target area through such reflective surface and which accomplishes this without affecting the crucially important accuracy of showing where a projectile from a weapon should impact a target. A method for viewing an object from a first side of a transparent medium, the first side being a reflective surface, when the object is located on an opposite side of the transparent medium, includes the steps of providing a telescopic viewing mechanism, mounting a filter at an exit aperture of the viewing mechanism and passing light from the object through the viewing mechanism and through the filter. The filter is configured to significantly attenuate light being reflected from the first side and in a particular embodiment is a polarizing filter.

Abstract: A method for preparing thermoplastic toner resins is disclosed and the toner resins produced by said method. More particularly, an emulsion polymerized resin, constituting a high molecular weight component, is used as a seed for subsequent suspension polymerization of a lower molecular weight component. The emulsion micelles are swelled with monomers and subsequent suspension polymerization produces particles where the high and low molecular weight components are interpenetrated to form a resin with a bimodal distribution of molecular weight. A toner composition is made using the resin as the main component. The resin particle has a first resin portion having a particle size in the range of about 50 to about 200 nm. and a number average molecular weight in the range of about 104 to about 107, and a second resin portion formed around the first resin portion with a number average molecular weight lower than that of said first resin portion, the resin having a polydispersity in the range of 5 to 50.

Abstract: An aromatic polycarbonate of the present invention is produced by reacting an aromatic dihydroxy compound with a compound capable of introducing a carbonate bond, and has a viscosity-average molecular weight of 12,000 to 40,000 and a content of a cyclic oligomer represented by the formula (1) of not more than 1,000 ppm, in which the percentage of the content of said cyclic oligomer represented by the formula (1) based on the total contents of the cyclic oligomer represented by the formula (1), an oligomer represented by the formula (2) and an oligomer represented by the formula (3) satisfies the following relational formula [I]: 0 < ( 1 ) ( 1 ) + ( 2 )

Abstract: The present invention relates to an oriented laminated polyester film for pasting on car windows, comprising at least three layers including intermediate layer(s) being incorporated with a dye, which laminated polyester film satisfies the following conditions simultaneously: the ratio of the dye concentration (%) in the outermost layers on both sides (CA) to the dye concentration (%) in the intermediate layer (CB) being not more than 0.5, the ratio of the sum of the thicknesses (&mgr;m) of the outermost layers (DA) to the overall thickness (&mgr;m) of the whole layers (DZ) being 0.02 to 0.8, the heat shrinkage (%) in the machine direction and transverse direction of the film when heat-treated at 180° C. for 5 minutes (SMD and STD) being 1.0 to 5.0% and not more than 2.0%, respectively, the center line average roughness (&mgr;m) of the film surface (Ra) being 0.005 to 0.05 &mgr;m, and the film haze (H, %) being not more than 5%.

Abstract: A lighting structure and method of forming a lighting structure including a light transmitting lens positioned in front of a light source, whereby the light transmitting lens has a substantially non-opaque front surface and a light receiving rear surface, and an array of substantially tubular elements positioned proximate to the substantially non-opaque front surface of the lens. The lighting structure may further include a reflective surface that projects light from the light source to the rear surface of the light transmitting lens and through the light transmitting lens. When the lighting structure is turned off, the array of substantially tubular elements is capable of making lighting structure appear to be a part of the surrounding surface in which the lighting structure is embedded. When the lighting structure is turned on, the array of substantially tubular elements masks the sight of the light source and shields a viewer's eyes from the glare of the reflector.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing a polyester film containing a incompatible polymer, comprising: using a vented twin-screw extruder having a material feed port and vents in the cylinder, and melt-extruding a substantially undried polyester together with a polymer incompatible with said polyester, which melt-extruding is conducted under the condition that the content of said incompatible polymer is not less than 1 wt % based on the total output based on unit time (kg/hr), and the total output Q, extruder screw speed N (rpm) and cylinder bore D (mm) satisfy the following formula 2.6×10−6×D2.8≦Q/N≦15.8×10−6×D2.8.

Abstract: A semiconductor fabrication apparatus for evaporating a material in a growth chamber by a molecular beam epitaxy technique to fabricate a semiconductor is provided. The apparatus includes: an ultra-high vacuum chamber including a liquid nitrogen cold trap therein, the ultra-high vacuum chamber being connected to the growth chamber via a valve; a first evacuation system including an ultra-high vacuum evacuation system, the first evacuation system being connected to the ultra-high vacuum chamber; and a second evacuation system including an evacuation system capable of conducting an evacuation operation even in a low vacuum condition, the second evacuation system being connected to the liquid nitrogen cold trap. The first evacuation system and the second evacuation system independently conduct the respective evacuation operations.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a metal paste comprising an organo- or inorganometallic compound of a metal that is a solid at ordinary temperature and belongs to group 3 through 15 of the periodic table, and an amino compound as medium, and which exhibits coatable viscosity, is provided. By using the metal paste, metal films of various types of metals or alloys can be formed inexpensively with an industrially simple process and apparatus even on various types of general-purpose, inexpensive substrates having a low softening point such as a glass, plastic, film and so forth, in addition to a ceramic substrate. In particular, the metal film can be formed easily in an ordinary pressure onto a printed wiring board or a substrate to be coated with a metal, which has a poor heat resistance.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a thermoplastic resin composition comprising: (A) 95 to 5 parts by weight of an aromatic polycarbonate, (B) 5 to 95 parts by weight of a styrene-based resin, and (C) a melt kneaded resin composition comprising a polyphenylene ether and a saturated polyester, the amount of component (C) being 1 to 50 parts by weight based on 100 parts by total weight of the components (A) and (B).