Abstract: A dough mixer has a dough material feeding inlet and a dough discharging outlet at upper and lower portions of a housing, in which a mixing member is disposed. The dough mixer further includes at least one metal shutter member for opening and closing the dough material feeding inlet and the dough discharging outlet, and a guide rail member contacting of the at least one of metal shutter member for guiding motion of the shutter member through an established motion path, the guide rail member being formed of a synthetic resin. The at least one shutter member for removing a dough material in the motion path of the shutter expels compressed air at its tip.

Abstract: A system and method for upgrading a computer is disclosed. Certain essential chips present in the original computer system are functionally, but not necessarily physically, removed from the computer system. Functions which would otherwise be performed by the original chips are instead performed by higher-performance chips on a plug-in module which is plugged into the computer system. The functional removal of the certain chips from the original computer system is achieved through simple insertion of the plug-in module. No replacement or substitution of original chips or boards is necessary. Furthermore, upgraded computer systems may be further upgraded by replacement of a first plug-in module with a second plug-in module with different performance characteristics.

Abstract: An improved user terminal specifically designed for use in the home for accessing a wide variety of service computers is disclosed. The terminal comprises a single board computer including a microprocessor remotely reconfigurable programmable gate array logic, several types of solid-state memory, and various input-output units. The programmable gate array forms the logical connection between the microprocessor, the memory, and the input-output elements, and allows the computer to functionally mimic an IBM Personal Computer, thus allowing it to run a wide variety of software. The programmable gate array can be remotely reconfigured, and a so-called FLASH-EPROM memory is used to store reconfiguration code. This allows the hardware to be reconfigured remotely in order to add additionally function, or to cure a particular problem such as to prevent a "virus" or the like from attacking the system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a semiconductor device which comprises: an n.sup.- type buried collector provided on an n type silicon epitaxial layer disposed in an emitter opening; an n.sup.- type silicon collector disposed on said collector; a p.sup.+ type single crystal silicon intrinsic base layer; and an n.sup.+ type single crystal silicon emitter wherein said p.sup.+ type single crystal silicon intrinsic base layer is connected with a p.sup.+ type base electrode polycrystalline silicon through a p.sup.+ type polycrystalline silicon graft base.

Abstract: Hypothermia therapy apparatus comprises an inflatable blanket having a cavity therein, and a neck extending outwardly of the perimeter of the blanket body, the interior of the neck being in communication with the cavity. A nozzle is also provided, the forward portion of the nozzle being receivable in the outer end of the neck, and the rearward portion of the nozzle is connectable with a source of air. The nozzle includes an engagement mechanism for engaging at least a portion of the exterior surface of the neck. The engagement mechanism comprises a spring clip normally biased in the closed position and selectively openable to receive a portion of the neck thereunder. The forward portion of the nozzle is frusto-conical to facilitate insertion into the open end of the neck, and the neck is dimensioned to loosely engage the intermediate portion of the nozzle. A connector is provided for removably connecting an air hose to the rearward portion of the nozzle.

Abstract: A column adapted to be used in a modular construction system for office furniture, comprises a lower portion configured to support a horizontal working surface of the modular construction system and defines a guiding channel for guiding wires connected to electrical apparatus received on the horizontal working surface, and an upper portion positioned above and extending beyond the lower portion and defines a guiding channel for the wires connected to the electrical apparatus. A pair of adjoining vertical walls of the upper portion define a rear corner. The vertical walls have vertical edges which have grooves therein. A connector block is slidably movable in the rear corner of the upper portion. The connector block has a plurality of electrical connectors mounted therein as an assembly. The connector block is selectively removable at will. A vertical front face is slidably mounted along the grooves in a vertical edges of the vertical walls.

Abstract: The natural product cephalomannine can be converted to the important anticancer natural product taxol by a simple process involving the steps of hydrogenation, benzoylation at the C-2'-position, protection of the C-7 position, and reaction with oxalyl chloride, followed by reaction with diphenylcarbodiimide and deprotection. The same process can be applied to mixtures of taxol and cephalomannine, thus obviating the need for the separation of these closely related compounds. In addition, the selection of an acylating reagent other than the benzoyl group allows the preparation of taxol analogs with other N-acyl substituents.

Abstract: A cordless automatic answering telephone set includes a base station that guides terminal-designation-call codes of the base station and a mobile station associated with the base station, and each of base station and the mobile station can send outgoing messages and record incoming messages. The cordless automatic answering telephone is superior in that the privacy of the user of each of the base and mobile stations can be protected, and the user of each of the base and mobile stations can utilize a selective response function for making a response only to a special person who knows the control signal.

Abstract: A method for classifying character line patterns in a dictionary, includes the steps of: (a) obtaining a first class to which one or a plurality of first line patterns belong; (b) obtaining a second class to which one or a plurality of second line patterns belong, each of the first and second line patterns being characterized by structural information, (c) determining whether or not the structural information of the first line pattern and the structural information of the second line pattern are similar to each other in accordance with a predetermined rule; and (d) combining the first and second classes with each other when the step (c) determines that the structural information of the first line pattern and the structural information of the second line pattern are similar to each other, so that a new class is obtained, to which the first and second line patterns belong.

Abstract: A power amplifier for use in medical and veterinary testing and therapy. A tunable pulse-width-modulated signal generator is connected to a gating element to provide a digital waveform suitable for comprehensive control of the waveform shape and average output power provided by the apparatus. The digital waveform controls a power driver. Through use of a high-Q resonant circuit including a capacitor and a primary winding of a coil assembly, a voltage of about 150-400 volts is increased to about 10 kilovolts at the primary winding. The coil assembly has a secondary:primary turns ratio of 10:1, resulting in a signal of about 100 kilovolts at the output of the secondary winding. This arrangement produces a corona discharge at a discharge pin connected to the secondary winding. A manual tuning embodiment and a self-tuning embodiment are disclosed.

Abstract: A digital image processor generates a digital signal responsive to an image signal representing a predetermined font demarcated by an outline, by which digital signal a digital image corresponding to the predetermined font is expressed on picture elements by using the luminance of each picture element, the digital image processor using a matrix having matrix elements corresponding to the picture elements, on which matrix the predetermined font can be expressed. The digital image processor digitalizes the image signal to determine the luminance of each picture element by using the matrix and an antialiasing process.

Abstract: A direct resistance heating electrical furnace of the type in which a bed of electrically conductive elements are located between two spaced electrodes in the furnace, and a method of controlling the operation of same, are provided. The furnace is of the type having a generally tubular heating chamber with a pair of spaced electrodes associated therewith and conveniently located one at each end of the tubular heating chamber. The furnace has feed or discharge control means and the rate of feed or discharge is controlled according to the electrical resistance or current flow between the electrodes. No temperature measurement is required to control the furnace operation.

Abstract: A disc filtering apparatus for filtering liquids, such as fiber pulps suspensions, includes hollow filter discs, each of which has two opposed side walls of filter material. A plurality of circumferentially spaced support arms extend within each hollow filter disc, for supporting the side walls of filter material. Between the support arms, each side wall of filter material is supported by at least one wire member extending substantially along the filter disc and attached to the support arms.

Abstract: Means are provided for supplying a liquid surfactant solution, for supplying a gas under pressure, for mixing the liquid surfactant solution and the pressurized gas to form a liquid coarse dispersion of relatively large gas bubbles, and for receiving the liquid coarse dispersion to generate a liquid fine dispersion of relatively small micron-size gas bubbles.

Abstract: The invention relates to an improvement in a funfair ride and in particular one which comprises a rocking ship. The ride, of the type mounted on the plane (1a) of a transportable carriage (1) comprises a pair of telescopic uprights (2) to which a frame is connected, the frame comprising a shaft (3) and a pair of levers (4) having equal arms, which frame rotates about the axis of the shaft (3) and which bears a ship (5) connected to the levers and in its turn rotating about an axis parallel to the shaft (3); the height of the uprights (2), their extension, the length of the arms of the levers (4) and the maximum height of the ship (5) have a size conformation and relationship such as to permit of compacting the ride into transportable dimensions, without disconnecting among themselves the various pieces that compose the ride.

Abstract: A bearing device for supporting a rotary body relative to a fixed portion in a noncontact state includes a superconducting bearing assembly comprising an annular permanent magnet portion fixedly mounted on the rotary body concentrically therewith and an annular superconductor portion disposed as opposed to the permanent magnet portion. A magnetic bearing assembly is disposed axially away from the superconducting bearing assembly and comprises electromagnets for controlling the position of the rotary body with respect to two radial directions orthogonal to each other.

Abstract: A method provides for extracting features from a handwritten character which is input to an on-line input device. The on-line input device successively outputs stroke information indicating points on strokes of the handwritten character. The method includes a first step of detecting strokes of the handwritten character based on the stroke information. Thereafter, singular points are detected, based on the stroke information. Each of the singular points is defined as a pair of points on the strokes of the handwritten character which are written at different times but have substantially the same coordinates. Then, primitive sequences forming each of the strokes are obtained, and a connective relationship between each two formative sequences of each of the strokes is determined. Finally, the structure of each of the singular points is determined.