Abstract: A method for reducing spatter in the short-circuit transfer gas shielded arc welding is disclosed. In this method, the resistance changing rate or the impedance changing rate of the welding circuit loop is detected for estimating the diameter of the short-circuit liquid bridge. When the diameter of the short-circuit liquid bridge shrinks to the preset value, the short-circuit bridge current is bypassed or shunted by the current closed loop feedback bypass control, and the current is decreased to a very low level rapidly and maintained this level until the bridge is broken, which results in a gentle and smooth drop transfer in a low current level condition, so as to avoid the mass spatter. Furthermore, a system for performing the method has also been disclosed.

Abstract: A laser energy microinscribing system, comprising a semiconductor excited Q-switched solid state laser energy source; a cut gemstone mounting system, allowing optical access to a mounted workpiece; an optical system for focusing laser energy from the laser energy source onto a cut gemstone; a displaceable stage for moving said gemstone mounting system with respect to said optical system so that said focused laser energy is presented to desired positions on said gemstone, having a control input; an imaging system for viewing the gemstone from a plurality of vantage points; and a rigid frame supporting said laser, said optical system and said stage in fixed relation, to resist differential movements of said laser, said optical system and said stage and increase immunity to vibrational misalignments. The laser energy source is preferably a semiconductor diode excited Q-switched Nd:YLF laser with a harmonic converter having an output of about 530 nm.

Abstract: A piano hammer comprises an elongate hammer head having a nose portion defining side surfaces and a felt covering extending about the nose portion with tail portions of the felt covering affixed to the side surfaces. The felt covering defines a substantially elliptical peripheral surface from a top region for striking a piano string to front and back regions. An elongate strip is arranged on the peripheral surface of the felt covering in the top region, extending along the front and back regions to points beyond the hammer equator. This strip or “voicing tape” is made of a synthetic non-woven fabric material, preferably of the type sold under the registered trademark Pellon.

Abstract: An organic EL display and a fabrication method high in light extraction efficiency are disclosed, wherein a plurality of organic layers interposed between an emissive layer and a reflective layer can be collectively formed for a plurality of subpixels, thereby reducing the number of mask processes for a lower fabrication cost and higher productivity. The organic EL display comprises a plurality of organic EL cells classified into at least three types of blue light emission, green light emission and red light emission, each including a plurality of organic layers having an emissive layer, a reflective electrode deposited on the first main surface of the organic layers and a transparent electrode deposited on the second main surface of the organic layer. The organic EL cells for green light emission and red light emission have an optical transparent conductive film interposed between the reflective electrode and the organic layer.

Abstract: The need for a more-readily usable interface for programmable devices is widely recognized. The present invention relates to programmable sequencing devices, or, more particularly, the remote controls for consumer electronic devices. The present invention provides an enhanced interface for facilitating human input of a desired control sequence in a programmable device by employing specialized visual feedback. The present invention also relates to a new interface and method of interfacing with a programmable device, which is usable as an interface for a programmable video cassette recorder.

Abstract: A wipe, comprising a hollow shell formed of a flexible sheet, having a first end and a second end having a cuff; and at least one side port, the side port being formed in a wall of the shell at a distance from the sealed first end, the hollow shell being adapted for at least one of cleaning, wiping, polishing, applying a liquid to a surface, and treating a surface, the cuff being adapted to retain the hollow shell about the wrist of a human wearer, and the at least one side port being adapted for insertion of a human thumb therethrough when the hollow absorbent fabric shell is placed over a human hand. The hollow shell is preferably an absorbent fabric.

Abstract: Current methods of embedding hidden data in an image inevitably distort the original image by noise. This distortion cannot generally be removed completely because of quantization, bit-replacement, or truncation at the grayscales 0 and 255. The distortion, though often small, may make the original image unacceptable for medical applications, or for military and law enforcement applications where an image must be inspected under unusual viewing conditions (e.g., after filtering or extreme zoom). The present invention provides high-capacity embedding of data that is lossless (or distortion-free) because, after embedded information is extracted from a cover image, we revert to an exact copy of the original image before the embedding took place. This new technique is a powerful tool for a variety of tasks, including lossless robust watermarking, lossless authentication with fragile watermarks, and steganalysis. The technique is applicable to raw, uncompressed formats (e.g., BMP, PCX, PGM, RAS, etc.

Abstract: The present invention provides a five-simultaneously-working axis computerized numerical controlling system tooth cutting machine tool for toroidal worms, comprising two parts a body of the machine tool and a controlling cabinet. The body comprises a bed, a spindle box with a spindle, a longitudinal sliding table, a traverse slider, a vertical guideway mounted on the slider and a tailstock, a cutter rest that supports a rotating cutter head is mounted on the vertical guideway. The spindle rotates about A-axis thereof, the table longitudinally slides along Y-axis relative to the bed, the cutter head rotates about B-axis thereof and transversely shifts X-axis as well as the cutter head makes up or down shift along Z-axis of the vertical guideway.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for treating fuel to temporarily reduce its combustibility, and thereafter restore its combustibility. As used in an aircraft, the method comprises the following steps: (a) treating aircraft engine fuel to substantially reduce its combustibility in open air; (b) carrying the treated fuel in a fuel tank of an aircraft; (c) increasing the combustibility of a portion of the treated fuel, as needed by the aircraft engine; and (d) supplying the increased restored combustibility fuel to the aircraft engine. Using this method, the preponderance of the fuel on board the aircraft is maintained at low combustibility for safety.

Abstract: A method for controlling footwear, comprising cushioning a transient force during use of the footwear at a first period of a gait cycle, storing energy from said cushioning, and releasing the stored energy during use of the footwear at a second period of the gait cycle, and after said transient force has subsided. The control can be electronic, mechanical or hydraulic, and is preferably dependent on a sensed gait cycle phase. The control may be adaptive to the user or the use of the footwear. The stored energy can be used to assist in locomotion, to generate electrical energy, to drive a heat pump, or simply dissipated.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for eliminating HIV in human blood and a device for treating AIDS with non-pharmacotherapy. The method includes (1) pumping the blood containing HIV virus into a soft thin plastic tube while adding air through a T-tube at a definite frequency so that the blood is evenly divided into very small blood droplets (2) introducing the small blood droplets into a screw-shaped quartz tube and exposing the quartz tube under a definite dosage of radiation to kill the HIV virus in the blood droplets is (3) collecting the treated blood in a storage bottle. Results show that after the HIV infected blood is divided into very small blood droplets and is irradiated with a definite dosage of ultraviolet (253.7 nm) for 90 seconds, more than 92% HIV loads in the blood is eliminated, while the lymphocyte (CD4+), erythrocyte, leucocyte and haemoglobin remain almost unchanged.

Abstract: A mouthpiece assembly for a woodwind musical instrument comprising a mouthpiece body defining an air conduit extending therethrough, a reed placement surface defined on the mouthpiece body adjacent said air conduit, a pair of extensions, integral to and extending from the body of the mouthpiece on opposed sides of the reed placement surface with respect to an opening of the air conduit, and a mechanism for selectively applying a compressive force to a reed placed over the opening of the air conduit, with respect to the body of the mouthpiece, generating to a tensile force applied to each of said pair of extensions, to selectively retain the reed in position. The present design provides advantageous acoustic properties for the mouthpiece, and further provides for advantageous placement of an electronic pickup for receiving the output of the instrument.