Abstract: Diode devices with superior and pre-settable characteristics and of nanometric dimensions, comprise etched insulative lines (8, 16, 18) in a conductive substrate to define between the lines charge carrier flow paths, formed as elongate channels (20) at least 100 nm long and less than 100 nm wide. The current-voltage characteristic of the diode devices are similar to a conventional diode, but both the threshold voltage (from 0V to a few volts) and the current level (from nA to ?A) can be tuned by orders of magnitude by changing the device geometry. Standard silicon wafers can be used as substrates. A full family of logic gates, such as OR, AND, and NOT, can be constructed based on this device solely by simply etching insulative lines in the substrate.

Abstract: A sense amplifier is constructed to reduce the occurrence of malfunctions in a memory read operation, and thus degraded chip yield, due to increased offset of the sense amplifier with further sealing down. The sense amplifier circuit is constructed with a plurality of pull-down circuits and a pull-up circuit, and a transistor in one of the plurality of pull-down circuits has a constant such as a channel length or a channel width larger than that of a transistor in another pulldown circuit. The pull-down circuit with a larger constant of a transistor is first activated, and then, the other pull-down circuit and the pull-up circuit are activated to perform the read operation.

Abstract: A method and device for configuring a firewall in a computer system employing a rule for controlling access between a source resource and a destination resource only if said source and destination resources belong to the same protection domain. At a central configuration machine, an access control rule is specified, including a scope, for each resource group, the scope, and thus the access control rule is capable of being interpreted by each of the plurality of firewalls differently depending on the value of the scope and network resource characteristics associated with each of the plurality of firewalls.

Abstract: An outer column (21) is held between a tension member (13) and brackets (12) by operating a lever (L), thereby making it possible to block displacements of fixing members (16, 17) along tilt grooves (12a). An inner column (11) is held to the brackets (12) through the outer column (21), whereby the displacements of the fixing members (16, 17) along telescopic grooves (11a) can be blocked. A steering shaft (S) can be thereby fixed in a tilting direction and a telescoping direction. The brackets (12) apply a pressing force to the inner column (11) through flange portions (21c, 21d) of the outer column (21) by operating the lever (L), and the inner column (11) receives the pressing force in a direction opposite to a direction in which the tension member (13) approaches. As rigidities of the pair of brackets (12) are approximately equal, a central position of the inner column (11) can be therefore kept substantially fixed. Hence, an axis deviation of the steering shaft (S) can be effectively restrained.

Abstract: In a double-wrap band brake assembly, an intermediate band is provided with a first friction material forming a first friction surface from a portion of the intermediate band near an apply bracket to a predetermined intermediate portion thereof, the first friction surface working for forming a lubricant film. The intermediate band is further provided with a second friction material having a thickness that is larger than a thickness of the first friction material and forming a second friction surface from the predetermined intermediate portion to a vicinity of a coupling portion of the intermediate band with a pair of outer bands, the second friction surface working for removing the lubricant film.

Abstract: An elongated object clamp 1 which reduces transmission of vibration between an object 2 and a support 3 in a circumferential direction of the object and an axial direction comprises a gripper unit 5 for holding an elongated object such as a pipe, a securing unit for attaching the clamp to a support such as a body panel, and a vibration absorbing unit 7 for reducing transmission of vibration between the gripper unit and the securing unit. The vibration absorbing unit can bend in various directions and includes first curved arms and second curved arms stacked between the gripper unit and the securing unit, and arranged so that bending directions of the arms cross one another.

Abstract: A tilt adjusting type steering apparatus for a vehicle, comprises a front column member fixed to a car body, a rear column member connected in a swayable manner to said front column member, a fixed gear formed on one of the front column member and the rear column member, a movable gear formed on the other of the front column member and the rear column member, a gear pressing lever swayed to effect fastening at a tilt adjusted position by making the movable gear mesh with the fixed gear or to effect releasing from the tilt adjusting position by disengaging the two gears from each other, and an operator lever for interlocking with and swaying the gear pressing lever while being swayed by an operation of an operator.

Abstract: Providing a compact zoom lens system having high optical performance suitable for an electronic imaging device with a large number of pixels. The zoom lens system includes, in order from an object, a first lens group having negative refractive power, a second lens group having positive refractive power, and a third lens group having positive refractive power. When zooming from a wide-angle end state to a telephoto end state, the first lens group and the second lens group are moved such that a distance between the first lens group and the second lens group decreases, and a distance between the second lens group and the third lens group increases. The second lens group is composed of at least two positive lens elements and one negative lens element. At least one positive lens element and the negative lens element in the second lens group satisfy given conditional expressions.

Abstract: A fastener for fixing a curtain airbag to a body panel of an automobile comprises a screw grommet having a shank to be inserted into mounting holes of an airbag-anchor portion and a body panel, and a flange to press the airbag-anchor portion against the body panel. The flange has an opening and the shank has a shank hole continuous to the opening into which a tapping screw is driven. The shank has resilient fingers protruding outward from sides of the shank to engage edge regions of mounting holes in a temporary fixing state. The fingers are held in a permanent fixing state by screwing the tapping screw into the shank hole, preventing the fingers from being bent inward. The flange has an edge with an upstanding partition to allow a central region of the flange to be partitioned from a main body of the curtain airbag.

Abstract: According to the present invention, an oxide film with the film quality almost equivalent to that of the thermal oxide can be formed by the low-temperature treatment. After removing an insulator on the active region of the substrate which constitutes a semiconductor wafer, an insulator made of, for example, silicon oxide is deposited on the main surface of the semiconductor wafer by the low pressure CVD method. This insulator is a film to form a gate insulator of MISFET in a later step. Subsequently, a plasma treatment is performed in an atmosphere containing oxygen (oxygen plasma treatment) to the insulator in the manner as schematically shown by the arrows. By so doing, the film quality of the insulator formed by the CVD method can be improved to the extent almost equivalent to that of the insulator formed of the thermal oxide.

Abstract: A vibration suppressing clamp for pipe or the like comprises a base supporting a pipe holder with a space for accommodating a pipe to be held. The space is defined by a curved seat and a pair of walls extending from the seat. At least one of the walls is flexible, has a piece at a tip portion for holding a pipe in the space, and is spaced from an adjacent rigid wall. A vibration suppression member covers the seat and adjacent portions of each flexible wall and fills at least a portion of the space between the flexible wall and the adjacent rigid wall. The seat and the base have holes into which deformed portions of the vibration suppression member can retract in response to an impact on a pipe in the pipe holder.

Abstract: A fastener comprises a pin and a bushing having a hollow shank that is inserted into holes in a plurality of members being attached. A pin shank is inserted into the bushing shank to effect a widened-diameter coupling condition in which the diameter of the bushing shank is widened, and the members being attached are coupled between the diameter-widened bushing shank and a bushing flange. On the bushing shank are pawls for maintaining a non-widened-diameter coupling condition in which the pin and the bushing are coupled with the pin shank partially inserted into the bushing shank, and the diameter of the bushing shank is not widened. On the pin shank there is a groove for engaging the pawls, which normally extend out beyond the diameter of the attachment holes, but can bend inward. The groove has a depth that will accept the pawls when they are bent inward.

Abstract: A process for creating and managing pairs of asymmetrical cryptographic keys and/or certificates associated with the pairs of keys, each pair of keys and associated certificates being intended for an object managed by a computer system. The process includes creating an individual request for creating and/or certifying at least one pair of keys for an object of the system that lacks a pair of keys or a certificate for its pair of keys.

Abstract: A display control drive device sequentially reads display data from a display memory in which the display data is stored, produces three primary color image signals that are applied to pixel locations in a dot-matrix color display device, and transmits the signals through a common external output terminal in a time-sharing manner. The display control drive device produces control signals applied to selection switching elements in the display device and that selectively apply an input image signal to any of three source lines. The display control drive device includes: a unit that determines one horizontal period based on a clock received from outside synchronously with display data; and a signal production circuit that produces and transmits the control signals, applied to the selection switching elements, so that the control signals will have a pulse duration equivalent to a time calculated by trisecting one horizontal period.

Abstract: A method of reducing a metal oxide in a solid state, in an electrolytic cell, is provided, as is an electrolytic cell suitable for performing the method. The cathode of the electrolytic cell is formed at least in part from the metal oxide to be reduced, and the electrolyte includes cations of a metal that is capable of chemically reducing the cathode metal oxide. The method includes operating the cell at a potential that is above the potential at which cations of the reducing metal will deposit as metal on the cathode.

Abstract: A memory system is provided which contributes to improvement in efficiency of a data process accompanying a memory access. A memory system has a rewritable nonvolatile memory, a buffer memory, and a controller. The controller controls, in response to an access request from an external apparatus, first data transfer between the controller and the external apparatus, second data transfer between the controller and the nonvolatile memory, and third data transfer between the controller and the buffer memory, controls transfer from the controller to the buffer memory in the third data transfer and transfer from the buffer memory to the controller in a time sharing manner, and enables the first data transfer or the second data transfer to be performed in parallel with the transfer carried out in the time sharing manner.

Abstract: A difference between both emitter voltages of a first transistor having an emitter through which a first current flows, and at least one second transistor having an emitter through which such a second current as to reach a current density thereof smaller than that of the emitter of the first transistor flows, is applied across a first resistor. A second resistor is provided between the emitter of the second transistor and a circuit's ground potential. A third resistor and a fourth resistor are respectively provided between collectors of the first and second transistors and a power supply voltage. Such an output voltage that a collector voltage of the first transistor and a collector voltage of the second transistor become equal is formed in response to the collector voltage of the first transistor and the collector voltage of the second transistor and supplied to bases of the first and second transistors in common.

Abstract: A holder for elongated objects comprises a half-shell including an inner shell of elastic material, forming a spring structure, and an outer shell of a less elastic material. The inner shell comprises a bridge-like arch spanning an interior and freely movable outward of the half-shell.

Abstract: There is provided a control circuit (409) for fetching a result of a comparison of a part of bits of entry data with a corresponding bit of comparison data and prohibiting a comparison of residual bits in the entry data with the corresponding bit of the comparison data when the result of the comparison is mismatched, and the comparison of the residual bits in the entry data with the corresponding bit of the comparison data is prohibited. Consequently, the number of signal lines to be activated in one cycle of a comparing operation is decreased. Thus, a reduction in a consumed power can be achieved.

Abstract: A multifunction IC card (MFC) has compatibility with a multimedia card, an SD card, etc. in that connector terminals (#1 through #13) are disposed on a card substrate (1) in two rows in a zigzag fashion, and realizes multifunction facilities in that a memory card unit (3) and an SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card unit (4) are respectively connected and mounted to predetermined terminals of the connector terminals (#1 through #13). The memory card unit (3) and the SIM card unit (4) are respectively separately provided with areas for storing secret codes for security. Thus, one IC card is capable of implementing multifunction facilities different in security level. Owing to the adoption of a plural-column layout corresponding to a form typified by the zigzag fashion in an array of the connector terminals, a relatively simple structure can be adopted in a card slot.