Abstract: Featured is a sorting/diverting apparatus that diverts articles from a plurality of moving belts, the sorting/diverting apparatus including a plurality of rollers that are rotatably mounted to a support frame and a moving mechanism that moves the support frame back and forth between two positions. The controller controls the moving of the support frame and the operation of the drive motor so as to divert/sort the articles. Each controller includes bi-directional communications ports, a processor that processes information and provides outputs, and an applications program for execution within the processor that includes instructions and criteria for processing the information and providing the processor outputs to control the apparatus.

Abstract: A system and method for determining whether wager data for players' wagers placed on a drawing game have been altered after winning game elements are drawn includes a host computer and a verification device. The host computer stores the wager data and generates a first hash value for the wager data at a time prior to drawing the winning game elements. The host computer is capable of generating a second hash value for the wager data at a time subsequent to drawing the winning game elements for comparison to the first hash value. The verification device receives the first hash value for the wager data prior to drawing the winning game elements and receives the winning game elements.

Abstract: A method and system for gaming is provided in which a plurality of players each connect to a host which enables players to participate jointly in the same games of chance. According to one embodiment, a computerized method of gaming is provided that includes connecting a plurality of players to a host remotely located from the plurality of players. Each player jointly participates in a turn-based game of chance.

Abstract: A light receiving element (7) receiving return light from an optical disk has main light receiving sections (7a, 7b) and sub light receiving sections (7e, 7f). A focus error signal is found by computing (Sa+Sf )−(Sb+Se), where Sa, Sb, Se, and Sf represent output signals of the light receiving sections (7a, 7b, 7e, 7f), respectively. Each of the sub light receiving sections (7e, 7f) has a smaller area than each of the main light receiving sections (7a, 7b) has. With the foregoing arrangement, upon access to a multilaminate optical disk in which distances between recording layers are small, respective focus error signals from the recording layers do not interfere with each other, and occurrence of an offset can be suppressed even in the case where an assembly error of the optical element or the like exists.

Abstract: A pulper has a circular rotor that carries a set of peripheral blades that rotate within a stator having a set of peripheral lobes that interact with the peripheral blades as they rotate to reduce and defiber materials, e.g., to produce pulp slurries for paper-making. A cone assembly is mounted over the center of the rotor on a base plate. The cone assembly includes a blade that extends across the common axis of rotation of the base plate and the rotor and projects into a tank beyond the height of the peripheral blades and the stator lobes. A support structure, preferably in the form of a “cone”, supports the blade. The cone preferably has a pyramidal structure and in one form extends sufficiently far up the blade so that, typically, no more than 2 to 3 inches of the blade project above the outer surface of the cone. The blade has a triangular structure terminating in a central apex for use in reducing slabs of large sheet materials such as reel broke.

Abstract: A system and method for distributing electronic instant lottery games is provided in which at least two ticket batches are distributed together to each game play terminal. In one embodiment, a method of distributing and playing electronic instant lottery tickets is provided. The method includes the steps of creating a first pack of tickets, creating a second pack of tickets, distributing the first and second packs together to a location at which the tickets are to be played, and permitting play from the first pack of tickets for a first period of time while play from the second pack is not permitted.

Abstract: A jack type connector 1, 21 includes: a retainer 2, 22 holding a converter 10, 30 and a first 11a, 11b, 11c, 31a, 31b, 31c and second 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 terminals; and a plurality of ribs 4, 24 projecting from a peripheral portion of the retainer; wherein the retainer is fitted in a cutaway portion formed in a printed board 12 and having a configuration conformal to a profile of the retainer 2, 22 with the ribs 4, 24 abutting against the surface of the printed board 12 for engagement with the printed board.

Abstract: In the switchable magnet system disclosed herein, a central pole piece is backed by at least two permanent magnets having substantially different energies (Hc) so that one of the magnets is relatively switchable or reversible and the other is not. A magnetically permeable frame provides a peripheral pole face at least on either side of the central pole face and a backing plate bridging the central pole piece over the permanent magnets. A coil surrounds the first and second permanent magnets insde of the peripheral pole face. According, energization of the coil in one direction can reverse the polarization of the first magnet, thereby effectively short circuiting flux produced by the second magnet and terminating holding, while energization of the coil in the opposite direction can polarize the first magnet in parallel with the second magnet, thereby to effect holding.

Abstract: A picture processing apparatus which can reduce matching errors and shorten a processing time for matching. In the picture processing apparatus, a binarization circuit individually binarizes a pair of object picture signals to generate line picture signals. A feature point extract circuit extracts a plurality of feature point pixels for each reference area in the reference side line picture. A transforming circuit widens a line width of the search side line picture. A correlation computation circuit, for each reference area, finds a correlation between each pixel within a search area in the line picture whose line width has been widened and the feature point pixels. A composition processing section composites the pair of object picture signals based on the correlations. A picture processing apparatus which can adjust density and color tone of two pictures to be composited.

Abstract: A compact dissolved-air-flotation (DAF) clarifier treats raw water with suspended solid contaminants first in a flocculator at the center of an annular tank where microscopic air bubbles float flocked contaminants to form a floating sludge layer. The flocculator has a fixed, cylindrical sidewall. A first clarification, calming and degassing occur here. The water then flows radially outwardly into the tank with a straight cylindrical outer wall where further quiet clarification occurs. A third level of clarification occurs in a lower portion of the tank, specifically, within a set of fixed, inclined lamellae, where a final clarification occurs. The bottom wall of the tank has a set of apertures which allow a gravity flow of clarified water through a layer of pressurized gas to an underlying collection compartment. A set of rotating paddles push the sludge layer up a ramp to an opening in an inclined discharge conduit.

Abstract: An evaporative light scattering detector (1) has a solvent nebuliser (4) through which an atomised spray of solute solvent solution passes, a heated evaporation chamber (5) and a detector system (6). A diffuser trapping device (7), supported by fine wires, is positioned in the evaporation chamber (5) at about two fifths of the height of the chamber from the top. The diffuser trapping device (7) is made from randomly coiled stainless steel ribbon which gives it a large surface area. The detection system (6) is positioned at the bottom of the evaporation chamber through which a beam of collimated light passes and is scattered by the solvent and detected by a light sensitive device (14). The diffuser trapping device (7) aids evaporation of the solvent and prevents large particles from travelling further down the evaporation chamber (5).

Abstract: To defiber a wide variety of materials, rotor and stator constructions are varied 1) to increase the agitation of stock in a tank or 2) to increase defibering effectiveness and increase flow rate through a recirculation line or to downstream equipment. To increase agitation, lobes of the stator are configured and sized to reduce the stator-rotor interface below 50% of its maximum possible value. To increase defibering effectiveness and increase the recirculation flow rate, the stator lobes are configured and sized so the stator area at the interface exceeds 50% of its maximum possible value. These lobe area changes are made in a way that also preserves a desired acquisition angle on cutting edges on rotor for the given material so that the lobes reliably "acquire" and reduce the stock. To increase homogeneity of treatment, deflectors on the stator and/or rotor require that all the stock traverses the defibering interface between peripheral teeth on the rotor and opposed stator bars.

Abstract: An magneto-optical recording medium includes: a transparent dielectric layer; a reproduction layer that is in an in-plane magnetization state at room temperature and changes into a perpendicular magnetization state with a rise in temperature; a non-magnetic intermediate layer; a recording layer made of a perpendicularly magnetized film; and a protection layer, the layers being formed one after another in this order. The recording layer is made of a rare-earth and transition metal alloy, and the rare earth metal is composed of more than two kinds of rare-earth-metal elements containing Gd. The information stored in a magnetic recording domain is masked with respect to a part that is in an in-plane magnetization state. Consequently, recording can be performed with a less powerful laser beam, and each recording bit can be reproduced independently to produce high quality signals even if the converged light beam covers a neighboring recording bit within its radius.

Abstract: Wafer scale integrated circuitry which uses a cluster of wafer components, each component having a plurality of processing elements and a network element connected thereto for controlling the transfer of information to and from the processing elements. The network element is connected to network elements of other wafer components of the cluster for controlling the transfer of information to and from such other network elements. One or more redundant groups of processing elements are formed on the wafer components of the cluster, each redundant group being configured so that the processing elements in the group reside on different ones of the wafer components.

Abstract: In the switchable magnet system disclosed herein, a central pole piece is backed by at least two permanent magnets having substantially different energies (H.sub.c) so that one of the magnets is relatively switchable or reversible and the other is not. A magnetically permeable frame provides a peripheral pole face at least on either side of the central pole face and a backing plate bridging the central pole piece over the permanent magnets. A coil surrounds the first and second permanent magnets inside of the peripheral pole face. According, energization of the coil in one direction can reverse the polarization of the first magnet, thereby effectively short circuiting flux produced by the second magnet and terminating holding, while energization of the coil in the opposite direction can polarize the first magnet in parallel with the second magnet, thereby to effect holding.

Abstract: Featured is a device controller in a system having a multiplicity of such controllers and a conveying system and method for controlling a multiplicity of devices using such controllers. Each controller includes a plurality of bi-directional communications ports, a processor that processes information and provides outputs, where at least one output controls the device, and an applications program for execution within the processor that includes instructions and criteria for processing the information and providing the processor outputs. Specifically, the applications program includes instructions and criteria for communicating information between and among controllers; instructions and criteria for processing information received by a controller; and instructions and criteria for modifying the operation of a device responsive to the communicated information. For a conveying system having a multiplicity of conveying sections, a controller is provided for each section.

Abstract: An optical probe element for focusing light from a light source into micro light of a diameter not larger than the diffraction limit, includes a light transmitting flat substrate and an optical probe formed on one of the surfaces of the flat substrate. The optical probe has a substantially conical light transmitting projection, and a reflective film which covers the conical surface of the projection so that the tip of the projection is exposed. The optical probe element enables the optical probe to be formed on the flat substrate using a semiconductor processing technique, thereby achieving efficient mass production of a standardized optical probe element. Thus, a recording and reproduction apparatus using the optical probe element is efficiently mass-produced.

Abstract: A tube-type heat exchanger has a low wear support and drive for a whip rod that orbits over the inner surface of the heat transfer tube to spread a process liquid into a thin falling film. The support and drive includes a conical thrust bearing near the upper end of the rod. An edge of the thrust bearing engages and rolls over a circular rim bearing surface. A stem pin axially aligned with the rod extends upwardly over the rod and through a circular hole in an orbiting drive plate. In one form, the rim bearing surface is formed on the upper edge of the tube, or on the upper edge of a generally cylindrical bearing secured on or over the tube. The thrust bearing is secured between the rod and the stem. A stop disc carried on the stem pin limits the fall of the rod in the tube when the orbiting stops.