Abstract: A method and apparatus maintains a level of sterilization during medical procedures operative upon a bacteriologically contaminated workpiece. A bacteriologically impermeable sheath is placed around the workpiece for maintaining bacteriological separation between the workpiece and medical equipment activating the medical procedure. In the preferred embodiment, the sheath lines a beaker in which dental implants, the workpieces, are placed when being cleaned using ultrasound. The sheath is cost effective enough to be disposed of after each use.

Abstract: A flow proportioning assembly for dividing a portion of a fluid flow such as gas for presentation to a sensor includes a holder member having a central opening and forming an exterior peripheral passageway when inserted within a conduit of a flow meter housing. A resistor member can be adjustably mounted in the central opening downstream of a holder member aperture to encourage a laminar flow pattern and a large entrance port and a large exit port can communicate with a passageway that is operatively connected with a sensor. The exit port is downstream of the resistor member. Flexible fastener members can engage the resistor member and the holder member for ease of mounting. The resistor member can also comprise a helical arrangement of small fluid passageways to encourage laminar flow.

Abstract: An automatic exposure control apparatus comprises a skin color extracting circuit for extracting a skin-colored portion from an input video signal and a focus condition detecting circuit for detecting a focus condition of the skin-colored portion. Exposure is controlled based on outputs of the two circuits. That is, when a skin-colored portion is extracted and it is detected that the skin-colored portion is in an in-focus condition, exposure is controlled so as to be appropriate with respect to the skin-colored portion.

Abstract: A seismic brace having a brace arm for fastening to a support rod on one end and a structural portion of a building, on the other end, is attachable to the support rod without disconnecting it by a base bracket hinged to the brace arm and a locking bracket hinged to the brace arm or the base bracket to overlay the base bracket. Both the base bracket and locking bracket have a slot extending from an edge towards the middle with one slot offset form the other by ninety degrees (90°). The base bracket is bent at an angle of 45° from the horizontal which provides extra strength and resistance to lifting from the horizontal according to I.C.B.O. tests. The locking bracket has a conforming bend.

Abstract: A thermal cover member for delivering a fluid to a patient's body, such as heated or cooled air, includes a hollow housing member having an inlet port for receiving the pressurized fluid. A plurality of cells are positioned about the housing member to create fluidic spaces for applying the fluid to the body of the patient. Each cell has a non-inflatable canopy with a continuous perimeter sealingly connected to the housing member with the housing member having a plurality of exit ports communicating with each cell to provide an egress of fluid. The fluidic spaces within a cell can be dimensioned to accommodate anatomical configurations of the patient's body and a thermo-chromatic indicator can be provided on the cover member to indicate a temperature of the corresponding fluidic space. The canopy can be transparent to permit viewing of the patient's body.

Abstract: An internally threaded insert anchor for use in poured concrete floors having a metal decking or a wood form is described which provides stability against skewing or misalignment due to rough action after being inserted into the metal deck or wood form, prior to the concrete being poured. Once locked into the concrete floor, the threaded insert anchor provides easy attachment for the support rods that carry the racks of utility, piping and ceiling grid systems for the building. Each threaded insert anchor is capable of accepting two different size rods or bolts with different thread cuts. The internal threaded apertures are protected from concrete intrusion during the pour by the plastic or metal sleeve. Moreover, the anchors are designed so that subsequent spraying of the ceiling with fire retardant or insulation foam will not penetrate into the threaded apertures, so as to prevent subsequent entry of the support rods.

Abstract: A mounting head is provided with a pair of first levers which are pivotally connected so that the first levers can swing in an open and close direction and forced in the close direction by a compression spring so as to grip a shaft, a release pin for opening the first levers by engaging release grooves at an open/close end of the first levers, a second lever for driving the release pin toward the open/close end of the first levers by a driving means, and a spring for forcing the second lever in a direction opposite to the driving direction of the release pin. During an operation of the mounting head, the first levers are opened by driving the release pin with the second lever, only after the shaft is activated, and at the end of the operation releasing the drive of the release pin by the second lever, allowing the first levers to close and support the shaft in a gripping manner.

Abstract: An external appearance inspection method for electronic components for detecting the presence of unevenness in the outline thereof. An approximately square-shaped outline (1) of an electronic component under inspection is extracted, this outline (1) is differentiated, and the presence of unevenness in the outline (1) is determined according to the absolute value of the difference between the maximum and minimum values (10, 11) of the differential values and the median (12) thereof.

Abstract: While discerning whether the laser beam spot is positioned on a land track or a groove track according to the L/G switch signal LGS from the land groove detection unit 34, the focus position rough detection unit 50 and the focus position precise detection unit 60 detect two new focus positions (for the land and the groove) so that the bit error rate BER that is measured in the error rate measurement unit 33 and the envelope of and the jitter in the reproduction signal RF would improve, and output two control signals (FBAL and FOFF) for changing the control target position into the new two focus position to the focus error detection unit 36.1.

Abstract: A method for speech encoding and decoding usable in a Digital Telephone Answering Machine/Voice Memo for a cellular radiotelephone is provided. The apparatus uses parameter-based speech compression and decompression modules. These modules perform decimation of standard-type speech parameter frames before storing the message, and interpolation before playing the message, in order to substantially reduce the number of parameter bits in parameter frames of the stored speech signal. The result is a decreased demand for storage space and increased speed of speech compression and decompression.

Abstract: A processor which executes positive conversion processing, which converts coded data into uncoded data, and saturation calculation processing, which rounds a value to an appropriate number of bits, at high speed. When a positive conversion saturation calculation instruction “MCSST D1” is decoded, the sum-product result register 6 outputs its held value to the path P1. The comparator 22 compares the magnitude of the held value of the sum-product result register 6 with the coded 32-bit integer “0x0000_00FF”. The polarity judging unit 23 judges whether the eighth bit of the value held by the sum-product result register 6 is “ON”. The multiplexer 24 outputs one of the maximum value “0x0000_00FF” generated by the constant generator 21, the zero value “0x0000_0000” generated by the zero generator 25, and the held value of the sum-product result register 6 to the data bus 18.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method of forming a metal layer by thermal evaporation or RF reactive sputtering in order to fabricate a light shielding layer for an ion sensitive field effect transistor. The multi-layered construction of the ion sensitive field effect transistor with a metal thin film as a light shielding layer is SnO2/metal/SiO2 or SnO2/metal/Si3N4/SiO2, and is able to lower the effect of light successfully.

Abstract: A particle distribution size measuring apparatus incorporates a detector array having a plurality of light detecting elements located on a substrate. A first group of detector elements have a plurality of sectors with a common sector angle, while at least one other detector element is positioned furthest from an optical axis and has a smaller sector angle. Each of the detector elements can be formed on a single substrate and their position and alignment have increased the efficiency of manufacturing the arrays.

Abstract: A zoom lens system has the first and second lens units. During zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, the lens units are moved to decrease a distance therebetween. The first lens unit has a positive refractive power. The second lens unit has a negative refractive power. The zoom lens system is provided with at least one surface having a power to diffract light.

Abstract: The plasma processing apparatus includes a substrate table 10 that extends from a wall of the vacuum chamber 1 toward the inside of the vacuum chamber 1. A rotary holder 8, to which the substrate 5 is mounted, is arranged in a concave portion 10a that is provided in the substrate table 10. The rotary holder 8 is rotatably supported with its periphery being sealed with a sealing member 10b. Blades 9 are provided inside the rotary holder 8. A supply port 11 and a drainage port 12, for supplying and draining a fluid such that a rotation force is exerted on the blades 9, are formed in the substrate table 10. Supplying a fluid through the supply port 11 cools the substrate 5 while causing it to rotate.

Abstract: A game apparatus and a method of replaying a game display a moving entity which moves in a given area on a display screen. The game apparatus has a memory for storing, for a predetermined period of time, absolute coordinates in the predetermined area of a moving entity which moves in the predetermined area in response to a control signal entered by an operator while a game is in progress, and a display data generating unit or reading the absolute coordinates from the memory in response to a replay request from the operator and processing the absolute coordinates into display data depending on processing information supplied from an input unit by the operator.

Abstract: An instruction conversion apparatus and method for converting instruction sequences not including conditional instructions into instruction sequences including conditional instructions wherein the conditional instructions include both a condition and an operation code for execution by the processor when the condition is satisfied. An obtaining unit receives an instruction sequence that does not include a conditional instruction whereby an instruction sequence detection unit detects a conversion target instruction sequence which transfers different transfer objects to the same storage resource when a predetermined condition is satisfied. A judging unit judges whether the instruction set of a specialized processor is assigned a conditional instruction including the same condition as the precondition whereby a conversion unit can then convert the conversion target instruction sequence into the instruction sequence including a conditional instruction with the predetermined condition.

Abstract: A multimedia optical disc including data area and index area is provided. The data area includes objects each of which includes video data. The index area includes sub-areas. Each sub-area includes addresses of objects selected from the objects in the data area, a flag indicating a random reproduction of the objects selected, and a number of repeats of the random reproduction.