Abstract: A recording/reproducing method and an apparatus for carrying out the same are disclosed wherein a cesium atomic clock, a hydrogen atomic clock or a mercury atomic clock (1) is used as a digital audio reference oscillator so as to minimize jitter which may occur during a recording process performed after analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-digital conversion, or during digital-to-analog conversion. With the jitter thus minimized, acoustic characteristics including jitter noise and sound resolution are greatly improved, and a sound can be reproduced with high sound quality and high fidelity that are comparable to those achieved in an analog audio system.

Abstract: An ultrasonic horn in accordance with the present invention comprises a horn body having a longitudinal transmission axis, a proximal end attachable at least indirectly to a source of ultrasonic vibrations, and a distal end with an active end face. The end face is provided with a plurality of fingers projecting parallel to one another and to the axis.

Abstract: The locking device for a two-wheeled vehicle capable of semi-automatically locking or unlocking a locking device for a two-wheeled vehicle is disclosed. The locking device for a two-wheeled vehicle comprises an engaging unit that includes a rear plate member and an attaching pipe; a receiving casing unit that is engaged at one side surface of the engaging unit and is installed in a direction of an outer side of the wheel support frame; a receiving unit that is engaged at the receiving casing unit, receives an external high frequency through an antenna when it is received through a transmission unit, converts the received high frequency into an intermediate frequency using a RF integrated circuit, transfers to a microcomputer and allows a motor to rotate in one direction in accordance with a control of the microcomputer; and a locking/unlocking unit that is installed in such a manner that a lock appears and disappears between the engaging unit and the receiving casing.

Abstract: A gas-fired burner for cooking range, which includes at least one burner, which is arranged below at least one grate on which a cooking vessel is to be arranged, the distance between the nozzles of the burner and the upper surface of the grate being directly proportional to the power of the burner and being inversely proportional to the difference between the temperature of the burner and the temperature of the vessel and to the heat conductivity of the vessel and/or food contained therein.

Abstract: A trailer hitch assembly is used with a trailer having a plurality of wheels each rotatable about a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. The hitch assembly includes coupling elements on the trailer for fixedly engaging the trailer to a towing vehicle in a horizontal plane parallel to the ground surface during a rearward motion of the vehicle and the trailer and for pivotably linking the trailer to the vehicle in the horizontal plane during a forward motion of the vehicle and the trailer. A locking mechanism automatically preventing rotation of the wheels about the respective second axes during the forward motion of the trailer and the vehicle and for enabling rotation of the wheels about the respective second axes during the rearward motion of the trailer and the vehicle.

Abstract: A method for investigating structural integrity utilizes a carrier member having a flexible surface and a plurality of electromechanical transducer elements attached to the carrier member, the transducer elements being spaced from each other along at least two spatial dimensions. The method includes conforming the flexible surface to a solid structural member, so that a substantial portion of the flexible member is in effective wave-transmitting engagement with the structural member, thereafter transmitting pressure waves from at least one of the transducer elements into the structural member, receiving pressure waves reflected from an internal structural defect in the structural member in response to the pressure waves transmitted from the one of the transducer elements, and analyzing the received pressure waves so as to detect the structural defect.

Abstract: In a method for facilitating financing of new technology, a host computer is connected to a global computer network for receiving, over the network from remote computers, information describing purported advances in technology. The host computer is accessed, for example, by a user, to obtain the information downloaded from the global computer network. An evaluation of the advances in technology so obtained is then performed to determine, for each of the advances, a fixed monetary amount to be contributed in exchange for a unit of equity in a prospective technology development venture to develop the respective advance. Identifications of the advances together with respective values of the determined fixed monetary amounts are transmitted over the global computer network to preselected computers.

Abstract: A method for indexing and searching a moving picture using a motion activity description method is disclosed, which includes a step for describing a motion feature information based on a f—code which is a size of a video name, a time stamp and a motion search, and a step for indexing and searching a moving picture using the same, for thereby describing a feature with respect to a motion activity using an information existing in a compressed data when searching a moving picture.

Abstract: A method for the continuous wet stretching of industrial hides and other similar products comprises the following steps: a) removal of uniformly wetted hides following a treatment with liquids, such as tanning, re-tanning or the like, b) partial pre-drying of the wetted hides so as to reduce their residual relative moisture to a value of between 35% and 65%, c) stretching of the moist hides by means of localized mechanical stresses applied in directions which are substantially perpendicular to the plane of lie of the hides so as to achieve a predetermined increase in surface area, d) drying of the stretched hides until they have a residual relative moisture of between 7% and 30% so as to stabilize and thermally fix the stretched hides. The hides are kept in substantially constant relative humidity conditions with the mechanical stresses distributed uniformly over the entire surface area of the hides.

Abstract: Disclosed is a vacuum cleaner which can remove sludge, bad smells and toxic gases and discharge the filtered air to the upper portion of the vacuum cleaner to prevent the filtered air from being sucked with non-filtered air into the cleaner again. The vacuum cleaner includes: a dust collector having a suction hole; a cleaner body sealably assembled on the upper portion of the dust collector; a handle hinged on the upper portion of the cleaner body; a filter assembly assembled inside the dust collector and having a disc filter located on the lower surface of the cleaner body, an activated carbon filtering part located under the disc filter and a cone type filtering part located under the activated carbon filtering part; and an air discharging unit assembled on the air discharging part of the cleaner body.

Abstract: To provide an inspecting apparatus of a printed state or the like in a flexible printed circuit board which requires no skill, generates no error by oversight and further improves an operation efficiency, a substrate feeding out unit (2), a substrate inverting unit (4), a camera inspecting unit (5), a substrate inverting unit (9) and a defect point marking unit (10) for a printed state or the like are sequentially placed on working tables (1, 1) along a moving direction of a flexible printed circuit board, in this order, the substrate inverting units (4, 9) respectively invert the flexible printed circuit board, the camera inspecting unit (5) detects a print defect point by means of a camera (8), and the defect point marking unit (10) applies a marking to the print defect point by a laser marker (13) on the basis of a signal output from the camera inspecting unit (5).

Abstract: An endoscope sheath includes a web member disposable in a tubular configuration in engagement with an endoscope insertion member, the member being provided with a tear string in the form of a tensile member. The tear string preferably extends longitudinally along the web member. In addition, the tear string preferably extends from one end of the web member to an opposite end thereof and is disposed along a weakened area of the web member. The web member is provided in a plurality of regions with a layer of adhesive material. The adhesive material of at least one of the regions is permanent adhesive, whereas the adhesive material of at least another of the regions forms a separable bond. These regions extend along opposing longitudinal edges of the web member.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a vehicle steering system having a rack bar supporting apparatus which prevents the rotation of a rack bar and makes the rack bar supporting apparatus compact by providing a plurality of rack bar supporting apparatuses installed at the rear of the rack bar to support the rack bar in the direction of a pinion gear. The vehicle steering system comprises a pinion shaft having a pinion gear on the outer circumference and being installed within a housing; a rack bar being located within the housing so that it can cross the pinion shaft and having a rack gear meshing with the pinion gear at one side of the middle part; and rack bar supporting apparatus provided on the rear surface of the rack bar for elastically supporting the rack bar in the direction of the pinion shaft, wherein a plurality of the rack bar supporting apparatuses are provided to vary the supporting direction and supporting force for supporting the rack bar.

Abstract: A hand held device generates a predetermined number of pulses of light having a predetermined electromagnetic spectrum, a predetermined duration, a predetermined inter-pulse interval, and a predetermined total energy. The pulse sequence is delivered to a skin surface to temporarily remove hair through the absorption of light energy only by endogenous chromophores of the hair. Exogenous chromophores for light absorpotion are not applied to the skin surface at any time. A period of time for reappearance of hair on the selected skin surface after the using of the device to remove hair from the selected skin surface is determined by counting the days to hair reappearance after a test light application. Subsequently, the device is used periodically to apply the pulses of light to the selected skin surface at intervals of shorter length than the determined period of hair regeneration, thereby temporarily maintaining the selected skin surface free of visible hair.

Abstract: An endoscopic retractor instrument has (a) a plurality of parts movably connected to one another, (b) componentry for mounting the parts in a collapsed or reduced-size configuration to a flexible and steerable insertion member of an endoscope, and (c) one or more actuation elements operatively connected to the parts for enabling a movement of the parts relative to one another so that the parts assume an enlarged or expanded configuration for spreading internal tissues of a patient. The movable parts of the retractor instrument may be inflatable balloon parts enabling insertion of the retractor in a substantially collapsed configuration and a later expansion at the site of interest.

Abstract: An ultrasonic medical treatment device has a casing, an elongate probe, a transducer assembly, a sheath and at least one electrode member. The probe is mounted to and extends from the casing and has an axis and a free end serving as an operative tip. The transducer assembly is mounted to the casing and is operatively connected to the probe for generating vibrations of at least one ultrasonic frequency in the probe. The sheath surrounds the probe. The electrode member is connectable to an RF voltage source and is mounted at least indirectly to the casing so as to permit relative motion between the electrode member and the probe.

Abstract: A stick with shock-absorber including: an elongated member associated with a movable member with the interposition of a shock-absorbing member; a means for activating and deactivating the shock-absorbing member and adapted to determine a first shock-absorbing condition and a second condition in which shock-absorbing is disabled. The movable member includes a grip body which is adapted to be gripped by a user, and the shock-absorbing member and the activation and deactivation means are arranged substantially at the grip body.