Abstract: A document reader for reading manually fed edge coded documents, comprising a first component including a side wall, a second component orthogonally positioned with respect to the first component and having a second sidewall, the first and second sidewalls positioned adjacent one another so as to form a document receiving slot therebetween, the first sidewall containing an opening, a drive means, the drive means positioned within the first component and adapted to project through the first sidewall opening and substantially across the slot, the second sidewall including an opening, reading means contained within the second component, the reading means including a light source, means for directing light from the source through the second wall opening to the document, means responsive to light reflected from the document for converting the reflected light to digital data, control means coupled to the drive means, sensing means positioned proximate to the slot for sensing the precise location of the document, th

Abstract: The present invention includes a continuous optical fiber secured to the movable control member and a connector unit which transmits and detects a light signal at opposite ends of the optical fiber and converts the detected light signal into an electrical signal. More specifically the present invention also includes apparatus for allowing authorized movement of the control member as well as means for detecting unauthorized movement of the control member. A preferred embodiment includes an optical fiber that is adapted to be secured to a movable control member of a valve and secured at each end to respective terminals on a connector unit. The length of the loop, optical fiber, and the position of the terminals and connector until are selected so that moving the movable control member of the valve interrupts the light path provided by optical fiber between the terminals to which the ends of the fiber are attached.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for reducing noise of the pulsive type in digital video receiver sets. The method consists of picking up a noise-affected sample of a video signal and replacing it with a weighted average of samples located in the contour thereof; this allows the noise component to be fittered out with a lower load, in terms of circuit complexity, on the TV set.

Abstract: An electromagnetic digitizer tablet comprising an array of conductors having plural, spaced, similar active portions regularly and uniformly distributed throughout the active tablet region, together with additional structure to distinguish pointing device positions over the similar active portions. This arrangement reduces the number of individual conductors required. In a preferred arrangement, the active portions have a block S shape. As a further feature, novel algorithms are used to calculate the fine location of the pointing device.

Abstract: Method for the sealing of the openings in the end surfaces of a sheet-shaped synthetic material that consists of two or more outer plates which are mainly flat and which are mounted on partitions. The partitions are spaced roughly even distance from one another and run along the total length of the material. Over every end opening a dust-proof, water-vapor permeable and ventilating non-woven first foil, e.g., of polyester fabric, is put, and on top of or under that one or more strips of a second foil, e.g. of aluminum, are put, of which the edges are beaten around and secured to the outer plates. This is done in such a way that every end opening discharges, at least partially, through a part of the first foil which is not covered by the second foil. The invention also comprises the foil material to be used, preferably consisting of two strips of foils as described, fixed against each other, before being put over the openings. An intended use is as a transparent covering for light streets.

Abstract: An accessory for improving the accuracy, and/or facilitating the use, and/or improving aesthetics and/or ergonomics of digitizer cursors is disclosed. The accessory mounts an optical element to the position-sighting aperture on the cursor. In all embodiments, the accessory or accessories may be completely and easily removed from the cursor (and replaced). Optical elements may be interchanged and combined so as to permit the operator to select optics that are most efficient for a particular digitizer task. In particular embodiments, the lens is mounted directly to the position-sighting aperture or to another member which is directly mounted to the position sighting aperture. In some embodiments, the optical element is pivotally mounted so that it can be moved into and out of the operator's line of sight. This allows the operator to move the optical element out of his line of sight to the position-sighting aperture without removing the optical element from the cursor.

Abstract: The ejection of droplets in an ink jet printer is accompanied by the generation of capillary waves that spread out radially from the central region where the drops are ejected. These capillary waves interfere with the ejection of succeeding droplets. In order to suppress these capillary waves, the pressure in the pool of liquid feeding the printer is varied periodically at twice the maximum repetition rate of droplet ejection.

Abstract: A control circuit for an oscillator comprising a multivibrator with transistors having their emitters connected in common and being supplied corresponding currents on respective legs, comprises a circuit structure adapted to produce on output terminals, on the one side, a current which is proportional to a reference current according to a predetermined parameter, and on the other side, a second current in turn correlated to the reference current as a function of said parameter, thereby to modify the oscillator duty cycle for a given operating frequency.

Abstract: Method for determining the extent to which noise occurs in a rotating roller bearing of a specific type lubricated with a specific lubricant, whereby an amount of the lubricant to be examined is applied to a roller bearing of the type mentioned, the inner race of the roller bearing is rotated for some time by means of a rotatable rod inserted in the inner race of the roller bearing until it interacts with it, and the vibrations occurring in the bearing are recorded by means of a vibration recorder which is in contact with the immobile outer race of the bearing, and a peak value is determined, following which these steps of the test cycle are repeated several times with new amounts of the same lubricant, characterized by the fact that a single roller bearing of the type specified is used in which every time, at the start of the steps of the test cycle, an amount of the lubricant to be tested is applied under pressure, whereby the amount of lubricant in the roller bearing which has been examined in a previous c

Abstract: Method for measuring the thickness of a lubricant film between two surfaces which are in motion with regard to one another, characterized by the fact that a lubricant with high relative permeability is used, whereby the polar pieces of an electromagnetic sensor are brought into contact with the lubricant film to be measured in such manner that they are bridged by the lubricant film.

Abstract: A system for inputting signals to a terminal includes a first interface having an input port, the first interface including a decoder for decoding the signals received at said port for application to the terminal. Two external sources of signals are OR'ed to the same port. One or both the sources may include an external input device and an interface for translating signals from a first code output from the input device to a second code which the first interface is adapted to accept. In order to OR the outputs of the sources, the sources may have open collector output transistors connected to a common collector resistor in the first interface.

Abstract: A method for seeding the surface of a polyimide film which has been generated from a precursor polyamic acid film comprising the steps of: generating a film of polyamic acid on a substance (which may be done by conventional spin coating or by other solution coating techniques well known in the art); then either exposing the polyamic acid film to a solution containing palladium cations; heat-treating the palladium-treated film in a time/temperature schedule that causes imidization of the polymer to occur; exposing the seeded film to an electroless plating bath which causes the deposition of blanket metal film on the surface of the polymer film; or curing the film to the polyimide form; mechanically abrading the film surface, exposing the film to a solution containing palladium cations; exposing the seeded film to an electroless plating bath which causes the deposition of blanket metal film on the surface of the polymer film.

Abstract: A digitizer table which employs low pass filtering of raw coordinate data to reduce noise and jitter. A weighted filtering is employed, in which the new position data is averaged with a previous average or previous position data before being reported. The weighting factor applied to the new data is determined by the degree of monotonicity represented by the data, with intentional movements of the pointing device indicating high monotonicity undergoing light filtering but noise indicating low monotonicity undergoing heavy filtering.

Abstract: A toy vehicle and launcher therefor are disclosed. The toy vehicle includes a freely rotatable roller positioned over a rear portion of the vehicle extending substantially outwardly from an opening accessible generally from above the vehicle, whereby when a generally downward and rearward force is applied to the roller, a forward thrust is imparted to the vehicle propelling the vehicle and driving it in a forward direction. The toy vehicle comprises a chassis, two wheels, snap-fit structure for mounting the wheels to the chassis to rotate about a first axis, the roller, snap-fit structure for mounting the roller to the chassis to rotate about an axis generally above the first axis, and the body which has an opening through which the roller projects. The toy vehicle is also provided with a noise maker. The launcher includes two relatively stiff elongated members of approximately the same size hingedly connected together at respective first ends thereof.

Abstract: A digitizer system comprises a source of a light for producing an image, a shutter, and a transparent or translucent digitizer tablet. The source is positioned to direct the image to the tablet via the shutter. The shutter comprises a liquid crystal layer and transparent planar conductors on opposite surfaces of the layer. The system further comprises a source of an adjustable voltage connected between the planar conductors for adjusting the transmissivity of the shutters.