Abstract: A yacht having an adjustable ballast assembly comprising a ballast, an elongated hollow ballast guide o mounted to the hull of the watercraft to extend transversely of the hull, the ballast being located within the guide and there being means for selectively moving the ballast longitudinally of the guide between respective opposite end positions in which at least part of the ballast is located laterally outwardly of the hull. The elongated guide may be located within an outer hollow guide and mounted for longitudinal movement relative to the outer guide so as to be capable of projecting telescopically from opposite ends of the outer guide.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a catheter, its proximal portion and the tip thereof as well as to the method for making the same. The distal flap of the catheter main tube comprises a plurality of reliefs arranged on planes transversal to the tube axis; a tapered portion coaxially connected to the distal flap comprising a plurality of notches complementary to said reliefs.

Abstract: A star wheel for a bottle-processing machine, such as a filling machine, labeling machine or the like, includes a support fixed to a motor shaft and a wheel that is removably fixed to the support. The wheel has a base and a handling ring for the bottles, the handling ring being removably fixed to the base. The handling ring includes a primary sector and a removable sector which can be assembled with the primary sector.

Abstract: A rotary labelling machine comprises a carrousel that can be pivotally driven by a carrousel motor and a plurality of container stations supported by said carrousel, wherein each container station comprises a container-holder plate and a plate motor suitable to rotate the plate about its own axis, carrousel sensor means detecting the movement of the carrousel and generating a reference signal representative of the carrousel angular position, a plurality of local control units. Each control unit is connected with one of the plate motors, respectively, and is configured to receive and process the reference signal and generate a control signal specific for said plate motor. Signal propagation means are connected to the carrousel sensor means and to the local control units to propagate the reference signal to each of the local control units.

Abstract: An item according to the invention comprises at least two data storage elements such as e.g. an RFID transponder 2 and a barcode 5, wherein the latter is non-visible for the unaided human eye and comprises coded information. The invention allows for a backup of information between the two data storage elements, in order to prevent inadvertent or malicious data loss. Further aspects of the invention are related to the interdependent or the cooperative use of both storage elements in the framework of a product security tracking and tracing scheme.

Abstract: A sliding-type automobile seat comprising a seat cushion frame, a slide rail mechanism for allowing the seat to be slidingly moved, slide lock mechanisms for causing the seat to be releasably locked at predetermined positions, a substantially U-shaped operating lever for causing the seat to be released from a locked state, and connection mechanisms for causing both end portions of the substantially U-shaped operating lever to the slide lock mechanisms, the slide rail mechanism comprising a pair of parallel lower rails mounted on a floor surface of an automobile, and a pair of parallel upper rails attached to a lower portion of the seat cushion frame and slidably engaged with the pair of parallel lower rails, each of the slide lock mechanisms comprising a lock member swingably mounted to a corresponding upper rail and urged upward at one end portion thereof by a spring, the lock member including a first engaging member, and a second engaging member provided at a corresponding lower rail, the first engaging mem

Abstract: The invention provides novel cholesteric monolayers and pigments obtained therefrom with high brilliance and viewing angle-dependent color change (color-flop/tilt effect) with additional particular properties such as magnetizability, conductivity, fluorescence, phosphorescence and increased hiding power, a process for their production and their use.

Abstract: A lever device for operating a hydraulic actuator for a motorcycle comprises a support, a hydraulic actuator connected to the support, a main lever pivotally connected to the support for movement toward or away from the hydraulic actuator, and a timing lever pivotally connected to the support and connected to the main lever so as to operate the hydraulic actuator. An adjusting member is interposed between the main lever and the timing lever defines the relative position between the levers. An electric actuator changes the position of the adjusting member as a function of an electric power supplied to the actuator from a manually adjustable power supply.