Abstract: By appropriately arranging and configuring dielectric waveguides formed within a substrate, a path configuration suitable for use in laser interferometer may be fabricated in a small overall area without sacrificing overall sensitivity. The path configuration includes a disposition of overlapping waveguide loops in a first and second plane. Intersection of the crossing waveguide segments is avoided by appropriate disposition of the respective segments in the two separated planes. Transition between the two planes may be made by means of a twisted waveguide bend or a transitional coupler. In one embodiment each waveguide loop may have a generally rectangular shape. The parallel sides of each loop are offset from the adjacent loops by a predetermined distance such that the horizontal dimension of the loops decreases while the vertical dimension increases between the first and last loop of the configuration.

Abstract: Improved collar stay system, including a collar stay which engages with the tip of the collar at one end and a hinge member provided on a collar of a shirt. The hinge member is arranged and configured to engage with and hold the other end of the collar stay whereby a collar of new appearance is presented.

Abstract: In this telephone answering device, each of the mechanical control arms is pivotally mounted in simplified fashion to a molded plastic chassis. Overcenter springs provide bistable mechanical positioning of each control arm. The answer-playback control arm functions to position an erase head against the incoming message recording tape, to engage or disengage the outgoing announcement tape loop drive, and to actuate a switch that connects power to the device during rewind and playback operations. A forward-rewind control arm shifts the magnetic tape drive motor to the forward or rewind position, and is linked to the answer-playback control arm by a lost motion linkage so as to ensure the correct relative settings of the two control arms.

Abstract: A self-righting tippable roadway marking device includes a base member with a substantially spherical lower ground-engaging surface. A blind bore is formed in the base member centrally thereof and is adapted to releasably retain a staff element fixedly therein. An elongated staff element has its lower portion mounted non-rotatably in the blind bore and has a plurality of wind vane elements secured fixedly thereto. The wind vane elements extend radially outwardly from the staff element and are spaced equidistantly thereabout. Thus, in response to wind or other forces, the marking device will exhibit a tipping and rotating movement on its spherical lower surface.

Abstract: A carrier is disclosed for interconnecting an array of cans or the like to hold them together as a unitary package. Preferably the carrier is made from a sheet of a material such as polyvinyl chloride that may be cut, expanded and set in its expanded state, then later after being placed around an array of cans, shrunk to interconnect the cans and form a package. Because of the design of the carrier and its method of application to an array of cans, a cover film may be attached by the carrier over the array of cans to keep the can tops clean. Machines and methods are disclosed for forming, transporting and applying in a rapid and economic manner, a web of such carriers to a series of cans or the like.

Abstract: A press load meter according to the present invention employs strain gauges as stress detectors. Outputs of the stress detectors are analogously processed until they are amplified and the amplified signals are digitally processed in a multiplexed form with respect to each channel whereby measurement in many stress detectors can be accomplished substantially simultaneously.According to the invention, outputs of the respective stress detectors and a total sum thereof appearing before start of an operation cycle of the press are stored in a first memory as initial unbalance components with respect to each channel and a maximum load value during one operation cycle of the press is stored in a second memory with respect to each channel. Contents of the first memory are subtracted from contents of the second memory, the result of the subtraction being displayed with respect to each channel.

Abstract: In this control unit for a hand knitter, a data source such as a magnetic tape recorder provides both the row-by-row knitting pattern data and shaping information related to the outline contour of the article to be knitted. The shaping data is supplied as row numbers and stitch data specifying the number of stitches to be added or cast off in each knitted row identified by the row numbers. The control unit compares the supplied row numbers to the number of the row next to be knitted. If stitch changes are required, the requisite stitch data is visually displayed, and optionally the knitter carriage is momentarily blocked and an audible signal is sounded.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument capable of changing a slope portion of a filter characteristic continuously from start to completion of production of a musical tone.The inventive electronic musical instrument changes a filter slope in a frequency region above or below a cut-off frequency with lapse of time and, in order to achieve such change in the filter slope, changes a slope factor continuously from start to completion of production of the tone. The instrument is also capable of changing the cut-off frequency.An example of a low-pass filter is shown in which a desired form of a successively changing filter slope can be obtained by employing four slope factor values and three values representing a speed of change of the slope factors as well as three cut-off frequency values and two values representing a speed of change of the cut-off frequencies.

Abstract: A channel processor capable of assigning a key code provided by a key coder and representing making (or breaking) of a key switch to one of a plurality of channels for storage therein and subsequently detecting breaking (or making) of the same key switch on the side of the channel processor. The assignment of the key code is implemented by holding the key code provided by the key coder during a predetermined period of time, detecting whether conditions for the key code assignment have been satisfied or not in a former half of the holding period and, if such conditions have been satisfied, causing the key code to be stored in an empty channel of a main memory device in a latter half of the holding period. Detection of breaking of the made key switch (or vice versa) is made by once clearing a memory storing the assigned channels by means of a start code generated by the key coder and subsequently finding that a channel among the cleared channels is not stored in the memory again, i.e.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument is of a type wherein musical tone waveforms are stored in a memory as their sampled amplitudes and sequentially and repetitively read out to constitute tone waveforms. A key depression brings forth key code in a digital representation. This key code is used for reading out frequency information from a frequency information memory. The frequency informaton is accumulated to make an address signal for reading out the waveform memory. The read out waveform is reproduced as a musical tone through a tone-color and volume control circuit. This tone-color and volume control circuit is controlled keyboard by keyboard.The key code produced upon depression of the key contains a signal representing the kind of the keyboard to which the depressed key belongs. This signal is applied to a conversion circuit and converted to a signal representative of a different kind of keyboard.

Abstract: An improved data transfer apparatus and method is fabricated by multiplexing at least a portion of the address of the peripherals on the data bus. Data transfer is simplified by adopting identical control timing for the read and write cycles, setting up address and data information early within a cycle and synchronizing the output of such information on the output busses coupled to the peripherals. Data transfer control signals may be encoded to simplify read and write input/output and memory operations. The advantage of such improvements permits reduce component count, pin requirements and gives rise to an ability to incorporate more system functions on a single chip.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing from a photographic transparency a contact copy that is controllably elongated or compressed in one dimension only. The transparency and a photosensitive film sheet are separately transported at different linear speeds past an elongated illuminated slit by a pair of drive rollers that are driven at different rotational rates. Segmented pressure rollers keep the transparency and film sheet in contact with their respective drive rollers during transport.A differential speed drive mechanism is used to rotate the drive rollers at different speeds. This comprises a pair of complementarily tapered shafts, coaxially attached to the respective drive rollers, together with an O-ring that is caught between the shafts at a selectable axial location. The ratio of the tapered shaft diameters at the location of the O-ring establishes the relative rotation rate of the drive rollers, and hence the extent of dimensional distortion of the produced copy.

Abstract: A wave powered electric generator using direct energy conversion is described which includes, within a water and airtight, buoyant envelope tethered to a fixed point relative to the sea bottom, one or more stators and one or more elements moveable by the force of inertia, the relative motion of the moveable element within the stator generating electricity. Also within the buoyant envelope is a rectifier for rectifying the electric energy generated by the moveable element, and power transmission means for supplying the generated and rectified electric energy to a power station. In a preferred embodiment, a conductive fluid is employed as a moveable element, this fluid being passed through a concentrated magnetic field, the resultant electrical power being tapped by electrodes whose axis preferably is orthagonal to the field and direction of fluid motion.

Abstract: A vending machine capable of coping with changes in the kinds of vendible articles and a vend price in a very simple manner without modifying the coin control circuitry. The vender includes a plurality of switches and the vend price can be easily preset by suitably opening and closing these switches. Upon depression of a desired article selection switch of the vender, a set vend price signal corresponding to this switch is supplied to coin control circuitry in the form of a binary signal. The coin control circuitry compares the set vend price signal with amount of inserted coins and, when vending is possible, supplies a vend signal to the vender via a single line. The vender dispenses the selected article in response to depression of the article selection switch and receipt of the vend signal.

Abstract: A music teaching machine comprising a rotatable disc sandwiched between two panels. Each of the panels is provided with a cut out through which information provided on both sides of the disc is displayed, information and instructions and finger rests. The bottom of the panel is provided with a strip extension and metal pointer used to point out notes on a piano keyboard provided on panels.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument wherein instantaneous amplitude values of respective harmonics of a musical tone waveform are individually provided in accordance with a numerical value corresponding to the frequency of the depressed key for the musical tone, each of harmonic amplitude coefficients setting relative amplitudes of the respective harmonics is multiplied with corresponding one of the instantaneous amplitude values and the multiplication products are aligned with respect to time thereby to obtain a musical tone of a desired tone color, i.e. of a desired frequency spectrum construction. The harmonic amplitude coefficients are given as values corresponding to a multipeak spectrum construction.The harmonic amplitude coefficients are provided by a filter having a multipeak characteristic.

Abstract: A method of producing a sintered silicon carbide body high in density, flexural strength and purity at elevated temperatures from polycarbosilanes is disclosed. The method involves the following steps:(A) polymerizing organosilicon compounds to yield specific polycarbosilanes which are insoluble in solvents and unmeltable i.e. the polycarbosilanes being higher in melting temperature or in softening temperature than in thermal decomposition temperature;(B) pulverizing the insoluble and unmeltable polycarbosilanes so as to form a powder;(C) applying heat with or without the use of pressure to the powder charged into a hot press mold in a nonoxidizing atmosphere to thereby decompose the same thermally into silicon carbide and sintering the silicon carbide under pressure.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for purifying used oil such as lubricating oil and the like. The method comprises the steps of mixing the used oil with a diluent so as to lower the viscosity of the used oil to a manageable viscosity, and then mixing and heating the diluted oil with a water-alcohol mixture which mixture also includes a small quantity of water soluble acid or a monovalent base. The resultant mixture is then permitted to settle so as to cause a phase separation with the sludge and other undesirable components in the aqueous phase and the now-purified oil in the organic phase.

Abstract: In an electronic musical instrument of the class wherein the amplitude samples of a tone at successive sampling points of musical tone waveform are calculated by independently calculating respective partials that constitute the musical tone waveform and then adding the calculated partial samples, there are provided a "variable" generating circuit which generates a variable which varies with time, and a "variable" modifying circuit which modifies the variable with a coefficient corresponding to each partial thereby independently modifying the normal frequency of each one of the correponding partials in accordance with the output from the variable modulating circuit.

Abstract: In this telephone answering device, incoming messages are recorded on a tape that is wound onto a take-up reel. During such recording, an indicator wheel is rotated by a drive wheel that is geared to the take-up reel. An arm on the drive wheel engages a tab projecting from the indicator wheel to accomplish this rotation. Upon reception of a "beep" tone sent over the telephone line by the user who wishes to retrive his messages, the tape is rewound, causing counter-rotation of the drive wheel. The indicator wheel is held stationary. When rewind is complete, the tape is driven forward again to play out the recorded messages. This rotates the drive wheel forward until the arm touches the indicator wheel tab. An electrical circuit then is completed which terminates the operation, since all recorded messages have now been played back.