Abstract: A license plate sized, light-transmitting, indicia plate is uniformly illuminated and carried in the available license plate mounting area of a vehicle. The light-transmitting plate is spaced and supported from the vehicle, preferably by a housing and a lighting assembly is carried within the supporting housing and provides substantially uniform illumination of the indicia plate with a plurality of lighting devices, electrically and mechanically carried in a spaced array by the supporting means. The resulting illuminated display can provide an eye-catching and attractive decoration of the available license plate area of a vehicle with all of the various indicia used in the past by vehicle owners to advertise their associations with various organizations, or with clever slogans and statements, cartoons and other such alphanumeric and pictorial indicia.

Abstract: A transfer case for a part-time four wheel drive vehicle includes a planetary gear speed reduction assembly driven by the transfer case input shaft for providing high and low speed range outputs. The planetary gear assembly is disposed between and is selectively engaged by primary and secondary clutch collars, the primary clutch driving the rear (primary) output shaft in either the high or low speed ranges. The secondary clutch drives the front (secondary) output shaft through a chain drive in the low range. The clutch collars are controlled by a single (common) clutch operator. An electromagnetic clutch assembly driven by the input shaft selectively drives the front output shaft chain drive. The electromagnetic clutch functions both as a synchronizer and torque delivery device. The transfer case may be combined with a control which facilitates direct selection of vehicle drive mode.

Abstract: Together with circuit data of circuit elements, there is stored, in a memory device, external specification information of each of the circuit elements, the information including (i) function information of each of the terminals of the circuit elements and (ii) selection information representing a wiring condition for each of the terminals. When the element arrangement and external specification information of a circuit to be designed, are entered, pieces of external specification information are compared with one another to obtain pairs of wiring candidates of a circuit which connects, to one another, the circuit elements of the circuit to be designed. Based on the pairs of wiring candidates, there is generated wiring information which satisfies each wiring condition. Based on the pieces of wiring information thus generated, there are automatically generated circuit data of the circuit to be designed.

Abstract: A mechanism and method for forming a facing seam at a relatively high rate that will insure that the cover thread is properly interwoven between each stitch of two parallel rows of stitches. The facing seam is formed by two needles and cooperating loopers for forming two parallel rows of stitches that are joined by a cover thread that lies on the upper surface of the work piece. The cover thread is controlled by a conventional spreader and a cover thread assist member. The cover thread assist member is formed from a lightweight hardened wire that is fixed to a mid portion of the conventional spreader.

Abstract: An optical arrangement or length- or angle-measuring device comprising an illumination device for generating partial ray beams and an image lens to receive and transmit the partial ray beams, wherein each of the received partial ray beams defines an angle of inclination with respect to the image lens. The optical arrangement further comprises a plurality of detectors to receive the transmitted partial ray beams and the detectors are positioned so that the distance between the image lens and the individual photodetectors is a function of the angle of inclination of the partial ray beams received by the image lens.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for generating structured query language instructions for communication to a database. In response to receipt of user-supplied input dimensions, an output table is automatically selected that represents the user's query of the relational database. The system automatically identifies and generates the links between data in predefined data tables within the database and the automatically selected output table. From the output table and data links, structured query language instructions are automatically generated. A technique is included to select the minimum number of tables reflective of the input dimensions. Each link between the input data tables and the output table is checked bi-directionally to ensure the integrity of the table selected.

Abstract: An optical pickup head apparatus comprises a first coherent light source for emitting a coherent light serving as a main beam, and a second coherent light source for emitting a coherent light having a polarized plane at a right angle to the polarized plane of the coherent light emitted from the first coherent light source. When the coherent light emitted from the second coherent light source is incident upon a phase plate, the phase plate yields a sub-beam presenting a distribution of light intensity having peak values at at least both sides of the center of the sub-beam on a plane vertical with respect to the optical axis of the coherent light. Focusing means overlaps the main beam emitted from the first coherent light source on the sub-beam emitted from the phase plate, causing the resulting overlapped beam to be focused on the information-recorded surface of an optical disk.

Abstract: A chewing gum composition is disclosed that contains about 0.1% to about 0.6% maltodextrin. The maltodextrin provides an initial stiffness so that the gum can be easily wrapped. However, at the low levels used, the maltodextrin does not have a significant impact on the chew properties of the gum.

Abstract: A spacer for maintaining separation between a first and a second blade in a razor blade cartridge, both the first and second blades having a forward cutting edge. The spacer includes a member forming an upper and lower surface having a plurality of holes extending therethrough, and a protrusion disposed around each opening on the upper surface of the member so as to form channels between one another. The spacer further includes an arcuate shaped skin engaging portion disposed on a forward edge of the member such that the arcuate shaped skin engaging portion intersects the plane formed by the cutting edge of the first and second blade.

Abstract: Three strains of a species of Bacillus proteolyticus are provided. This bacterium produces an alkaline protease which is suitable for detergent formulations. The alkaline protease has the amino acid terminal sequence of Seq. ID NO.: 1 as follows: Ala-Gln-Ser-Val-Pro-Trp-Gly-Ile-Ser-Arg-Val-Gln-Ala-Pro-Ala-Ala-His-Asn-Ar g-Gly-. In addition, the alkaline protease has a molecular weight of 28 kdaltons, an isoelectric point from 10-11.5, an optimum pH for proteolytic activity at a pH in the range of 8.5 and 11.5, and retains at least 70% of its original activity after being held at a pH of 8.0 at a temperature of 43.degree. C. for a period of 11 days.

Abstract: A parallel processing system consists of a plurality of processor elements and a network for connecting the processor elements to each other. The processor includes a processor, a memory and a data transfer apparatus, all connected to a common bus. The data transfer apparatus includes of three buffers, while a data relay includes two buffers. In data transfer from a processor element to another processor element, a data is relayed in a third processor element only with use of a buffer, or a write/read operation is not performed in the third processor element. Then, the overhead is decreased and the transfer capability is improved. Further, the data transfer apparatus does not access the common bus, so that the width of the bus can be increased, and the processing performance of the processor can be improved.

Abstract: An acid solution is fed onto a TiN film formed on a semiconductor substrate. So, the TiN film is dipped into the acid solution, whereupon the surface of the semiconductor substrate is neutralized or is made less basic. Then, a chemically amplified resist, containing an acid generator which produces an acid when irradiated with radiant rays and a compound reactive to acids, is applied to the semiconductor substrate, to form a resist film. This is followed by a step for sending radiant rays upon the resist film to expose it. Then, the exposed resist pattern is developed to form a resist pattern without footing or scumming and under-cutting.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit of registers and combinational logic circuits connected between the registers is generated by a top-down design technique. When performing the logic synthesizing of such a semiconductor integrated circuit by making use of data of register transfer level, a combinational logic circuit with a critical path is driven with power from a high-voltage source, a combinational logic circuit without a critical path is driven with power from a low-voltage source, and a level converter capable of converting an input signal of low voltage level into a high-voltage-level output is arranged in a register located upstream of a combinational logic circuit with a critical path. Compared with a technique in which only critical paths are driven with power from a high-voltage source, it becomes easier to determine where to arrange level converters. Additionally, the number of level converters required can be reduced, thereby facilitating design work.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for forming bump electrodes on an electronic part such as a chip or a substrate. Conventional methods for forming bump electrode had a factor causing high cost, but with the invention, instead of solder balls, low cost solder wires are used, that is, solder wires are cut in a predetermined length, the cut solder wires are vacuum-attracted to the lower face of a pick up head and transferred onto a chip, then the solder pieces transferred are heated to melt, then cooled to solidify and results in forming bump electrodes of hemisphere shape.

Abstract: In a data processor, image data of a pixel matrix is subjected to orthogonal transformation to coefficient data, the coefficient data is quantized with a first quantization table for character image and a second quantization table for half-tone image, and the image data is discriminated to be character image data or half-tone image data according to the quantization data. The selected data is then coded. In another processor, image data are divided into first and second processing blocks of m*m and M*M pixel matrices wherein M>m and the second processing block includes one of first processing blocks and adjacent pixels. Image data in a first and second processing block are subjected to orthogonal transformation to coefficient data.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for transferring a flatwork article. A transfer mechanism grips a leading edge portion of the article between leading corner portions thereof and moves the article from a loading station to a pickup station. A positioning device locates a trailing edge portion of the article at the pickup station for engagement with a moving mechanism. A moving mechanism picks up the trailing edge portion of the article at the pickup station and moves the article to a desired location.

Abstract: A novel atomic frequency standard includes an absorption cell containing a first volume of atoms for varying an intensity of light energy passing therethrough; at least one dielectric resonator for generating an evanescent electromagnetic field that effects hyperfine energy level transitions of the first volume of atoms; a waveguide for housing the absorption cell and one or more dielectric resonator(s); a photo detector mounted near an end of the waveguide for receiving light energy; and an electromagnetic energy injector for electromagnetically exciting the dielectric resonator(s). Preferably, a filter cell is positioned adjacent to a dielectric resonator between the absorption cell and the light source.

Abstract: An optical head for optical recording and reproducing apparatuses is disclosed. The optical head comprises a semiconductor laser, a mirror for reflecting a light beam emitted from the semiconductor laser, a diffraction grating for dividing the light beam into zero order, plus and minus first-order beams. It also comprises a holographic diffraction grating being arranged at an optical path of the beams divided by the diffraction grating, an objective lens for focusing the beams on a disk and causing the beams reflected from the disk to be incident on the holographic diffraction grating to diffract the beams, and a photodetector for detecting a tracking error signal by receiving the beams diffracted by the holographic diffraction grating. The semiconductor laser has a beam incident area onto which the beam reflected from the disk is incident. The beam incident area acts to scatter or absorb the incident beam. As a result, the optical head is able to obtain a stable tracking error signal.