Abstract: A hearing aid has a skeleton, with an outer support element (3), an inner support element (4) and a connecting element (5), on which are arranged at least part of the electronic components (41, 42) of the hearing aid. The two support elements essentially form the end faces (IS, AS) of an irregular frustum. To the support elements is fixed a diaphragm (2) in such a way that it essentially forms the circumferential surface of the frustum. The diaphragm (2) and the skeleton (3, 4, 5) together form a substantially tubular molding cavity, in which a shaped member (1) adapted to the individual auditory canal is molded with a hardening molding compound in the ear of the user. Prior to the molding process the skeleton can be roughly adapted to the individual auditory canal by a suitable deformation of the connecting element (5). The diaphragm (2) is not only gas-permeable and liquid-impermeable at right angles to its main surface.

Abstract: A light modulator useful for modulating a diverging light beam exiting from an optical fiber. In one embodiment, the modulator has a focusing lens and two flat partial mirrors. The lens collimates the light, one half of which respectively strikes each of the partial mirrors orthogonally. These mirrors reflect the light back onto itself causing, depending on the relationship between the wavelength of the incident light and the differences in path lengths, varying degrees of constructive or destructive interference. The difference in path length can be varied electrically if the partial mirrors are embodied as etched semiconductor foils which are controllably displaced in an electrostatic field set up between the foils and a substrate electrode.

Abstract: An optical trigger is provided for use in a postage meter having a planar paper path. A light source with controllable intensity is mounted above the paper path and shines toward the paper path. A light sensor mounted above the paper path detects the reflected light if any. A dark region is provided below the paper path. More power is supplied to the light source when the sensor detects some light. An actuator is coupled with the printing mechanism of the meter to actuate it for printing of postage. When light is reflected from a mail piece, a timer is started, and when the timer reaches its programmed interval the actuator is actuated. The interval is adjustable by a trimmer adjustment, and two preprogrammed intervals may be selected by a front-panel switch.

Abstract: The process provides a staggered degree of security as a safety concept against unauthorized use of a transaction card for purchasing of items. The card has four memories memorizing an amount of money, a money installment and its limiting value, a number of usable transactions and its limiting value, further data for doing an identity check of the ownership of the cardholder and also an authenticity check. The card is usable at three different types of payment instruments with or without an identity check and/or an authenticity check.

Abstract: The bandwidth of a packet data transmission node is switched asynchronously without interruption of data transmission and with a minimum of circuit complexity. In particular, a packet channel is permitted to "breathe", gaining bandwidth when additional bandwidth becomes available from other temporarily unused digital channels and losing such additional bandwidth when such unused digital channels revert to other use. To permit such uninterrupted asynchronous operation, a "pad" or "throw away" character is defined which is ignored or discarded when it is received by another packet network node. Such a "pad" or "throwaway" character is unique only in the sense that it is distinct from and may not be confused with characters or bytes which may occur in normal data transmission sequences.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling the common memory of an ATM-node. The nodes serve for the continuous reception and onward routing of address-labelled cells with uniform length and uniform construction. The apparatus includes means for management and control and a sequencer for managing the storage blocks of the common memory and for controlling the sequential reading in and reading out of cells, respectively, into or out of said storage blocks. The circuits for management and control include at least one addressable read/write store, a monitor logic, an input logic, a bus- and control-logic, and a comparator, the read/write store includes a number of storage locations equal to the third plurality plus two times the second plurality multiplied by the quantity, plus 2. Every storage location of the read/write store is constructed for storing an address.

Abstract: A light modulator for modulating a light beam which emerges in the shape of a cone from an optical fiber. The modulator has a mirror which can be brought into at least two different states. In the one of these states, the light diverges in such a way that only a small portion returns back into the fiber. In the other of these states, however, more of the light returns back into the fiber. In one embodiment, the mirror is embodied as an etched semiconductor foil and is deformed by the force of a variable electrostatic field between the foil and an electrode which has been placed on a substrate.

Abstract: A synchronizing circuit comprises a controllable timer (9) and a PN-code generator (10) controllable thereby with at least three outputs (11.1, 11.2, 11.3), for the production of at least three PN-code signals phase-shifted with respect to one another. The PN-code signals phase-shifted with respect to one another are correlated, in parallel correlation paths, with the received signal. Upon the presence of a time drift, the phase position of the trailing PN-code signal, for example, is changed so that this signal is now leading. Thereby, the control range is shifted. At the same time, reassignment is effected between the correlation path and the demodulating output in such a way that in all cases the correlation path that is in the middle with respect to time and that has the maximum correlation power is utilized for demodulation.

Abstract: A hub for a segmented virtual local area network with shared media access has at least one internal port for receiving and transmitting digital data messages within the hub and may have at least one external port for receiving and transmitting digital data messages external to the hub. The hub further includes a memory for storing virtual local area network (VLAN) designations for internal and external ports. The hub associates VLAN designations with at least one internal port, stores such VLAN designations in the memory, and associates the stored VLAN designations with messages transmitted from any of the ports to which the VLAN designation has been assigned. Additionally, the hub identifies VLAN designations associated with messages received by or within the hub and means and transmits to any of the internal ports only messages received within the hub and having associated with them a VLAN designation which matches the stored VLAN designation assigned to the port.

Abstract: A rotor movement sensing system in a postage meter permits detection of the printing of postage even if power is lost during the printing cycle. A sensor senses a magnet on a disk when the rotor is substantially past its home position. A second sensor has a magnetic memory element. When the magnet on the disk passes near the memory element, that element is magnetized. A Hall-effect sensor at the memory element provides an interrupt to a processor to indicate magnetization of the memory element. A winding is provided around the memory element. The processor has an output which, when asserted, causes current flow through the winding, demagnetizing the memory element. Alternatively a reed switch senses rotor rotation, a flip-flop provides a bistable latch and its output provides a datum for the processor.

Abstract: The programming contacts of a programmable hearing aid are selectively used as audio input. To this end an electronic switch is provided which is controlled by the memory block. By transmitting special data signals to the memory block the switch is switched on or off, respectively.

Abstract: For transmitting digital data between any parties of an N-ISDN network, the latter is interlinked with an ATM network. Two network adaptors are connected in each case with one node of each of the networks over incoming and outgoing lines of the respective network norm. The network adaptors are constructed on the side of the N-ISDN network for receiving and sending out time-multiplexed octets and, on the side of the ATM network, for receiving and sending out cells, which serve as addressed carriers for octets and have the same destination direction. The network adaptors operate free of blockages and losses.

Abstract: An analog-digital processing unit including an amplifier with amplification that is adjustable in stages, and a quantizer outlet connected downstream of the amplifier. The output of the quantizer acts as actual value to control the amplification of the amplifier. With the assistance of the instantaneous value output from the quantizer, and the instantaneous prevailing amplification, the signal values, compensated by the instantaneous amplification, are defined and are output in a memory and scaling unit.

Abstract: A rotor unit comprises a rotor cylinder which is fastened to a shaft and is rotatably supported via an external bearing. A gear motor is arranged in the interior, which gear motor drives a first double gear wheel in both rotating directions (a, b) via its power take-off shaft and a pinion. The double gear wheel is supported on a disk and a bearing plate in a freewheel bearing and engages with a second double gear wheel. In one rotating direction (b), the freewheel bearing locks the toothed wheel, so that the latter, rigidly together with the disk, is carried along by the pinion. In this way, the second double gear wheel engages serially with one intermediate gear in each instance, wherein every such engagement is exactly positioned by means of a ball catch. In the other rotating direction (a), the motor in each instance turns a number wheel via the aforementioned gears and accordingly sets e.g. one digit of the postage meter machine's value stamp.

Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit for controlling the load of an asynchronous motor (11), the circuit comprising two capacitors (19, 20), one of which (20) can be connected, by means of a switch (70), in parallel with the other (19). Control is provided by a current sensor (30) and a voltage sensor (40), whose signals (S.sub.1, S.sub.2) are compared by a comparator (25). Depending on the relative size of the signals (S.sub.1, S.sub.2) a switch control unit (60) with relaxation hysteresis characteristics switches the switch (70) on or off. The circuit is simple, operates independently of the mains voltage (U) being used and its switch point can be adjusted by means of the current sensor (30).

Abstract: A postage meter resetting apparatus includes a stepper motor as a first motive arrangement for turning the resetting shaft of a mechanical postage meter, another stepper motor as a second motive mechanism to enable or disable resetting by the first stepper motor. A lead screw, lead nut and linkage, driven by the second stepper motor, when resetting is authorized, moves an axially movable part of a coupling between the second stepper motor and the meter's axially movable resetting shaft, to bring the resetting gear on the shaft into engagement with a gear of the meter's descending register. An input to the first stepper motor, representing a variable amount of postage, effects turning of the resetting shaft and the engaged gears by amounts corresponding to the desired variable amount of postage to be added to the meter's descending register. An encoder coupled to the shaft of the first stepper motor provides an output indication of the amount that the shaft has turned.

Abstract: A method for shortening a distributed queue, the distributed queue being formed by the first node and the second node which communicate using packets transmitted and received over first and second buses, the first and second nodes having first and second distributed queue images, respectively, which form first and second portions of the distributed queue, respectively, the packets travelling over the first bus having a request mode and a non-request mode and the packets travelling over the second bus having an empty mode and a full mode, the first node creating packets in the empty mode in the non-request mode; the first node has an information queuing state which changes a first packet originally in the non-request mode into the request mode and transmits the first packet over the first bus and adds first information to be sent to the first distributed queue, the first node transmitting information stored in the first distributed queue when second packet in the empty mode and a third packet is the non-reques