Abstract: A shopping display system for organizing a shopping list in accordance with the locations of products in a store and for displaying promotions in response to a product being scanned by a product scanner. The shopping list may be generated with the assistance of a cash register tape bearing the product bar codes associated with the purchased products. The product scanner is mounted on a shopping cart so that promotions are issued in response to the products while the shopper is in the middle of the shopping visit. This system includes a display mounted on the shopping cart and a product code scanner. The system may also be provided with a disk drive, keypad and wireless communications.

Abstract: A magnetic head has a first magnetic core and a second magnetic core, a partition wall plate and sliders. The first and second magnetic cores are securely joined together through the partition wall plate in the widthwise direction of tracks of a recording medium. The sliders are disposed on the outer surfaces of the cores in the widthwise direction of the tracks. A surface of the partition wall that is opposite the recording medium is recessed from the sliding contact surfaces of the first and second magnetic cores and the sliders against the recording medium. This provides a concave groove which reduces the area of the sliding contact surface. Spacing loss by the magnetic head can be substantially extinguished and the wearing away of the recording medium can be avoided by air pressure produced in the concave groove.

Abstract: A method for obtaining quantitative compositional information from a multilayer web containing a highly light-scattering component. The compositional information is obtained by measuring and analyzing the transmitted or diffusely reflected infrared spectrum. The method allows for separately determining the moisture content of hydrophobic (non-hydrogen bonding) layers and hydrophilic (hydrogen bonding) layers of multilayer webs. The separate measurements of moisture content can be made simultaneously in moving webs having both types of layers present. The method is used to determine further compositional information such as the thickness of the individual support and gelatin containing layers, plasticizer content, retained solvents content, and the presence of other components in webs, especially photographic webs.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for optically monitoring or detecting information regarding a moving object by using optical fibers. The object of the invention is to prevent output characteristics from deteriorating with the passage of time. This deterioration is caused by the fact that a resin-made holder of a detecting section is deformed or a position in which the holder is installed shifts particularly because of heat and vibrations. An intermediate member is disposed between the holder and a fixing member. The holder is secured to the intermediate member which is used as a member for absorbing heat and vibrations.

Abstract: Improved method and means for the detection of nitrogenous material or assaying of nitrogenous material in an object on the basis of nuclear resonant attenuation of 9.17 MeV .gamma.-rays. A target in form of one or several .sup.13 C pellets at least 25.mu. thick, or alternatively in form of a body that bears a composite thin film including at least one .sup.13 C layer not more than 1.mu. thick and at least one other substance that is capable of generating supplementary .gamma.-radiation for determining the non-resonant component of attenuation, is bombarded with 1.75 MeV protons to produce a source of 9.17 MeV .gamma.-rays. The target is placed on one side of the inspected object and a .gamma.-ray detector or an array of such detectors is placed on the other side and the total and non-resonant attenuation are read and evaluated.

Abstract: An ion beam processing apparatus which processes specimens held by a specimen holder in a vacuum vessel by irradiating the specimen with an ion beam. The apparatus includes a raising/lowering device for raising and lowering the specimen holder. When replacing the processed specimen by an unprocessed specimen, the specimen holder is raised and lowered by the raising/lowering device to effect specimen replacement. Due to this arrangement, specimen replacement can be performed automatically without opening the vacuum vessel to atmospheric air thereby increasing productivity.

Abstract: A hybrid gamma-ray semiconductor detector is used in combination with attenuating apertures of the kind used in emission computed tomography. The detector comprises a slab of semiconductor material partitioned into multiple cells individually connected to a multiplexer through indium-bump pressure welds for the sequential read-out of integrated pulses generated in each cell as a result of gamma-ray absorption events. The single output channel provided by the multiplexer permits the construction of semiconductor sensor cells approximately one millimeter in size for improved spatial resolution of the detector. The greater resolution of the detector makes it possible to narrow the distance between the image forming apertures and the detector's surface, thus minimizing overlapping of the gamma-ray radiation and the size of the overall apparatus.

Abstract: A system for remotely detecting liquid contaminants on surfaces, including hemical agents and their simulants is presented. The system includes a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroradiometer aligned to optionally develop graybody photoluminescence spectra from the generation of a plurality of interferograms co-added to provide a favorable signal to noise ratio for use with and thereafter transforming the co-added interferograms. A laser is used for surface irradiating a substrate potentially having the chemical agents to heat the substrate. A shutter controls the laser to receive and record photoluminescence emissions from the heated substrate, and generate a plurality of interferograms co-added to provide a favorable signal to noise ratio for use with the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroradiometer. The co-added interferograms are used to generate molecular absorption resonant peaks which are mathematically processed in the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroradiometer.

Abstract: A PET scanner includes a coincidence detector circuit which compares time markers produced by a ring of detector modules. Detector module outputs are sampled every 250 nanoseconds and assembled into event data packets which are time multiplexed through the coincidence detector circuit. The coincidence detector circuit is formed around a set of ASICs which perform the comparisons necessary to detect coincidence events. Coincidence event data packets are sorted into sinograms and used to reconstruct images.

Abstract: A radiation detection device includes a scintillator having an upper scintillator body section and a lower scintillator body section. The upper section forms an arcuate-shaped cap through which the incident radiation enters the scintillator, and the lower section has sidewalls disposed at a selected taper angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the scintillator body and an optically transmissive window disposed opposite the cap of the upper section such that optical photons can pass from the scintillator to a photodetector coupled to the window. An optically-diffuse reflective layer is disposed over the sidewalls and the cap. The sidewalls typically have a positive taper angle, being closer to one another near the optically transmissive window and farther from one another near the cap. The arcuate shape of the cap typically conforms to the arc of a circle centered on the optically transmissive window.

Abstract: The optical filter is comprised of a thin film having a multi-layered structure free of a substrate. The multi-layered structure is composed of alternately superposed high refractivity layers and low refractivity layers with one another. Each layer has a dense composition effective to prevent absorption of water and exhibiting substantially the same internal stress. In production of the thin film, there is utilized a substrate soluble to a certain solvent. An optical material of high refractive index and another optical material of low refractive index are alternately deposited by accelerated energy particles on the substrate surface to form a thin film of multi-layered structure. Lastly, the substrate is dissolved into the solvent to separate the thin film to form the optical filter free of the substrate.

Abstract: Apparatus for quantitative analysis of a material sample, such as whole grain, as a function of optical characteristics thereof includes a light source and a solid state detector of silicon or other suitable construction. A material sample is positioned between the light source and the detector, and light energy is focused through the sample onto the detector at a plurality of preselected wavelengths in the near-infrared range of 800-1100 nm. Illumination wavelength is selectively controlled by an opaque disc having a central axis and a plurality of apertures around the periphery at uniform radius from the disc axis. A plurality of filter elements are carried by the disc over respective ones of the peripheral apertures and have transmission characteristics corresponding to the plurality of preselected wavelengths.

Abstract: A magnetic head of a structure in which a pair of magnetic cores, each comprising a magnetic film formed on a support, are butted and bonded to each other with glass and with the interposition of a non-magnetic gap material. The bonding glass is an oxide type glass containing vanadium as main constituent, and 55% or more of vanadium contained in the glass is tetravalent vanadium. This magnetic head is excellent in mass productivity, wear resistance, scratch resistance, weather resistance and magnetic properties.

Abstract: In a solid image pickup device, a plurality of microlenses are provided on a substrate having light receiving portions in opposition to the light receiving portions so that incident light can converge onto the light receiving portions. The microlenses are covered with a transparent resin layer having a refractive index smaller than that of the microlenses. Therefore, the solid image pickup device, even when packaged in a molded body made of a resin having a refractive index similar to that of the microlenses, can realize good sensitivity because the microlenses can effectively operate as condenser lenses due to the resin layer between the molded body and the microlenses.

Abstract: A thin film tape head assembly is formed by depositing a multiplicity of thin film transducers on a ceramic wafer or substrate. The wafer is divided into head bars, each of which has one or more thin film transducers on its face. End sections and a cover bar are joined to the head bar to form a head bar subassembly. A flexible cable or electrical pins are provided between the end sections to enable electrical connection between the head circuit and external circuitry. By joining a number of head bar subassemblies, a multigap thin film tape head assembly is produced to serve as a read/write device.

Abstract: A disk drive has a head cleaner which cleans the heads each time the heads are moved from an operating position to a park position. The heads are slidably mounted to move into engagement with a disk when a cartridge containing the disk is inserted into the drive. When the heads are retracted to the park position, a wiper pad is inserted into the gap between the magnetic heads. This removes unwanted particulate matter from the heads.

Abstract: The scintillation camera includes a plurality of individually pulsible light emitting devices associated with a number of the photomultiplier tubes. By pulsing the light emitting device, certain ones of the photomultiplier tubes of the camera receive substantial amounts of light. Values from the certain photomultiplier tubes are compared to one another for carrying out an effective gain adjustment of at least one of the certain tubes. The gain calibration is independent of the amount of light emitted from the light emitting devices. There is also provided a method of adjusting the effective gain of the camera by using the readings resulting from a gamma ray induced scintillation instead of the pulsible light emitting devices.

Abstract: Device for cleaning heads of disc drive units. The device comprises a substantially round member having dimensions which allow insertion of the device into the receiving area of a disc drive unit. The member has a central elongated aperture which permits reciprocating movement of the member when fully inserted in the receiving area of the disc drive unit. The cleaning device may also have notches on its outer periphery for clearing internal projections of the disc drive. A cleaning surface, preferably comprising a removable, self adhesive strip of a fibrous material, is attached to at least one surface of the member. A shield is present on the same surface of the member as the cleaning strip for protecting the cleaning strip from damage upon entry or release of the cleaning device from the receiving area of the disc drive unit.

Abstract: A gas sensor using optical fiber technology to measure gas concentration in a test volume. In one embodiment, the sensor incorporates a gas enriching polymer which absorbs and concentrates carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) from the test volume surrounding the sensor. The polymer is wrapped around the core of an optical fiber which guides radiation with first selected wavelengths to the polymer. The radiation propagates into the polymer and reacts with the carbon dioxide in the polymer. Determination of CO.sub.2 concentration in the test volume is made by measuring the amount of attenuation of the radiation after reacting with the carbon dioxide in the polymer. In another embodiment, the polymer is capable of absorbing oxygen from the test volume and oxygen concentration is measured using fluorescence quenching.

Abstract: Characteristics of moving webs are measured using a radiation source shutter which is rotatably movable between an opened-shutter position and a closed-shutter position and structured to permit access to the radiation source in the closed-shutter position. The source is configured to produce a fan-shaped radiation beam which passes through the web to a detector. The sizing of the fan-shaped beam and the detector together with the spacing the source and the detector are such that the beam width is substantially less than the detector while its length is greater than the detector. This novel beam shaping, detector arrangement provides composition insensitivity, increases solid beam angle and superior streak detection by aligning the beam length dimension with the direction of web movement.