Abstract: A shift lever includes a lever main body and a shift knob located at a distal end of the main body. The lever main body has a lever shaft and a push rod located in the lever shaft. The shift knob has a button for unlocking that receives a pushing manipulation force in a direction intersecting the push rod, a holder fixed to the lever shaft for holding the button, and a converter that converts a momentum in a pushing manipulation direction of the button into a momentum in an axial direction of the push rod to shift the push rod. The converter has a pushed surface to be pushed by the button, the pushed surface occupying only a region of the converter that is away from a central axis of the push rod in a releasing direction that is opposite to a pushing direction.

Abstract: Provided is a small-sized propeller windmill which can efficiently generate power even when a wing speed is low, has no possibility that the windmill is broken even when a strong wind blows, can stably ensure a weathercock direction of a base blade, and can suppress an environmental burden, in such a propeller windmill, the blade having a corrugated wing shape is supported in a cantilever manner by way of an elastic body, and the blade and the elastic body are made of paper or plastic. Further, to stably ensure the weathercock. direction of the base blade, a weathercock stabilizing mechanism is arranged behind the base blade.

Abstract: Provided is a small-sized propeller windmill which can efficiently generate power even when a wing speed is low, has no possibility that the windmill is broken even when a strong wind blows, can stably ensure a weathercock direction of a base blade, and can suppress an environmental burden. In such a propeller windmill, the blade having a corrugated wing shape is supported in a cantilever manner by way of an elastic body, and the blade and the elastic body are made of paper or plastic. Further, to stably ensure the weathercock direction of the base blade, a weathercock stabilizing mechanism is arranged behind the base blade.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for dehydrating hydrous sodium ?-naphtholate comprising: the step of heating the hydrous sodium ?-naphtholate or a mixture of the hydrous sodium ?-naphtholate and ?-naphthol which comprises no more than 0.2 mole of ?-naphthol per one mole of sodium ?-naphtholate in a solvent at a temperature of 260-300° C. under an inert gas. The process makes it possible to dehydrate hydrous sodium ?-naphtholate thoroughly in a short time with less production of tarry components.

Abstract: An apparatus establishes a common signal channel with a flexible channel capacity for effective utilization of the total traffic capacity between two exchanges or stations which are interconnected by the common signal channel. A traffic detecting unit in one of the exchanges detects a traffic volume in the common signal channel between the exchanges. Based on the detected traffic volume, a channel capacity change determining unit determines whether a channel capacity to which the common signal channel is set needs to be changed or not and determines a new channel capacity to be established for the common signal channel if the channel capacity needs to be changed. If the channel capacity to which the common signal channel is set needs to be changed, a channel capacity change executing unit executes a change in the channel capacity to which the common signal channel is set based on the established new channel capacity.

Abstract: A spring apparatus has a spring body including a plurality of elastic longitudinal beam members and a coupling beam member for holding the elastic longitudinal beam members at a predetermined interval. The apparatus further has a pair of spring retaining members for supporting the both ends of the spring body, and a rotary member rotatable provided around the central axis of the spring body as a center at least one one spring retaining member. At least one of the elastic longitudinal beam member is provided at one end of the rotary member. This spring apparatus is a tightly wound coil and made of the elastic longitudinal beam members in fully compressed state. When extended, each elastic longitudinal beam member is sequentially spirally deformed at larger pitch from the end. The twisting deformation of the elastic longitudinal beam member is released by rotation of the rotary member.

Abstract: Disclosed is a water-surface target towed by a mother ship which comprises a towed member running underwater with a ballast weight suspended therefrom, a target pole set up on the top of the towed member, and a stabilizing plate attached to a position above the waterline of the target pole at an angle of incidence. The water-surface target can be used even under bad conditions and towed at a high speed, e.g. 30 knots, due to the towed member being capable of continually maintaining stability underwater.

Abstract: A push button of rubber or other resilient material for use with a push-button switch and comprising a hollow tilting wall of a mesa shape. The tilting wall of the resilient push button serving as an operating portion is constructed such that its thickness gradually decreases in going from an upper portion toward an intermediate portion and gradually increases in going from the intermediate portion to a lower portion. A curved surface curving inwardly toward the interior of the switch is formed to extend from the intermediate portion to the upper portion. When pressure is first applied to a key top, the curved surface is bent inwardly toward the lower portion of the switch; and when further pressure is applied to the key top, the surface area of the intermediate portion, which is bent inwardly, is increased until the pressure affects the upper portion of the tilting wall.