Abstract: A traffic shaper comprises a bandwidth controller 40 having a plurality of leaky bucket units 41-1 to 41-n prepared in correspondence with buffer memories 20-1 to 20-n, and an output queue designation unit 43 for specifying a buffer memory from which a packet is to be read out. Each of the leaky bucket units 41 has a level counter 416 for decrementing the count value at a predetermined rate, and a level increaser 411 to 417 for increasing the count value of the level counter by a value proportional to the product of the length of a transmitted packet and a unitary increment value which is variable depend on the current count value of the level counter.

Abstract: Provided is a water-decomposable absorbent article including a water-decomposable back layer, a water-decomposable and liquid-pervious surface layer, and a water-decomposable absorbent layer sandwiched between the back layer and the surface layer and having a smaller planar dimension than the back layer and the surface layer. The absorbent article includes an inner region in which the absorbent layer is present, and an outer peripheral region having the back layer and the surface layer bonded to each other without interposing the absorbent layer therebetween and being formed in a predetermined width spaced from a peripheral edge of the absorbent article. A thermoplastic water-soluble adhesive is applied in a strip shape between the back layer and the surface layer in a predetermined width along the peripheral edge in the outer peripheral region. The back layer and the surface layer are heat-sealed with the thermoplastic water-soluble adhesive disposed therebetween in the outer peripheral region.

Abstract: A discharge lamp of the present invention, which has an starting property, an arc stability and a service life which are improved even if the lamp produces a short arc. The discharge lamp includes a light emitting bulb, sealing members disposed on both sides of the light emitting bulb, metal foils sealed in the sealing members, a pair of electrodes which are connected to the metal foils and have large-diameter portions formed on tips, coils disposed at the rear of the large-diameter portions of the electrodes, external conductors, and a discharge medium enclosed in the light emitting bulb.

Abstract: Disclosed is an absorbent article including: a liquid permeable topsheet disposed on a body surface of the article; a liquid barrier sheet for preventing liquids from exuding toward a garment surface of the article; and an absorbent layer disposed between the topsheet and the liquid barrier sheet. The absorbent article has a liquid receiving region of a predetermined area where the topsheet and the absorbent layer overlap each other. A reference mark for visually measuring an extent of liquid spread in the liquid receiving region is provided on a body surface of the topsheet.

Abstract: Provided is a sanitary panty including a panty body formed with a front part, a back part and a crotch part located between the front part and the back part; and a support member. The panty body has a waist portion formed with an upper edge portion of the front part and an upper edge portion of the back part, and a pair of leg openings. The support member is provided inside of the panty body and has elastic stretchability in a longitudinal direction extending from the front part to the back part. The support member is fitted at both ends only with the front and back parts of the panty body. The support member has a narrower width portion of which the width is in a range of 20 to 40 mm and extending from the crotch part to the back part. The width of the support member gradually increases from a terminal end of the narrower width portion in the back part to the waist portion thereof.

Abstract: Provided is a sanitary tampon including an absorbent wrapped by a liquid-pervious sheet. The absorbent is a mass of a plurality of compressed, small fiber agglomerations. At least the small fiber agglomerations located in the peripheral region of the absorbent are bonded to each other via hydrogen bonding therebetween.

Abstract: Provided is a water-decomposable absorbent article including a water-decomposable back layer, a water-decomposable and liquid-pervious surface layer, and a water-decomposable absorbent layer sandwiched between the back layer and the surface layer and having a smaller planar dimension than the back layer and the surface layer. The absorbent article includes an inner region in which the absorbent layer is present, and an outer peripheral region having the back layer and the surface layer bonded to each other without interposing the absorbent layer therebetween and being formed in a predetermined width spaced from a peripheral edge of the absorbent article. A thermoplastic water-soluble adhesive is applied in a strip shape between the back layer and the surface layer in a predetermined width along the peripheral edge in the outer peripheral region. The back layer and the surface layer are heat-sealed with the thermoplastic water-soluble adhesive disposed therebetween in the outer peripheral region.

Abstract: An ATM switch that can be expanded to form a large scale ATM switch with minimal hardware additions. The ATM switch includes a plurality of ATM switch units arranged in parallel, a plurality of cell distributors arranged on the input side of the ATM switch units, and a plurality of cell assemblers arranged on the output side of the ATM switch units. Each of the cell distributors distributes ATM cells received from a plurality of incoming highways to a buffer memory having a plurality of queues corresponding to the output ports of the ATM switch units, namely destinations of the ATM cells, and stores the ATM cells to the queues in the buffer memory. Each cell distributor reads ATM cells having the same destination information, and outputs such ATM cells to respective ones of the ATM switch units in parallel. Each of the ATM switch units independently exchanges the received ATM cell in parallel with the other ATM switch units.

Abstract: Provided is a sanitary panty including a front part, a back part, a crotch part located between the front part and the back part, a waist portion formed by an upper edge portion of the front part and an upper edge portion of the back part, a pair of leg openings defined below joining portions of both side edges of the front part and both side edges of the back part, a suspending member extending over the front part, the crotch part and the back part in a longitudinal direction, and an extension cloth extending from both sides of the suspending member located at least in the crotch part and the back part. The suspending member is gradually reduced a width from the waist portion to the crotch part in the back part. The suspending member has greater elastic modulus in a longitudinal direction than that in a lateral direction.

Abstract: Disclosed is an absorbent article including: a topsheet formed from a nonwoven fabric; a backsheet; and a cushion layer disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet. The topsheet is three-dimensionally shaped to have hills and valleys alternating with each other. The hills and the valleys are arranged at a pitch of 0.5 to 5 mm. The three-dimensionally shaped topsheet has a thickness of 0.5 to 5 mm under a condition where a pressure of 49 Pa is applied thereto. The cushion layer, under a condition where a pressure of 49 Pa is applied thereto, has a thickness equal to or larger than the thickness of the topsheet. The cushion layer has a compression property value smaller than that of the topsheet.

Abstract: An absorbent article is capable of satisfactorily achieving deodorant effect or alternation restricting effect for body waste deposited on a surface sheet even in a thin absorbent sheet which can retain the body waste on the surface sheet. The absorbent article has a liquid absorbent surface sheet formed from at least one of natural fibers, regenerated fibers, mixture of natural fibers and regenerated fibers, composite fibers consisted of synthetic fiber and one of the natural fibers and the regenerated fibers, the surface sheet containing at least one of tea leaves and extract of tea leaves; and a hydrophobic back surface sheet.

Abstract: To provide an illumination optical apparatus comprising a plurality of illuminants, first condensing means for condensing the lights emitted from the illuminants, light synthesizing means for synthesizing the lights condensed by the first condensing means and emitting the synthesizing light in a predetermined direction, second condensing means into which the light emitted from the light synthesizing means comes to emit substantially parallel light, a first lens array constituted with a plurality of lenses to divide the light supplied from the second condensing means into a plurality of luminous fluxes, and a second lens array constituted with a plurality of lenses and into which the light supplied from the first lens array comes.

Abstract: An absorbent article such as a panty liner for disposal of body fluids discharged thereon includes a body facing side, an undergarment facing side and an absorbent core disposed therebetween, the undergarment facing side including a thermoplastic synthetic fiber layer placed against a bottom surface of the core and having a density lower than that of the core, a synthetic resin layer having a density higher than that of the fiber layer and a first thermoplastic synthetic fiber having a density lower than that of the resin layer, and the synthetic fiber layer being coated with adhesive agent to an undergarment.

Abstract: Provided is an applicator for a tampon including an outer cylinder having a large diameter portion for fitting a tampon therein, a small diameter portion provided on the side of a rear end of the outer cylinder and having a smaller diameter than that of the large diameter portion; and a plurality of valves provided on the side of a leading end of the outer cylinder. The valves are converged to have a curved face portion to be diametrically gradually reduced toward the leading end of the outer cylinder, and a push-out member is movably inserted into the small diameter portion of the outer cylinder. A ratio A/B is at most 0.8, when an inflection point for the boundary between the maximum diameter portion of the large diameter portion and the curved face portion is designated by Z, a radius of the outer face at the inflection point Z is designated by A, and the axial length from the inflection point Z to the leading end of the curved face portion is designated by B. A ratio L/W is within a range of 1.0 to 2.

Abstract: Provided is an applicator for a tampon including an outer cylinder having a protruding mouth at a leading end thereof, through which a tampon is pushed out and an opening at a root end thereof; and an inner cylinder for pushing out the tampon which has a front end located in the outer cylinder and a rear end protruding rearwardly from the outer cylinder through the opening. The inner cylinder is formed of an extruded material which is extrusion-molded of a thermoplastic resin into a cylindrical shape, and is provided at the front end thereof with a push portion which is deformed to have a larger diameter from the extruded material.

Abstract: Provided is a water-decomposable absorbent article including, a water-decomposable back sheet containing water-dispersible fibers, a water-decomposable absorbent layer, and a water-decomposable surface member for covering the absorbent layer. The outer surface of the back sheet is provided with a plurality of adhesive spots for securing the absorbent article to an external support. The adhesive spots are arranged at intervals both in a longitudinal direction and in a transverse direction. The distance between the neighboring adhesive spots is longer than the maximum fiber length of the fibers constituting the back sheet.

Abstract: Provided is an absorbent pad for being used with a sanitary tampon, which includes a pad body having liquid absorbency. The pad body has front and rear faces, and a string receiving portion. The string receiving portion passes through from the front face to the rear face so that a string extending from the tampon can be inserted into the string receiving portion.

Abstract: A disposable body fluids absorbent article includes a topsheet having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough and an absorbent core covered with the topsheet, the topsheet and core are colored so as to ensure a color difference (&Dgr;E) in NBS unit between the topsheet and portions of the core which are seen through the apertures.

Abstract: A packet switch having a structure of writing a variable length packet received from each of input lines into a shared buffer memory on a fixed length data block unit basis, wherein a buffer controller forms an input queue for each input line and, when the last data block of a variable length packet is registered in the input queue, links a linked address list for the input queue to one or a plurality of output queues corresponding to one or a plurality of packet destination output lines.

Abstract: To provide an illumination optical apparatus comprising a plurality of illuminants, first condensing means for condensing the lights emitted from the illuminants, light synthesizing means for synthesizing the lights condensed by the first condensing means and emitting the synthesizing light in a predetermined direction, second condensing means into which the light emitted from the light synthesizing means comes to emit substantially parallel light, a first lens array constituted with a plurality of lenses to divide the light supplied from the second condensing means into a plurality of luminous fluxes, and a second lens array constituted with a plurality of lenses and into which the light supplied from the first lens array comes.