Abstract: A steering wheel has a steering wheel body which includes a boss for being fixed to a steering shaft, a ring portion metal core, spoke portion metal cores, a covering portion covering the ring portion metal core and the spoke portion metal cores, and a pad portion provided generally centrally of a ring portion, the pad portion being molded integrally with the covering portion. The steering wheel further includes an air bag device provided between the pad portion and the boss. A cloth insert is mounted on a metal core portion, forming part of the steering wheel body, and is embedded in the pad portion so that the insert can flex when the air bag device is expanded.

Abstract: A pad for a steering wheel includes a membrane switch forming member and a cover member. The switch forming member includes a switch body and a support plate. The switch body has a plurality of conductive thin metal sheets and an insulating space interposed between the metal sheets. The support plate is made of rigid synthetic resin for supporting the switch body on its upper face and is formed in its outer peripheral edge with a plurality of mounting holes extending vertically. The cover member covers the air bag of an air bag device and is formed with a rupture portion adapted to be ruptured when the air bag is inflated, and mounting ribs projecting from the back face thereof and engaged with the mounting holes of the support plate. At least one of the outer peripheral edge of the support plate and the back face of the cover member is formed with gap regulating projections for setting a predetermined gap between the upper face of the support plate back face of the cover member.

Abstract: The present invention provides writing instruments having a mechanism for extending and retracting a writing tip and advancing a lead by rotational operation. The writing instrument is comprised of a front tubular member (1); a front inner tubular member (2) disposed within the front tubular member (1); a refill (3) inserted into the front inner tubular member (2); and a driver (10) mounted in the front tubular member (1) and the front inner tubular member (2). The driver (10) is allowed to rotate but not be axial displaced relative to the front tubular member (1) and the front inner tubular member (2). A rear tubular member (5) is detachably connected to the driver (10) so as not to allow rotation relative to the driver (10). A rear inner tubular member (4) is inserted in the driver (10). The rear inner tubular member (4) and the driver (10) interengage with each other by engagement between at least one axial groove (11) and corresponding projections (12).

Abstract: A transistor element is formed on the surface of a silicon substrate. A tunnel is formed in the silicon substrate at a position right under the transistor element. A contact hole is formed to extend from the surface of the silicon substrate to the contact hole. Silicon oxide films are respectively formed on the inner surfaces of the tunnel and the contact hole. A wiring layer is buried in the tunnel and the contact hole. The wiring layer is connected to a diffusion layer of the transistor element.

Abstract: A steering wheel is provided with a steering wheel body, a boss core and an air bag device held by the boss core. The steering wheel body includes a core portion having a ring core and spoke cores and a cover portion covering the core portion. The cover portion includes a core cover layer covering the ring core and the spoke cores and a ceiling cover layer continuously formed with the core cover layer covering the center of the steering wheel. The boss core holds an air bag device between the boss core and the ceiling cover layer. The boss core also has a connection part that allows a steering shaft to be connected from underneath the steering wheel.

Abstract: Three discharge port groups, each having a plurality of discharge ports, discharge inks of three primary colors to record swaths of the respective colors on a recording medium and repeat the discharging to complete a record. Joints of each of Y, M and C color swaths are spaced from joints of swaths of the other two colors by an equal distance, and the discharge port groups are offset from each other by 8n times of a discharge port pitch in a direction of feed of the recording medium. In a number of image buffers corresponding to the discharge ports, image data in one buffer is separated from image data in a different image buffer by an amount that is an integer multiply of one 8 bit byte.

Abstract: A double-chuck mechanical pencil comprises: a barrel; a barrel cap attached to the barrel; a lead tank axially slidably inserted in the barrel; a back chuck fixedly joined to the front end of the lead tank; a chuck ring loosely fitted on the chucking head of the back chuck; a tubular member disposed so as to surround the front portion of the lead tank; a back elastic member placed in the tubular member so as to bias the lead tank backward; a coupling member combined with the tubular member, and provided in its inner circumference with stopping portions with which the tubular member and the chuck ring come into contact, respectively; a front chuck fixedly joined to the front portion of the coupling member; and a front elastic member interposed between the barrel cap and the coupling member so as to bias the coupling member backward. A rotation prohibitor permits the axial movement of the coupling member and prohibits the rotation of the same relative to the tubular member.

Abstract: Protein disulfide isomerase, which catalyzes the exchange reaction between sulfhydryl and disulfide in a protein for formation of the most stable natural type disulfide bonds, is useful for formation of natural type disulfide bonds in a protein which is produced in a prokaryotic cell.

Abstract: An air bag device 1 is arranged at a steering wheel W. In the air bag device 1, a large door 12 and a planar horn switch 28 can be arranged at a ceiling 10 of a pad 9 with no disadvantage. The air bag device 1 is arranged with a horn switch 28 and a support plate 33 between an air bag 2 and the pad 9. The switch 28 and a support portion 34 of the support plate 33 are constituted in a planar shape substantially equal to that of the openable door 12 of the ceiling 10 of the pad. The support plate 33 is provided with an attaching leg 39 placed along a side wall 17 of the pad. The support plate 33 is attached to a bag holder 19 by the attaching leg 39. Positioning recesses 36 and positioning projections 14 for engaging with each other are formed at the support portion 34 and the door 12.

Abstract: The air bag device comprises a folded air bag which can be expanded by gas. The air bag is wrapped with a breakable band during folding. Thus, amount, rate and direction of expansion of the air bag can be regulated and controlled during the initial stages of deployment.

Abstract: A pad covering an air bag has a main body, a backing and a decorative member. The main body may be made from a thermoplastic elastomer and includes a tearing line which tears open when the air bag inflates, a recess formed in its outer surface spaced apart from the tearing line, and a hole formed in the recess and extending between the outer and inner surfaces of the body. The decorative member is arranged in the recess and the hole. The backing is situated on the inner surface of the main body, and has a through hole aligned with the hole of the main body. The decorative member has a decorative plate portion fitted in the recess of the main body, and a support post extending from the inner surface of the decorative plate portion and through the holes of the main body and the backing, and connected to the backing.

Abstract: An air bag device includes an air bag, an inflator, a pad, a bag holder, and a retaining plate. The pad has a top wall covering the bag while the bag is in a folded position, and a substantially cylindrical side wall extending from the top wall near its outer edge along an axial direction with respect to a steering wheel column. The side wall has a plurality of pawl holes. The bag holder holds the air bag and is situated radially inward with respect to the side wall of the pad. The bag holder has a plurality of outwardly protruding pawls, each pawl being received by one of the mounting holes of the pad. The side wall of the pad has a first portion not adjacent to the retaining plate and a second portion adjacent to the retaining plate. The pawls protruding through the holes in the first portion of the pad side wall have a protruding length larger than that of the pawls protruding through the holes in its second portion, so as to enhance the ease of assembling the pad to the bag holder.

Abstract: The present invention provides writing instruments having a mechanism for extending and retracting a writing tip and advancing a lead by rotational operation. The writing instrument is comprised of a front tubular member (1); a front inner tubular member (2) disposed within the front tubular member (1); a refill (3) inserted into the front inner tubular member (2); and a driver (10) mounted in the front tubular member (1) and the front inner tubular member (2). The driver (10 ) is allowed to rotate but not be axial displaced relative to the front tubular member (1) and the front inner tubular member (2). A rear tubular member (5) is detachably connected to the driver (10) so as not to allow rotation relative to the driver (10). A rear inner tubular member (4) is inserted in the driver (10). The rear inner tubular member (4) and the driver (10) interengage with each other by engagement between at least one axial groove (11) and corresponding projections (12).

Abstract: An air bag cover is held by the bag holder in such a manner that the respective side walls of the cover are secured to their corresponding securing piece portions of the vertical walls of the bag holder. The front and rear side walls of the cover respectively include securing grooves to which the front and rear securing piece portions of the bag holder are to be secured. The opening width dimension of the securing groove is set a little smaller than the height dimension of its corresponding securing piece portion, while the opening width dimension of the securing groove is set a little larger than the height dimension of its corresponding securing piece portion. The right and left side walls respectively include securing projecting strips to which the right and left securing piece portions of the bag holder can be secured.

Abstract: An air bag device comprises at the center a bag provided with a gas flowing orifice, a pad for receiving the bag in its folded state, an inflator arranged so as to permit gas to be jetted toward the gas flowing orifice of the bag and an inflator insertion hole into which a holding cylinder below the inflator can be inserted and further provided with a retainer for holding the inflator and the bag in their inner periphery and the pad in its outer periphery. The air bag device further includes a holding cloth surrounding the lower holding cylinder of the inflator and formed continuously below the gas flowing orifice of the bag, and a coupling is formed between the peripheral surface of the inflator and peripheral edge of the inflator insertion hole of the retainer.

Abstract: When pixel is formed with respective of one ejection orifice through four times of scanning employing ejection groups formed by equally dividing ejection orifice group of an ink-jet head, number of ink droplets to be ejected in each scanning cycle is determined depending upon a half tone value of the pixel, and a remainder from division of a sum of a value indicating a current scanning cycle in the primary scanning direction for the pixel in question among a plurality of scanning cycles, and a value relating to the position of the pixel in question in the primary scanning direction by number of a plurality of scanning in a primary scanning direction. By this, the ejection orifice to be used for forming each pixel arranged in scanning direction is varied sequentially.

Abstract: After a compound semiconductor layer including InP is formed on a semiconductor substrate, a compound semiconductor layer including As is epitaxially grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition method using an organic As as the material for feeding the As.

Abstract: A pad for a steering wheel includes a membrane switch forming member and a cover member. The switch forming member includes a switch body and a support plate. The switch body has a plurality of conductive thin metal sheets and an insulating space interposed between the metal sheets. The support plate is made of rigid synthetic resin for supporting the switch body on its upper face and is formed in its outer peripheral edge with a plurality of mounting holes extending vertically. The cover member covers the air bag of an air bag device and is formed with a rupture portion adapted to be ruptured when the air bag is inflated, and mounting ribs projecting from the back face thereof and engaged with the mounting holes of the support plate. At least one of the outer peripheral edge of the support plate and the back face of the cover member is formed with gap regulating projections for setting a predetermined gap between the upper face of the support plate back face of the cover member.

Abstract: A liquid jet recording method for recording on a recording material with liquid droplets discharged through plural scanning nozzles arranged in a width measured in a direction of main scan. The recording method includes a first main scan by relative movement between the nozzles and the recording material, in which pixels are recorded with numbers of droplets through a nozzle, the numbers of droplets corresponding to respective tone signals. The method also includes a sub-scan by relative movement between the nozzles and the recording material in a direction crossing with a movement direction of the first main scan. The method further includes a second main scan in which the pixels are recorded with numbers of droplets through a different nozzle, the latter numbers of droplets corresponding to tone level signals. The sub-scan and second main scan steps are repeated to record a tone image by discharging plural droplets for a pixel.

Abstract: A steering wheel is provided with a steering wheel body, a boss core and an air bag device held by the boss core. The steering wheel body includes a core portion having a ring core and spoke cores and a cover portion covering the core portion. The cover portion includes a core cover layer covering the ring core and the spoke cores and a ceiling cover layer continuously formed with the core cover layer covering the center of the steering wheel. The boss core holds an air bag device between the boss core and the ceiling cover layer. The boss core also has a connection part that allows a steering shaft to be connected from underneath the steering wheel.