Abstract: A data transfer circuit or a recording apparatus includes an address setting unit for setting a start address for a buffer memory, an offset setting unit for setting an offset for the buffer memory, and an address creating unit for creating a predetermined number of consecutive transfer addresses to be supplied for the buffer memory using a reference address. The circuit also includes an arithmetic logic unit that, after the address creating unit has created transfer addresses using the start address as a reference address, calculates a new reference address in accordance with the offset relative to the start address so as to provide the new reference address to the address creating unit.

Abstract: A system for designing roads according to the present invention has terminal devices, which has a function of a client, for inputting information of design conditions and/or personal information of users, a server of designing roads, which has a function of a server, for offering a service for designing roads on the basis of the information of design conditions and the personal information, a computer network such as the internet for linking each of the terminal devices to the server, facsimile devices, which are installed on the side of clients, for receiving and outputting results from the server, and a communication line network for linking the facsimile devices to the server.

Abstract: An air bag apparatus, assembled in a vehicle steering wheel, is provided with an inflator, an air bag in a folded state and a cover for covering the folded air bag. The cover provided with a hinged door portion which is opened by a force at a time when the bag body is initially developed and inflated as it deploys. The air bag is folded to one direction to form a long and narrow shape having a predetermined width and both ends of the long and narrow shape are housed in a housing space formed between the inflator and the cover in the form of outwardly winding rolls. At a time of initial development of the air bag, each outer surface of the outwardly winding rolls is brought into contact with a wall surface of the housing space opposing to the outer surface by a gas supplied from the inflator so that the development of the outwardly winding rolls is temporally delayed.

Abstract: An air bag mounted in an automotive steering wheel and having a bag body and flow regulation fabric mounted within the bag body. The bag body includes a front panel and a rear panel and is a horizontally symmetrical, planar bag body. The front panel is provided with a gas inlet port. The flow regulation fabric branches from the gas inlet port into radially extending right and left passages that run to the outer fringes of the bag body. Circumferentially extending passages of the flow regulation fabric extend from the front ends of the radially extending passages along the fringes of the bag body vertically, and are each provided with upper and lower opening ends at which gas can be ejected toward the vertical centerline of the bag body. Upon expansion, the air bag quickly enters between the occupant's abdomen and the rim of the steering wheel.

Abstract: A main electrode region of a semiconductor element is provided in a semiconductor region on the surface of a semiconductor substrate, and first and second interlayer insulating films are deposited on this semiconductor region. A metal interconnection is provided on top of the second interlayer insulating film. The main electrode region and the metal interconnection a shape having a first tapered portion with an isotropic taper angle &thgr;3, which starts from the interface between the first and second interlayer insulating films, and a second tapered portion with an anisotropic taper angle &thgr;4, which starts from a point within the second interlayer insulating film. As a result, the shape of the face of the contact plug connecting to the metal interconnection is anisotropic, having dimensions which are greater in the direction parallel to the metal interconnection than in the direction perpendicular to the metal interconnection.

Abstract: A liquid jet recording method of recording on a recording material with liquid droplets discharged trough plural scanning nozzles, in which: n/(s/p)≧2 n/(s/p)×k=g−1 are satisfied, where n (n≧2) is a number of the nozzles arranged at pitch P (&mgr;m); s (&mgr;m) is a distance of relative movement between the nozzles and the recording material between adjacent scans; k (k≧1) is a maximum number of ink droplets per pixel and per scan; g (g≧3) is a number of tone levels.

Abstract: A sputtering apparatus has a permanent, magnet for forming, in front of a target, a magnetic field for magnetron discharging. The permanent magnet is disposed behind the target and an RF induction discharge coil is disposed in front of the target. The permanent magnet is contained inside an evacuated cathode case which is in the form of a container and which is provided therein with a circulation passage for cooling water. The cathode case and the RF induction discharge coil are enclosed therearound by a metallic cover which has an aperture for emitting sputtered particles. To make an element for a magnetoresistance head, a substrate is transferred from a load lock chamber to a pre-treatment chamber to clean it therein by an etching apparatus. The substrate is then transferred to an ultrahigh vacuum film deposition chamber which is provided therein with a plurality of inductively coupled RF plasma-assisted magnetron sputtering apparatuses which are evacuated to an ultrahigh vacuum.

Abstract: A structure and method for fastening an emblem to a molded article by inserting thermoplastic resin mounting feet, protruding from the emblem, through holes formed in the molded article and subsequent thermal deformation of the feet to establish a secure attachment.

Abstract: Silicon oxide layers are provided in a substrate. That part of the silicon oxide layer which is located in a memory cell section MC has a thickness. That part of the silicon oxide layer which is located in a peripheral circuit section PC has a thickness, which is less than the thickness. The memory cell section MC has transistors, each having a source region and a drain region which contact the silicon oxide layer. The peripheral circuit section PC has transistors, each having a source region and a drain region which are spaced apart from the silicon oxide layer. The transistors of the peripheral circuit section PC are provided in well regions. A back-gate bias is applied to the transistors of the peripheral circuit section PC through impurity layers.

Abstract: This steering wheel includes a ring portion to be gripped during steering, a core, a core coating layer coating the core and having a surface, and a decorative layer arranged at one or more surface portions of the core coating layer. The decorative layer has a printed layer and a transparent protective coating layer protecting the printed layer. The steering wheel is made by a process in which the core coating layer is molded around the ring portion in a mold, the printed layer is formed on the surface portions of the core coating layer by hydraulic transfer, and the protective coating layer is formed by applying a coating agent to a surface of the printed layer.

Abstract: This steering wheel includes a ring portion to be gripped during steering, a core having at least one ridge, and a core coating layer coating the core. The core coating layer has a relatively hard portion formed of a first synthetic resin and a relatively soft portion formed of a second synthetic resin arranged in the circumferential direction relative to each other. The relatively hard portion is harder than the relatively soft portion. The ridge is positioned along the core so as to be covered by the relatively hard portion.

Abstract: A side-knock type mechanical pencil comprising a barrel having an opening in a side wall, a chuck mechanism housed in the forepart of the barrel, a slider moved back and forth within the barrel to open and close the chuck mechanism, a knock lever which is inserted into the opening with an upper front end pivotally mounted with respect to the barrel, a lower front end thereof being placed in contact with the slider, and a resilient member for holding the knock lever in an initial position.

Abstract: An airbag cover has a door section on its front surface with an ornament. On a reverse side of the door section, a leg section of the ornament is inserted via an inserting hole from the front surface side of the door section of the cover. The leg section of the ornament is attached to the door section by a rivet, which penetrates an attaching hole of the leg section and a through-hole of the door section. The ornament is thereby attached to the door section, while an ornamental section of the ornament covers a head portion of the rivet on the front surface side of the door section. In another embodiment, the leg section is sewn to the door section. The ornamental section is attached to the front surface side of the door section by adhering the ornamental section to the door section in the sewing portion and the leg section. The connecting portion of the leg section is bent so that the ornamental section can be arranged to cover the sewing portion of the leg section.

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: There is disclosed an image processing apparatus such that after completion of one scan of a scanner unit, a controller obtains a background value in a range to be read by one scan from an image processing IC and compares the background value with a binarization threshold value used in the present scan, and when it is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the background value is used in the next scan, and when it is equal to or larger than the predetermined value, by correcting the threshold value, an image can be read at a high quality.

Abstract: A steering wheel includes a ring portion to be gripped during steering. The ring portion includes a core, a core coating layer coating the core, and a decorative layer arranged at a portion of the surface of the core coating layer. The decorative layer has a printed layer and a transparent protective coating layer. The printed layer is formed by hydraulic transfer and is arranged to cover surface portions of the core coating layer. The transparent protective coating layer covers the surface of the printed layer so as to protect the printed layer. The ring portion further includes a skin arranged at the remaining surface portions of the surface of the core coating layer and a level difference portion for folding therein the end portions of the skin arranged between the portion and the remainder of the surface of the core coating layer. The smooth decorative layer can be easily formed on the surface of the ring portion in this manner.

Abstract: An air bag apparatus, assembled in a vehicle steering wheel, is provided with an inflator, an air bag in a folded state and a cover for covering the folded air bag. The cover provided with a hinged door portion which is opened by a force at a time when the bag body is initially developed and inflated as it deploys. The air bag is folded to one direction to form a long and narrow shape having a predetermined width and both ends of the long and narrow shape are housed in a housing space formed between the inflator and the cover in the form of outwardly winding rolls. At a time of initial development of the air bag, each outer surface of the outwardly winding rolls is brought into contact with a wall surface of the housing space opposing to the outer surface by a gas supplied from the inflator so that the development of the outwardly winding rolls is temporally delayed.

Abstract: An air bag pad in which an ornament is disposed on a front surface of a synthetic resin pad body covers a folded air bag. The ornament is shaped like a sheet having a bonding layer provided in its rear surface so as to be capable of being bonded to the pad body easily. The ornament is used as an insert so that the pad body is insert-molded. The bonding layer is bonded to the pad body when the pad body is molded.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a molded air bag cover that employs a notch forming member that is projected into the mold cavity following the injection of the cover forming material. After cooling the mold is opened and the molded air bag cover is removed.

Abstract: An AlGaInP-based semiconductor light-emitting device is of a real-guide type and has excellent crystallinity and excellent laser characteristics. In an AlGaInP-based semiconductor light-emitting device having at least a first conductivity-type first cladding layer (3), an active layer (4) and a second conductivity-type second cladding layer (5), a stripe-shaped ridge (8) is formed on the second cladding layer (5) and first conductivity-type AlGaAs current confinement layers (19) with a band gap larger than that of the active layer (4) and whose refractive index is smaller than that of the active layer are formed so as to bury grooves (7) formed at both sides of the stripe-shaped ridge (8).