1781results about How to "Change shape" patented technology

Apparatus (20) is provided for treating mitral valve regurgitation, including a band (30) having distal and proximal ends, the band (30) adapted to be placed: around between 90 and 270 degrees of a mitral valve (58), including around at least a portion of a posterior cusp (56) of the valve (58), in a space defined by (a) a ventricular wall (70), (b) a ventricular surface of the posterior cusp (56) in a vicinity of an annulus (60) of the mitral valve (58), and (c) a plurality of third-order chordae tendineae (74). The apparatus (20) further includes distal and proximal coupling elements (32, 34), coupled to the band (30) at the distal and proximal ends thereof, respectively, and adapted to be coupled to a first chorda tendinea and a second chorda tendinea, respectively, each of the first and second chordae tendineae selected from the group consisting of: one of the plurality of third-order chordae tendineae (74), and a first-order chorda tendinea that inserts on a commissural cusp (78) of the mitral valve (58). Additional embodiments are also described.

The invention features devices and methods for the deterministic separation of particles. Exemplary methods include the enrichment of a sample in a desired particle or the alteration of a desired particle in the device. The devices and methods are advantageously employed to enrich for rare cells, e.g., fetal cells, present in a sample, e.g., maternal blood and rare cell components, e.g., fetal cell nuclei. The invention further provides a method for preferentially lysing cells of interest in a sample, e.g., to extract clinical information from a cellular component, e.g., a nucleus, of the cells of interest. In general, the method employs differential lysis between the cells of interest and other cells (e.g., other nucleated cells) in the sample.

The invention features a device for the deterministic separation of analytes coupled to a reservoir containing a reagent that alters a magnetic propert of the analyte. Exemplary methods include the enrichment of a sample in a desired analyte (e.g., using deterministic separation) or the alteration of a desired analyte in the device. The devices and methods may be advantageously employed to enrich for rare cells, e.g., fetal cells or epithelial cells, present in a sample, e.g., maternal blood.

A method and system are disclosed for the mapping of energy delivery devices to energy sources. Energy capable of affecting a measurable property of the system is delivered through the energy delivery devices from the energy sources. A change in a property when the energy is delivered is measured using measuring devices that are associated in a known way with the energy delivery devices. A profile of the change is compared to a profile of the energy output in order to determine which energy sources produce an output capable of affecting the property measurable by each measuring device and, because of the association between measuring devices and energy delivery devices, each energy delivery device.

A device, a system and a method for treating heart valve regurgitation. The annulus reshaping device comprises a base and a plurality of legs radially arranged there upon. The device can transform from a delivery configuration wherein it is deliverable by catheter to a treatment site, into a deployment configuration, and then a treatment configuration for treating valvular regurgitation. The device is implanted into the annulus of a heart valve, and the legs of the device can be telescopically withdrawn to apply an inward force to the annulus. The system comprises a device slidably received within a catheter. The method of treatment comprises delivering a device to a treatment area, via catheter, releasing the device from the catheter, positioning the legs of the device on a valve annulus, and applying an inward force to the annulus to reduce the regurgitation.

An object is to effectively cool down an electronic equipment which is face with height limitations and tends to readily increase in heat generation amount to thereby provide the reliability required. The interior of a chassis of a control unit is partitioned by a back board into a front side space and a rear side space. In the rear side space, two control modules are attached so that these are stacked up and down, while two fan modules and a single duct member are attached in the front side space. Each fan module has two fans as built therein. A cooling air stream or “wind” from each fan flows into the lower-side control module through the duct member and others, whereas a cooling wind from the other fan flows into the upper-side control module. Even when either one of the fan modules goes down during operation, it is still possible by using the remaining fan module to cool down the both control modules.

The vision of an eye having an impaired lens is stored with an artificial lens implant. The method involves replacing the lens by a polymerizable material injected into the emptied lens capsule and thereby providing a new lens implant with a predetermined refractive value, while admitting the possibility of controlling and adjusting the refractive value of the eye during the surgical process.

An image projector comprises a plurality of flexible reflective analog modulators (FRAMs), an illumination optics for focusing at least one light source thereon, a conversion optics for converting the variations in divergence of the beams reflected therefrom into variations in intensity, and a scanning mechanism coupled to a projection optics for displaying an image, constructed of intensity modulated light dots or pixels, on a screen. FRAM curvatures, responsible for determining the divergence of the reflected beams, and ultimately the intensity of each pixel, are varied by an actuation voltage that can be modulated using waveforms that minimize the FRAM response times. For multicolor images, three laser light sources operating at different wavelengths are used in conjunction with three linear FRAM arrays.

A capacitive sensor having a first and a second polymeric conductor are embedded within a non conducting body, wherein the body maintains a fixed separation distance between the first and the second polymeric conductor. The body can include a non conducting web, wherein the web substantially precludes variation in the spacing of the polymeric conductors during use in the intended operating environment.