80results about How to "Constrain movement" patented technology

A low-profile surgical implant assembly is provided that includes a connector device that is an integral part of a rod, the connector device allowing the rod to be attached directly to a bone screw, such as a pedicle screw. Another aspect of the invention is a clamp device that allows the length of a rod spanning to attachment devices to be adjusted at the time of implantation, and further allows the clamp device to be secured by tightening a securing end of the clamp at the attachment device. The assemblies are useful for insertion into bone and connecting a foreign object to bone via a polyaxial coupling mechanism. A method for implanting the assembly is also provided.

The present invention includes a coiled wire formed of a shape memory material for implantation into an anatomical defect. After implantation of one or more of the coiled wires according to the present invention, the defect is occluded and thereby corrected or treated. Prior to implantation, the coiled wire is generally elongated and thereafter it reverts to a predetermined shape that is suitable for occluding the defect. At least one clip having at least two prongs may be provided on the wire for attachment to body tissue. Preferably the wire is made of nickel-titanium. In an alternative embodiment, the coil includes a plurality of layers. At least one of these layers is formed of a shape memory material.

A tool includes a housing including a receiving portion configured to receive at least a portion of an operating member so as to permit rotation of the operating member relative to the housing while constraining movement of the operating member in a radial direction of the operating member. The tool also includes a coupling device disposed on the housing and configured to couple the operating member to the housing so as to permit rotation of the operating member relative to the housing. The coupling device includes a retaining member configured to engage the operating member to constrain movement of the operating member relative to the housing in a longitudinal direction of the operating member. The retaining member is configured to rotate relative to the housing.

The present invention includes a coiled wire formed of a shape memory material for implantation into an anatomical defect. After implantation of one or more of the coiled wires according to the present invention, the defect is occluded and thereby corrected or treated. Prior to implantation, the coiled wire is generally elongated and thereafter it reverts to a predetermined shape that is suitable for occluding the defect. At least one clip having at least two prongs may be provided on the wire for attachment to body tissue. Preferably the wire is made of nickel-titanium. In an alternative embodiment, the coil includes a plurality of layers. At least one of these layers is formed of a shape memory material.

A low-profile surgical implant assembly is provided that includes a connector device that is an integral part of a rod, the connector device allowing the rod to be attached directly to a bone screw, such as a pedicle screw. Another aspect of the invention is a clamp device that allows the length of a rod spanning to attachment devices to be adjusted at the time of implantation, and further allows the clamp device to be secured by tightening a securing end of the clamp at the attachment device. The assemblies are useful for insertion into bone and connecting a foreign object to bone via a polyaxial coupling mechanism. A method for implanting the assembly is also provided.

The present invention provides an orthopedic device assembly comprising a first assembly element, a second assembly element, and a retaining mechanism. The first assembly element has a recess that receives the second assembly element, and the retaining mechanism holds the second element in an assembled state with the first assembly element. The retaining mechanism includes a retaining member with an angular cross-section defined by a base portion and a lateral flange portion projecting from the base portion. The retaining member is inserted through an aperture of the first assembly element into a groove in a wall of the recess of the first assembly element, with the flange portion projecting laterally of the groove and overhanging a shoulder portion of the second assembly element so as to retain the second assembly element in the assembled state with the first assembly element.

Methods, systems and devices are provided for anchoring an intravascular implantable device within a vessel that is located superior to the heart, i.e. above the heart in a direction toward the head of a patient. Also provided is a method of providing an intravascular device and instructions for implanting the intravascular device, comprising providing an intravascular device having an elongate device body with a proximal end and a distal end that is adapted for chronic implantation within the vasculature of a patient and that includes a distal portion of the intravascular device proximate the distal end of the elongate device body, and providing instructions for chronically implanting the intravascular device substantially wholly within the vasculature of a patient in a target vessel superior to the heart of the patient.

A motion simulation system for providing force feedback to a user in response to movement of the user within a virtual environment comprises a virtual environment system for producing a virtual environment to the user. Cables are connected to a user interface to support the user interface in a suspended position. Actuators are associated to each cable to adjust the length of the cables. A cable tension controller is connected to the actuators and to the virtual environment system to calculate a position and orientation of the user within the virtual environment as a function of the length of the cables, and to control the actuators so as to constrain movement of the user interface as a function of interactions between the user and the virtual environment, to provide force feedback to the user. A locomotion simulation apparatus and method are provide as well.

A manipulator for supporting and displacing an object comprises a base. A moving portion supports the object. Two articulated mechanisms each having five rotational joints between links, with each articulated mechanism being connected to the base by two of the rotational joints. The moving portion is connected to both the articulated mechanisms by moving-portion joints. The articulated mechanisms and moving-portion joints are arranged with respect to each other between the base and the moving portion so as to constrain movement of the moving portion to displacements in two translational degrees of freedom and two rotational degrees of freedom with respect to the base. Four actuators are each operatively connected to a different one of the rotational joints between the base and the articulated mechanisms so as to selectively control the displacements of the moving portion in any one of the four degrees of freedom of the moving portion.

A film of material may be formed by providing a semiconductor substrate having a surface region and a cleave region located at a predetermined depth beneath the surface region. During a process of cleaving the film from the substrate, shear in the cleave region is carefully controlled. According to certain embodiments, an in-plane shear component (KII) is maintained near zero, sandwiched between a tensile region and a compressive region. In one embodiment, cleaving can be accomplished using a plate positioned over the substrate surface. The plate serves to constrain movement of the film during cleaving, and together with a localized thermal treatment reduces shear developed during the cleaving process. According to other embodiments, the KII component is purposefully maintained at a high level and serves to guide and drive fracture propagation through the cleave sequence. In one embodiment, the high KII component is achieved by adiabatic heating of silicon through exposure to E-beam radiation, which imparts a highly abrupt thermal gradient and resulting stress at a precisely defined depth in the silicon.

A tool includes a housing including a receiving portion configured to receive at least a portion of an operating member so as to permit rotation of the operating member relative to the housing while constraining movement of the operating member in a radial direction of the operating member. The tool also includes a coupling device disposed on the housing and configured to couple the operating member to the housing so as to permit rotation of the operating member relative to the housing. The coupling device includes a retaining member configured to engage the operating member to constrain movement of the operating member relative to the housing in a longitudinal direction of the operating member. The retaining member is configured to rotate relative to the housing.

A fence surrounds a trampoline and extends above the rebounding surface, reducing the risk of injury. Shock absorption is aided in the preferred embodiment by a support system of independent poles, linked at their tops by a flexible strap or line. The trampoline may include a tubular frame supported by a plurality of legs with brackets securing the legs to the frame tube without welds. The trampoline may also include an electronic accessory that is activated or that produces an electrical signal as a result of jumping on the trampoline.

A mattress retainer for use with adjustable beds. The mattress retainer can be secured to an upper surface of a mattress support, between the mattress support and a mattress positioned thereon. In one embodiment, the mattress support is configured to engage a taped edge border of the mattress to thereby constrain movement of the mattress relative to the mattress support when the mattress support is articulated to raise and / or lower various portions of the mattress. The mattress retainer includes a channel formed on an outboard edge for receiving the taped edge border of the mattress. The taped edge border can be clamped within the channel to thereby fix the position of the mattress relative to the mattress support.

A mattress retainer for use with adjustable beds. The mattress retainer can be secured to an upper surface of a mattress support, between the mattress support and a mattress positioned thereon. In one embodiment, the mattress support is configured to engage a taped edge border of the mattress to thereby constrain movement of the mattress relative to the mattress support when the mattress support is articulated to raise and / or lower various portions of the mattress. The mattress retainer includes a channel formed on an outboard edge for receiving the taped edge border of the mattress. The taped edge border can be clamped within the channel to thereby fix the position of the mattress relative to the mattress support.

A fence surrounds a trampoline and extends above the rebounding surface, reducing the risk of injury. Shock absorption is aided in the preferred embodiment by a support system of independent poles, linked at their tops by a flexible strap or line. An impact anywhere on the fence causes the posts to flex inwardly, absorbing the force. Much of this impact injury is stored in system components and is subsequently returned, helping propel an errant jumper back onto to the rebounding surface. Numerous other embodiments and accessories are also detailed. Similar arrangements are suitable for use with above ground pools.

An archery bow is provided including a cable guard and / or cable guide that can flex to selectively move a cable relative to a plane in which a bowstring of the bow travels to minimize cam lean, limb twist, and / or cable wear. The cable guard and / or guide can move toward the bowstring plane as the bowstring is drawn, and away from the bowstring plane, out of the way of the bowstring and any attached arrow, after the bowstring is released. The cable guard can define a bore, for example, an elongated bore, extending through it along an axis that is generally parallel to the bowstring when the bowstring is undrawn. The cable guard bore can operate as a cable guide, and can include a rounded opening to minimize abrasion to a cable moving through it. A ceramic element can be included in the bore to minimize abrasion to the cable.

A base for supporting a camera or other electronic device includes a body member connected by a hinge mechanism to a support member and configured to rotate about a camera tilt axis. The support member is attachable to the base of a video camera. Two front legs are fixed in position relative to the body member. A rear leg is attached by a pivot connection to the body member. The base is configured such that the rear leg may be moved by pivoting the rear leg about the rear leg pivot axis to engage a back surface of a laptop screen or flat monitor or onto a flat horizontal surface. The camera tilt axis and the rear leg pivot axis are substantially parallel.

A line guide assembly constrains the movement of working lines, such as hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical lines, that connect an implement attachment, such as a mulching head, to the main power and controls of a working vehicle, such as a skid steer loader. In one form, the line guide assembly has a mounting bracket for connecting to the mounting ear of the implement. An extension arm is coupled to the mounting bracket to accommodate articulation or other movement of the implement. A guide is connected to the extension arm, directly or via an additional cross-member. In one form, the guide defines a catch or loop that receives the working lines running to the implement. As the implement moves the extension arm pivots and the guide engages the working lines, which move through the guide opening, to constrain the working lines to a desired area between the loader and the implement.

Portable grooming and spray devices and processes to automatically cleanse (wash, rinse, and purify) and dry pets are disclosed. A portable grooming device comprises a housing container and situated inside the housing container is a portable spray device having a pet-shape body with four legs. The four legs of the portable spray device safely constrain pets' movements inside the portable spray device throughout various processes to cleanse and dry the pets. The portable spray device comprises plurality of connectors for connecting various apparatus for supplying water, liquid composition, air flow, and the like to the portable spray device. The portable spray device comprises a spray device cavity and plurality of spray nozzles where the spray device cavity channels the water, liquid composition, and air flow to the plurality of spray nozzles and the spray nozzles spray the water, liquid composition, and air flow on a pet's neck, body, tail, and four legs to cleanse and dry the pet. The portable spray device can be used separately or as part of the portable grooming device. The portable grooming device and the portable spray device are formed by rectangular or cylindrical shape sheets of light fiber glass and plastic materials. The processes to automatically cleanse and dry a pet comprise wash, rinse, purify, and dry cycles where the spray nozzles of the portable spray device spray the water, liquid composition, and air flow on the pet's neck, body, tail, and four legs from all directions to ensure the pet's neck, body, tail, and four legs are thoroughly clean and dry.

In a rope of a type of filling a resin constituting other member between strands, there is provided a wire rope for a running wire capable of promoting fatigue life by reducing a wire breakage at a point of being contacted to a core rope by precisely constraining a movement of a wire and reducing an elongation.A rope having a core rope and a plurality of pieces of side strands arranged at an outer periphery thereof and twisted together, and a resinous spacer interposed between the side strands, in which the core rope includes a rope main body and a resin coating layer outwardly surrounding the core rope main body, the core rope main body and the side strand are separated by the resin coating layer, and the resin spacer is provided with a contour in correspondence with an outer layer wire of the side strand and invades between the wires.

This invention relates to a new kind of hydrogen storage mixture and container thereof. This hydrogen storage container consists of a container casing, a hydrogen storage mixture and a valve. The hydrogen storage mixture loaded inside the container is made of hydrogen storage alloy granules and metal fibers and / or non-hydrogen-absorbing alloy fibers that do not absorb hydrogen. The non-hydrogen-absorbing fibers are dispersed among the hydrogen storage alloy granules and form a network structure. The non-hydrogen-absorbing fibers include non-hydrogen-absorbing metal fibers and / or non-hydrogen-absorbing alloy fibers, or their mixture. In the hydrogen storage mixture, the weight ratio of the non-hydrogen-absorbing fibers to the hydrogen storage alloys is about 0.01˜0.1. The hydrogen storage installation adopting the technology of this invention can effectively prevent the metal hydride granules from moving over a comparatively long distance and accumulating in some locations in the container during hydriding and dehydriding, and also can improve the thermal conductivity of the hydrogen storage mixture inside the container. The hydrogen storage container of this invention is easy to manufacture, safe to use, and low in cost. This invention can be used for the manufacture of hydrogen storage containers for hydrogen storage, transport, compression and purification.

A system for mounting an internal fuel manifold within a gas generator case of a gas turbine engine includes at least one fastener support assembly having a fastener pin and at least one receiving element, respectively engaged to either the internal fuel manifold or the gas generator case. A biasing member is located between the fastener pin and the receiving element to axially preload the joint between the fastener pin and the receiving element, such as to constrain relative movement between the two parts in an axial direction while allowing relative movement in a radial direction.

A mattress buckle for securing the position of a mattress (22) on the base (16) of an adjustable bed (10). The mattress comprises one of a pair of male and female elements of the buckle (12) secured to an upper surface of the bed base (16) and the other of the pair of male and female elements of the buckle (12) secured to the underside of the mattress (22). When these elements of the buckle are interlocked in snap-fit engagement, the mattress is constrained against movement on the base as the adjustable panels of the bed base are articulated relative to one another through various positions of adjustment.

A bed is disclosed having an adjustable base support with an adjustable panel adapted for adjustment between raised and lowered positions, a mattress positioned on top of the adjustable based support, and a mattress retainer disposed under the mattress between the adjustable base support and the mattress. The mattress retainer holds the mattress in a constrained position in relationship to the adjustable base support as the adjustable base support panel is adjusted between raised and lowered positions.

The application relates to an apparatus (100) for fatigue testing a wind turbine blade, and to a system and method using such an apparatus (100). The apparatus (100) comprises a base (110) for supporting a first end (12) of the wind turbine blade (10), and an edgewise actuator assembly (120). The edgewise actuator assembly (120) includes a ground-supported edgewise actuator (130) and a flexible cable assembly (140) for connecting the edgewise actuator (130) to the blade (10). The edgewise actuator (130) and the flexible cable assembly (140) are adapted to cyclically deflect the blade (10) relative to the base in the edgewise direction by repeatedly pulling the blade (10) in a substantially horizontal direction.