1043results about How to "Easy to do" patented technology

A system includes an electric appliance, which is operated with replaceable and rechargeable batteries, a charging station and two or more battery units. The charging station has two or more receptacles for holding and charging the battery units. A first coupling is provided between a battery unit and the appliance and a second coupling is provided between a battery unit and the charging station such that a battery unit connected to the appliance can be uncoupled from the appliance by one-handed operation and can be coupled to the charging station for charging by one-handed operation. Similarly, a battery unit connected to the charging station can be coupled to the appliance and uncoupled from the charging station by one-handed operation.

Systems for treating a bone, e.g. a vertebral body, having an interior volume occupied, at least in part, by cancellous bone provide a first tool, a second tool, and a third tool. The first tool establishes a percutaneous access path to bone. The second tool is sized and configured to be introduced through the percutaneous access path to form a void that occupies less than the interior volume. The third tool places within the void through the percutaneous access path a volume of filling material. Related methods for treating a bone, e.g. a vertebral body, having an interior volume occupied, at least in part, by cancellous bone provide establishing a percutaneous access path to bone. A tool is introduced through the percutaneous access path and manipulated to form a void that occupies less than the interior volume. A volume of filling material is then placed within the void through the percutaneous access path.

The present invention discloses a surgical opening repair device and methods of use thereof. The device comprises an anchor attached to a suture. The device has been specifically manufactured and designed in order to overcome the currently existing obstacles which result when a surgical repair device remains in the abdominal cavity subsequent to the completion of a surgical procedure. The invention additionally discloses a method of surgical hernia by using the device disclosed herein. The present invention additionally discloses a method of repairing a laparoscopic opening which commonly results from a primary surgery. The method of repairing the laparoscopic opening quickly and efficiently closes the opening such that repair is complete even though materials that are foreign to the body remain in the body subsequent to the procedure.

A magnetic stripe card manual swipe reader (MSR) unit capable of attaching to and communicating with a conventional personal digital assistant (PDA) from various manufacturers, using only the electrical power available as supplied by the PDA device, and capable of effective electrical power management and conservation operations. Additionally, this PDA attachable MSR unit is capable of recognizing multiple magnetic encoding formats and data record formats and converting said formats to a standardized output format, includes the capability of updating and adding new formats while in field service, and is readily allows verifying card data and encoding sensitive material prior to transmission to the PDA. These custom formats can then be used to fulfill current needs in age verification, law enforcement, security, and numerous other applications.

Organic luminescent ink (L-ink) is disclosed for use in printing thin films of organic luminescent material. The L-ink is particularly useful in fabricating organic optoelectronic devices, e.g. organic luminescent devices. The L-ink contains at least one organic luminescent material mixed with a solvent and other functional additives to provide the necessary optical, electronic and morphological properties for light-emitting devices (LEDs). The additives play an important role either for enhanced thin film printing or for better performance of the optoelectronic device. The functional additives may be chemically bound to the luminescent compounds or polymers. Luminescent organic compounds, oligomers, or polymers with relatively low solution viscosity, good thin film formability, and good charge transporting properties, are preferred. The L-inks can be cross-linked under certain conditions to enhance thin film properties. The L-ink can be used in various printing methods, such as screen printing, stamp printing, and preferably ink-jet printing (including bubble-jet printing).

A computer-implemented method to generate a placement for a plurality of instances for an integrated circuit (IC) by utilizing a novel weighted-average (WA) wirelength model, which outperforms a well-known log-sum-exp wirelength model, to approximate the total wirelength. The placement is determined by performing an optimization process on an objective function which includes a wirelength function approximated by the WA wirelength model. The method can be extended to generate a placement for a plurality of instances for a three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC) which considers the sizes of through-silicon vias (TSVs) and the physical positions for TSV insertion. With the physical positions of TSVs determined during placement, 3D routing can easily be accomplished with better routed wirelength, TSV counts, and total silicon area.

A method for providing a highly reliable, low resistance interconnect comprises forming a trench in a dielectric layer, forming a first liner in the trench then forming a resilient layer such as a tungsten layer within the trench. The resilient layer is etched back to remove the layer from a horizontal portion of the dielectric outside the trench and to recess the layer within the trench. Next, a second liner and a copper layer are formed in the trench over the resilient layer. The copper layer and exposed portions of the two liners are polished or etched back to result in the interconnect. Variations to this embodiment are also described.

A magnetic stripe card manual swipe reader (MSR) unit capable of attaching to and communicating with a conventional personal digital assistant (PDA) from various manufacturers, using only the electrical power available as supplied by the PDA device, and capable of effective electrical power management and conservation operations. Additionally, this PDA attachable MSR unit is capable of recognizing multiple magnetic encoding formats and data record formats and converting said formats to a standardized output format, includes the capability of updating and adding new formats while in field service, and is readily allows verifying card data and encoding sensitive material prior to transmission to the PDA. These custom formats can then be used to fulfill current needs in age verification, law enforcement, security, and numerous other applications.

An implantable rod can be bent three-dimensionally in an automated system, which is especially useful for pre-surgical formation of implantable spinal rods. When local and/or global feedback processing accompanies a series of shaping steps automatically imposed on a rod or other article being shaped into three-dimensional form, formation time may be expedited compared to manual creation, and shapes difficult or impractical to create manually may be constructed simply.

Microspheres are constructed using magnetic particles. Hybrid microspheres are constructed using fluorescent or luminescent microspheres and magnetic nanoparticles. Reactive moieties on the surface of the resultant particles can be used for attachment of biologically active molecules, thus allowing selective separations and analytical assays to be performed. Distinguishable subsets of microspheres can be constructed based on fluorescent intensities, and separations can be affected based on variable degree of magnetic content.

An AC-to-DC power converter configured to provide power factor correction and a single isolated low-voltage output. The power converter includes a single-stage resonant power converter including an isolation transformer, a resonant tank, a rectifier, and a bulk storage capacitor coupled to an output of the isolation transformer. In typical applications, at least one non-isolated power converter is coupled to the output of the single-stage isolated power factor correction converter.

An electronic shopping system facilitates purchase transactions via a wireless telephone. A purchase transaction program is downloaded from the seller's server to a purchaser's wireless telephone via a program loader contained within the purchaser's wireless telephone. The purchase transaction program is stored in a program memory of the purchaser's wireless telephone. The purchase transaction program is used by the purchaser to facilitate the selection of items to be purchased, as well as payment therefor. An external bar code reader is attached to the wireless telephone to facilitate the selection of items to be purchased and is controlled via the downloaded purchase transaction program.

A correlator system for automatic car wash has roller assemblies for supporting the front left and right wheels of a vehicle entering a car wash line. A set of guide rails or bars cooperate with the roller assemblies to adjust axial displacement and angular misalignment between the vehicle's front end and a conveyor track transporting the vehicle through the car wash facility. The rollers in the roller assembly rotate freely with minimal friction, axially displacing the front end of the vehicle and adjusting the angular misalignment of the front wheels. The low friction, easy-to-rotate rollers are provided with a plurality of braking elements that generate friction against the rollers, retarding their rotation when a worker steps thereon. The friction generated by the braking elements is insufficient to prevent roller rotation during alignment of the front end with the conveyor track. Injuries to car wash personnel caused by loss of balance when stepping on the rollers are virtually eliminated, and an accurate alignment of the vehicle's front end with the car wash conveyor track is reliably achieved.

An inventory control and identification apparatus uses a storage space with a plurality of inventory items. Identification labels are positioned in physical correspondence with the inventory items. Each of the identification labels provides a transceiver. A coordinate communications network of further transceivers is set in a fixed position relative to the storage space and is enabled for wireless communication with the identification labels. A data processor is enabled for wireless communication with the coordinate network and the identification labels so as to receive data from the labels and the network. Inventory items have RF ID tags. Interrogation by the labels enables the tags to emit codes identifying the presence and location of the inventory to the labels. Triangulation of signals transmitted by the labels enables location of the labels in three-space.

Medical devices, and in particular implantable medical devices, may be coated to minimize or substantially eliminate a biological organism's reaction to the introduction of the medical device to the organism. The medical devices may be coated with any number of biocompatible materials. Therapeutic drugs, agents or compounds may be mixed with the biocompatible materials and affixed to at least a portion of the medical device. These therapeutic drugs, agents or compounds may also further reduce a biological organism's reaction to the introduction of the medical device to the organism. In addition, these therapeutic drugs, agents and/or compounds may be utilized to promote healing, including the formation of blood clots. Therapeutic agents may also be delivered to the region of a disease site. In regional delivery, liquid formulations may be desirable to increase the efficacy and deliverability of the particular drug. Also, the devices may be modified to promote endothelialization. Various materials and coating methodologies may be utilized to maintain the drugs, agents or compounds on the medical device until delivered and positioned. In addition, the devices utilized to deliver the implantable medical devices may be modified to reduce the potential for damaging the implantable medical device during deployment. Medical devices include stents, grafts, anastomotic devices, perivascular wraps, sutures and staples. In addition, various polymer combinations may be utilized to control the elution rates of the therapeutic drugs, agents and/or compounds from the implantable medical devices.

The invention relates to a fault comprehensive processing platform and method of a distribution network, belonging to the technical field of power grid management. The fault comprehensive processing platform comprises a fault information acquisition system, a fault information judgment system and a fault repair power failure information pushing system. The fault comprehensive processing method comprises the steps of: acquiring information of repair faults, line faults and consumption faults in a distribution automatic management system and a power utilization information acquisition system, receiving and checking the information; carrying out equipment location, fault information screening, line topology analysis, equipment operation information analysis and line switch analysis; determining fault types, places and affected regions and showing in the traditional GIS (Geographic Information System); and guiding fault repair according to a determined fault result, and pushing fault power failure information and power supply recovering information to a user. The platform and the method realize concentrated acquisition and automatic pre-judgment on the traditional fault information, can also be used for actively pushing power failure and power supply recovering information to the user, and interact with the user.

The present invention provides methods for detecting the presence of an analyte indicative of various medical conditions, including halitosis, periodontal disease and other diseases are also disclosed.

Devices for stabilizing tissue during a surgical procedure. The beating heart may be stabilized during a surgical procedure on the heart, using a described stabilizing device. In one example, a stabilizing device is introduced through an opening in the chest and brought into contact with the beating heart. By contacting the heart with the device and by exerting a stabilizing force on the device, the motion of the heart caused by the contraction of the heart muscles id effectively eliminated such that the heart is stabilized and the site of the surgery moves only minimally if at all.

A novel dosage form. The dosage form is presented in particulate form and before oral ingestion the particulate material is subjected to an aqueous medium, whereby it is converted to a semi-solid form by swelling or gelling of one or more of the components, especially of a gellan gum, of the particulate matter. The invention also relates to a vehicle for oral administration of one or more active substances, the vehicle comprising a gellan gum arranged in a configuration allowing optimal water diffusion so that upon addition of a predetermined amount of an aqueous medium, without the necessity of applying shear forces or other mixing forces, within a time period of 5 minutes or less swells and/or gels and the texture of the swelled vehicle being similar to that of a soft pudding and having a viscosity of at least about 10,000 cps as measured by a Brookfield Viscometer with a #4 LV spindle at 6 rpm and at 20-25° C. In one embodiment of the invention, the particulate matter can be moulded into a desired shape or pressed onto a dispensing unit such as a spoon.

Disclosed is a power distributor for a Christmas tree, including a case having a cylindrical inner wall defining a central bore fit over a trunk of the Christmas tree and an outer wall spaced from and surrounding the inner wall to define an interior space therebetween for receiving a circuit board. The circuit board forms a control circuit that is electrically connected an external power source to receive power therefrom and forms a plurality of electrical receptacles each electrically engaging one light string of the Christmas tree. The control circuit includes a control device for controlling power supplied to each light string in a predetermined mode, which is selectively a continuous lighting of the light string or a variety of blinking patterns of the light strings.

A dental implant that facilitates insertion includes a body having a coronal end (44) and an apical end (42) opposite the coronal end (44). An implant-prosthetic interface region (16) is provided adjacent the coronal end (44). A tapered region (22) is adjacent the apical end (42). A variable profile helical thread (41) extends along the tapered region (22). The thread (41) becomes broader in the apical-coronal direction and higher in the coronal-apical direction. The threads (41) include and apical side (A), a coronal side (C) and a lateral edge (T) connecting them. The variable profile thread (41) includes an expanding length of the lateral edge (T) while the distance of the lateral edge (T) from the base is reduced in the direction of the coronal end (44). The implant also has a gradual compressing tapered core (40), a self drilling apical end (42) with a spiral tap, and a coronal end (44) with and inverse tapering.