338results about How to "Promotes relative motion" patented technology

A biopsy system is provided including a housing and a biopsy instrument operatively associated with the housing and configured and dimensioned to remove a tissue sample from a patient. A firing module is included that is detachably engageable with the housing and operatively associated with the biopsy instrument to facilitate selective rapid advancement of at least a portion of the biopsy instrument toward a targeted location with the patient. The biopsy instrument includes a tissue receiving portion. The system may include an indexing assembly disposed within the housing and configured to cooperate with the biopsy instrument to selectively orient the tissue receiving portion. The indexing assembly may include a manual gearing assembly configured for selective orientation of the tissue receiving portion. The system may include a linear advancement control assembly disposed within the housing and configured to effect linear actuation of a tubular knife member. An optical sensor may be disposed adjacent a portion of the tubular knife member and oriented to detect the orientation of a lateral opening formed through the tubular knife member. A carriage may be slidably disposed within the housing and configured to releasably retain at least a portion of the biopsy instrument. A method of performing a surgical biopsy is disclosed.

Rotating microneedles and microneedle arrays are disclosed that “drill” holes into a biological barrier, such as skin. The holes can of controlled depth and diameter and suitable for microsurgery, administering drugs and withdrawal of body fluids.

A carton includes a plurality of walls including a top wall, a pair of opposed side walls connected to side edges of the top wall and an end wall interconnecting the side walls defining an upper corner of the carton. The carton also includes an article dispenser for dispensing articles from the carton. The dispenser includes a detachable portion of the carton formed from the top, side and end walls and detachably connected to the top, side and end walls to be detached from the carton to define an opening for exposing an endmost article for removal. The detachable portion is adapted to define a heel for engaging the lower portion of the carton to support the carton in an inclined position.

A carton for enclosing and dispensing articles that can be configured to serve as a cooler for articles enclosed within the carton, such as beverage cans. The carton includes retention panels that are formed from a top wall of the carton and a pair of top end flaps that are detachable from end walls of the carton. The retention panels can be rotated to be coplanar with a respective side wall and the top end flaps can be elevated with respect to the end walls such that the retention panels and the top end flaps form a retaining structure.

A biological forceps device for the taking of tissue samples from a body, comprising a flexible main coil attached at its distal end to a pair of homologous cast jaws. The jaws have radially arranged teeth on their distalmost end. The jaws are opened and closed by attachment to a pair of pull wires which extend through the main coil, into a handle at its proximal end, the handle has a spool which slides about a central shaft attached to the main coil. The spool is attached to the pull wires, so that movement of the spool with respect to the central shaft, effectuates a force on the proximal ends of the levered jaws, to open and close them, appropriately.

Rotating microneedles and microneedle arrays are disclosed that “drill” holes into a biological barrier, such as skin. The holes can of controlled depth and diameter and suitable for microsurgery, administering drugs and withdrawal of body fluids.

A vehicle part such as a body molding includes a trim piece connected to a bearer piece by a flexible and foldable hinge, which is preferably integrally molded with the trim and bearer pieces in a single injection mold. The trim piece and bearer piece are folded about the molded hinge to rotate towards each other and are snap-fitted together to form an integral body side molding that can be adhesively and / or clippedly affixed to a support surface, such as a vehicle body side panel. Methods for manufacturing and installing such vehicle parts are also disclosed.

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for delivering substances, e.g., therapeutic substances, into openings on or near a skin surface, such as hair follicles, pores and / or into sebaceous glands. This can be achieved by using an apparatus to direct a substance into the openings under pressure via one or more nozzles or slits. A portion of the sebum present in the hair follicle is optionally heated and / or removed, e.g. using low-pressure conduit located on the lower surface of the apparatus, before introducing the therapeutic substance.

A vehicle rear door articulating and sliding mechanism including an articulating hinge assembly having a hinge arm pivotally mounted to a vehicle C-pillar at one end thereof, and a vehicle rear door pivotally and slidably mounted to the hinge arm at an opposite end of the hinge arm. A guide track may be mounted to the rear door, and a slide block may be pivotally mounted to the hinge arm and slidably attached to the guide track. The hinge arm may be disposed at first and second angular positions relative to the guide track when the rear door is respectively disposed in closed and opened positions, and the slide block may be disposed at first and second positions along a length of the guide track when the rear door is respectively disposed in the closed and opened positions, to thus provide articulating and sliding movement of the rear door.

An orthosis machine for providing therapeutic and / or rehabilitative functionalities including at least one of Continuous Passive Motion, Passive Range of Motion, Active Assistive Range of Motion, Active Range of Motion, Resistive Range of Motion, proprioception training and biofeedback from a seated, supine, or recumbent position. Therapeutic and / or rehabilitative functionalities provided by the orthosis machine may be powered by the user or a motor and may be used through one or more phases of post surgical and / or general rehabilitation and physical therapy from multiple angular positions.

Systems and methods for ultrasonic imaging of a jaw and coupling cushions suited for use in the mouth. The system includes a specially configured ultrasonic probe, a position locator module for defining a probe location and transmitting the definition to a central processing unit (CPU) and the CPU. The CPU is capable of receiving digital data from transducers in the probe and receiving the location of the probe and producing an image of at least a portion of a jaw. The method includes providing the ultrasonic probe, defining its location and communicating the location to a CPU and transmitting an signal from a transducer and receiving at least a portion of the signal at at least one of the transducers. The CPU receives transducer data and a location of the probe and produces an image of the at least a portion of the jaw. An ultrasonic coupling cushion is further disclosed.

This invention improves upon prior aft total disc replacements (TDRs) by more closely replicating the kinematics of a natural disc. The preferred embodiments feature two or more fixed centers of rotation (CORs) and an optional variable COR (VCOR) as the artificial disk replacement (ADR) translates from a fixed posterior COR that lies posterior to the COR of the TDR to facilitate normal disc motion. The use of two or more CORs allows more flexion and more extension than permitted by the facet joints and the artificial facet (AF). AF joint-like components may also be incorporated into the design to restrict excessive translation, rotation, and / or lateral bending.

A sensor for sensing bioacoustic energy includes a housing comprising an interfacing portion configured to establish coupling with a body part during use. The sensor includes a transducer element coupled to the interfacing portion of the housing and configured to sense sounds produced by matter of biological origin. One or more conductors are coupled to the transducer element. A mass element is compliantly coupled to a surface of the transducer element. Intervening material is disposed between the transducer element surface and the mass element, and allows for differential motion between the transducer element surface and the mass element during excitation of the transducer element.

A seat assembly 21 including a seat 22, a backrest 23 and a mounting assembly 24 mounting the seat 22 in a near horizontal orientation for movement along an upwardly concaved arcuate seat path having a center of curvature 37 proximate the center of mass 39 of a person seated on the seat, and mounting assembly 24 further mounting the backrest 23 in a near vertical orientation for movement independently of the seat along a forwardly concaved arcuate path having a center curvature 37 proximate the center of mass 39 of the person. An adjustment assembly 61 is provided for adjusting the radius of curvature of the path of motion of the backrest 23. Also provided are a backrest tilt adjustment assembly 71, an armrest adjustment assembly 90, a seat biasing assembly 110 and a seat motion latching assembly 111. A method of self-adjusting support and alignment of a backrest also is disclosed.

Claimed and disclosed is a fastening device that can fasten itself to a sheet material and at the same time couples itself to an object, comprising a coupling means for slidably coupling the device to a substantially fixed object and an attachment means for attaching the sheet material to the device. The coupling means defines a receiving surface at a first portion, has an extended second portion thereof which is rotatably connected to an attachment means for attaching an object to the device. The coupling means further has a receiving means extending outwardly from the second portion of the coupling means to receive a material. The receiving means having a concavely-shaped first end and an enlarged second end to receive a material. The enlarged second end ensures the material stays securely in the concavely-shaped first end. The attachment means comprising two elongated outer members connected by a bridge, a first outer member comprising an extending member on its interior surface and extends toward a corresponding recess disposed on an interior surface of a second elongated outer member. The bridge of the attachment means defines a recess with a sleeve to receive the extended second portion of the coupling means to form the fastening device as claimed and disclosed in the present invention.

A telescopically collapsible vehicular steering column assembly includes inner and outer shaft tubes which are joined in a sliding fit by a bushing. The bushing includes a pair of spaced journal bearings formed of steel-backed PTFE held in a plastic carrier body. The bushing is located in a receiving chamber in the outer shaft tube. A clearance compensator reacts against the receiving chamber to exert a radial compressive force through the carrier body and the journal bearings to improve the sliding fit with the inner shaft tube and remove lash. The clearance compensator can take any form, such as a hollow annular rib, a skirt with a flexible free end, or an array of nubs carried in thinned sections of the carrier body. The clearance compensator in all of these variations operates within a clearance space and has dimensional attributes which can be changed during the design and manufacturing phases of the bushing to optimize a characteristic of the steering column assembly. The optimized characteristic may be the sliding friction between the inner and outer shaft tubes, or the stiffness of the assembled column which affects its vibrational frequency, or other value.

An apparatus for reversely deactivating a port seal in a laparoscopic port and providing a continuous passage between the laparoscopic port and a remote location in a body cavity.

The subject invention provides a modular six-degrees-of-freedom spatial mechanism for spinal disc prosthesis, with three rotational and three translational degrees-of-freedom. The prosthesis anchors to the superior and inferior vertebrae of an FSU and maintains mechanical linkage between those vertebrae for all normal motions and positions of the FSU. The prosthetic disc uses a novel, multi-curvate “ball-and-socket” joint with joint limits on all three rotational axes integrated into the design. A planar joint can further provide two, orthogonal linear degrees of freedom. Resilient spring elements, self-adjusting, in position and orientation, in conjunction with a double-layered, fiber and ring reinforced boot and toroidal belt, and a unique hydraulic damping system using dual segmented-walls can accommodate dynamic and static forces and sudden shocks on the FSU.

A rotary gyroscope includes a base plate, an intermediate structure, including a driven element floating over the base plate and supported by a driving supporter radially extending therefrom, the driven element performing an oscillating motion with respect to a first axis, which is normal to a center plane thereof, a driving electrode driving the driven element, and a sensing element disposed in the driven element and connected to the driven element by a sensing connector to oscillate together with the driven element and concurrently to perform a sensing motion with respect to a third axis, which is normal to the first axis and any second axis, which is parallel to a center plane, due to a Coriolis force when an angular velocity is inputted from the second axis, and a cover covering the intermediate structure and having a sensing electrode to detect the sensing motion of the sensing element.

A portable remote wireless control for establishing different temperatures in separate portions of a building. The remote control not only regulates hot and cold airflow through rotatable damper vanes in one or more diffusers, but it also recharges the batteries that power the wireless receiver, servomotor and servomotor controls that selectively rotate the damper vanes. Damper vane rotation regulates air flow from the diffuser to control the temperature in the portion of the building. The damper vanes, moreover, are of a light plastic with a marginal band of a foam material to enable the vanes to rotate silently and freely also to form a seal that eliminates a great deal of air seepage past the individual vanes.

A vehicle rear door articulating and sliding mechanism including an articulating hinge assembly having a hinge arm pivotally mounted to a vehicle C-pillar at one end thereof, and a vehicle rear door pivotally and slidably mounted to the hinge arm at an opposite end of the hinge arm. A guide track may be mounted to the rear door, and a slide block may be pivotally mounted to the hinge arm and slidably attached to the guide track. The hinge arm may be disposed at first and second angular positions relative to the guide track when the rear door is respectively disposed in closed and opened positions, and the slide block may be disposed at first and second positions along a length of the guide track when the rear door is respectively disposed in the closed and opened positions, to thus provide articulating and sliding movement of the rear door.

A multi-lumen sleeve for use with an endoscope shaft and at least one working surgical instrument. The shaft and surgical instruments have an end portion. The sleeve comprises a primary lumen having a free end and one or more secondary lumens which are joined to the primary lumen. Some or all of the lumens have free ends for connection to the end portion of a selected one of the shaft and the one or more working surgical instrument. Each of the free ends of the primary and secondary lumens is adapted to fit about and support the end portion of the shaft or the one or more working surgical instrument. This facilitates concerted motion and coupled articulation between the shaft and the one or more working surgical instrument. Systems employing this multi-lumen sleeve are described.

Prosthetic joints, intervertebral prosthetic implants and methods of replacing intervertebral discs are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a intervertebral prosthetic implant can include a pair of substantially rigid members and an articulation member having an articulation surface and configured to facilitate motion between the first and second members. The first member can be provided with at least one capillary channel configured to transport lubricious fluid proximate the articulation surface of the articulation member.

The instant invention relates to an animation actuator and devices employing such an animation actuator. Actuators and devices of the invention are useful in animated entertainment devices. In one embodiment of the instant invention, the actuators are used in connection with an animated greeting card.