8770 results about "Control manner" patented technology

A surgical instrument is adapted for stapling tissue in a highly controlled manner. The surgical instrument includes a frame having a proximal end and a distal end, with a handle positioned at the proximal end and an end effector positioned at the distal end. The end effector includes a supporting structure shaped and dimensioned for selectively receiving a generally C-shaped cartridge module containing a plurality of surgical fasteners. A firing mechanism is associated with the end effector and the cartridge module for selective actuation of the surgical fasteners. The cartridge module includes a cartridge housing and an anvil, the cartridge housing and the anvil being relatively movable between a first spaced apart position and a second position in close approximation with one another.

An apparatus is provided for manipulating droplets. The apparatus is a single-sided electrode design in which all conductive elements are contained on one surface on which droplets are manipulated. An additional surface can be provided parallel with the first surface for the purpose of containing the droplets to be manipulated. Droplets are manipulated by performing electrowetting-based techniques in which electrodes contained on or embedded in the first surface are sequentially energized and de-energized in a controlled manner. The apparatus enables a number of droplet manipulation processes, including merging and mixing two droplets together, splitting a droplet into two or more droplets, sampling a continuous liquid flow by forming from the flow individually controllable droplets, and iterative binary or digital mixing of droplets to obtain a desired mixing ratio.

A method and device for treating a mammalian organism to obtain a desired local or systemic physiological or pharmacological effect is provided. The method includes administering a sustained release drug delivery system to a mammalian organism in need of such treatment at an area wherein release of an effective agent is desired and allowing the effective agent to pass through the device in a controlled manner. The device includes an inner core or reservoir including the effective agent, an impermeable tube which encloses portions of the reservoir, and a permeable member at an end of the tube.

Apparatus and methods are provided for thermally and/or mechanically treating tissue, such as valvular structures, to reconfigure or shrink the tissue in a controlled manner. Mechanical clips are implanted over the leaflets of a valve, e.g., in the heart, either alone or after thermal treatment to cause the valve to close more tightly. The clips are delivered by a catheter and may be configured to traverse directly over the valve itself or to lie partially over the periphery of the valve to prevent obstruction of the valve channel. The clips can be coated with drugs or a radiopaque coating. Alternatively, individual anchors with a tensioning element, like a suture, may be used to approximate the valves towards each other. The catheter can also incorporate sensors or energy delivery devices, e.g., transducers, on its distal end.

Implantable prosthetic devices are provided for controlled drug delivery, for orthopedic and dental applications. The device may include a prosthetic device body having at least one outer surface area; two or more discrete reservoirs located in spaced apart positions across at least a portion of the outer surface area, the reservoirs formed with an opening at the surface of the device body and extending into the device body; and a release system disposed in the reservoirs which comprises at least one therapeutic or prophylactic agent, wherein following implantation into a patient the therapeutic or prophylactic agent is released in a controlled manner from the reservoirs. The prosthetic device body preferably is a joint prosthesis or part thereof, such as a hip prosthesis, a knee prosthesis, a vertebral or spinal disc prosthesis, or part thereof. Optional reservoir caps may further control release kinetics.

The present disclosure is directed to a method and system for the localized deposition of a metal layer on a surface. The method involves introducing at least two gaseous reactants to a substrate surface that is locally heated by a laser. The surface is heated to a temperature at which the gaseous reactants undergo a reaction that results in metal crystal growth on the substrate surface. The reaction is maintained for a desired period of time and under desired conditions to produce a localized deposit of a metal layer on the heated zone of the substrate. In some embodiments, the gas outlets and the laser may be moved in a controlled manner so that a metal layer may be deposited in a desired pattern on the substrate surface.

A method and system of dispensing items in a controlled manner from cabinets or similar enclosures, re-ordering the dispensed articles or items, and providing inventory and other information about the items and users in the system. The invention utilizes a distributed network and permits users to browse and search for any item across multiple enclosures from any location. The method and system can track inventory, generate administrative reports, and independently initiate orders based on aggregate inventory levels of multiple enclosures to gain the benefit of volume discounts, minimize deliveries, maximize availability of items, or generate individual orders based on specific enclosures to maintain just-in-time inventory levels. The method and system also track the removal and stocking of items through unique identification strings, so that individual access, use, and theft of items can be monitored.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for automatically adjusting patient platform support height in response to patient related events. Sensor data is accessed from sensors that are monitoring a patient resting on a support platform that is a specified height above floor level. It is detected from the accessed input data that the patient is attempting to exit the patient support platform. The height of the support platform is lowered from the specified height to a lower height to reduce the potential fall distance of the patient in response to detecting that the patient is attempting to exit the support platform. In some embodiments, a support platform is rapidly lowered to essentially floor level in a controlled manner.

A system and method are provided for managing consumer information, which permit sharing of consumer information in a controlled manner. In accordance with the disclosed system, at least one database is provided that contains consumer information related to at least one user. An administrative agent is also provided for establishing access to the consumer information contained in the database based on preferences expressed by the user. The system also includes a licensing agent for setting at least one licensing fee schedule for each user based on a set of licensing rules, and a payment agent for paying each user. In accordance with a disclosed method, a database is created of consumer information related to at least one user and access to the consumer information contained in the database is established based on each user's preferences. The method also includes setting a licensing fee schedule based on a set of licensing rules and paying the customer based on a set of payment rules.

A process and system for purifying water is disclosed. For example, in one embodiment, the process may be used to remove a divalent salt, such as calcium sulfate, from a water source in order to prevent the divalent salt from precipitating during the process. The water source, for instance, may be fed to an ion separating device, such as an electrodialysis device. In the electrodialysis device, an ion exchange takes place between the divalent salt and another salt, such as a monovalent salt to produce two concentrated salt streams that contain salts having greater solubility in water than the divalent salt. In one embodiment, the two salt streams that are produced may then be combined to precipitate the divalent salt in a controlled manner. During the process, various other components contained within the water feed stream may also be removed from the stream and converted into useful products. In one particular embodiment, the process is configured to receive a byproduct stream from a reverse osmosis process.

Visualization and ablation system variations are described which utilize various tissue ablation arrangements. Such assemblies are configured to facilitate the application of bipolar energy delivery, such as RF ablation, to an underlying target tissue for treatment in a controlled manner while directly visualizing the tissue during the bipolar ablation process.

Cigarettes manufactured using modified automated cigarette making apparatus can possess smokable rods having additive materials applied to paper wrapping materials as patterns. The additive materials can be applied to a continuous paper web using rollers.) One of those rollers can have a series of pockets in its roll face to receive additive formulation from a reservoir and to define the pattern of the formulation on the paper. The additive material in the recessed pockets of a first roller can be transferred in a controlled manner to a second roller and from the second roller to desired locations on the paper web. The additive material can also be applied to a transfer roller, transferred from the transfer roller to pick-up roller, transferred from the pick-up roller to an application roller, and transferred to the paper web that passes between the application roller and a back-up roller.

In a digital rights management (DRM) scheme a mobile terminal (1) registered with mobile telecommunications network (3) obtains encrypted content data (26) from content provider (21) and a rights object (28) containing a license to use that data from rights issuer (23). The mobile terminal (1) is associated with mobile terminal (11), PC (25) and PDA (27) in a domain. Various arrangements are disclosed for enabling a second device to consume the content data (26) received by the device (1). The content data (26) is consumed on the second device in a controlled manner. The second device may or may not be a member of the domain (24). The first device may enable the second device to temporarily join the domain (24), if the second device is not a member of the domain (24), in order to allow the second device to consume the content. In another embodiment the first and second devices may already be a member of the same domain (24). In this other embodiment the first and second devices are prevented from simultaneously consuming the same content. In a further embodiment, the first and second devices are not members of the same domain. In this further embodiment, the first device obtains permission from the rights issuer (23) to enable the second device to consume the content.

Electroporation is performed in a controlled manner in either individual or multiple biological cells or biological tissue by monitoring the electrical impedance, defined herein as the ratio of current to voltage in the electroporation cell. The impedance detects the onset of electroporation in the biological cell(s), and this information is used to control the intensity and duration of the voltage to assure that electroporation has occurred without destroying the cell(s). This is applicable to electroporation in general. In addition, a particular method and apparatus are disclosed in which electroporation and/or mass transfer across a cell membrane are accomplished by securing a cell across an opening in a barrier between two chambers such that the cell closes the opening. The barrier is either electrically insulating, impermeable to the solute, or both, depending on whether pore formation, diffusive transport of the solute across the membrane, or both are sought. Electroporation is achieved by applying a voltage between the two chambers, and diffusive transport is achieved either by a difference in solute concentration between the liquids surrounding the cell and the cell interior or by a differential in concentration between the two chambers themselves. Electric current and diffusive transport are restricted to a flow path that passes through the opening.

This invention relates to porous polymeric materials having discrete regions that exhibit distinct surface properties. The invention also relates to methods of making such porous polymeric materials and their applications. The geography of the discrete regions can be determined in a selective and controlled manner. Porous materials having discrete regions of distinct hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, oleophobicity, biological molecules binding capability, wetting and wicking property, presence or density of functional groups, chemical reactivity, electric charges, porosity and pore sizes can be manufactured using this invention.