Abstract: A guidewire for use with a catheter has varying radiopacity as well as at least one radiopaque marker in its distal end. In one embodiment, the guidewire includes a shaft that supports a distal radiopaque coil and a proximal radiopaque coil. The proximal and distal coils are spaced apart from one another. The non-radiopaque area between the two coils has at least one radiopaque marker band attached to the shaft. The marker bands provide several radiographically visible reference Lengths. A polymer sleeve encases the marker bands and the shaft between the first and second coils providing a uniform outer diameter to the distal region of the guidewire. In another embodiment, the proximal coil may be omitted. In a further embodiment, a radiopaque coil having varying pitch along its length is supported by and attached to a distal region of the core wire.

Abstract: A method and system for providing synchronization of the timing of various multimedia events, including a visual event is disclosed. Clock objects are defined in the storage and associated with an internal or external source of current time. The clock objects are able to be displayed on the display, but can be hidden once their linkages are defined. One or more multimedia objects representative of audio, visual or other multimedia events, including an audio object, are defined and linked to a particular clock object or clock objects. Then, a processor synchronizes the multimedia objects, including a visual object, with the associated clock object or objects. Finally, the various multimedia events are performed in synchronization with their associated clocks. The multimedia objects, including the visual object, may include external multimedia sources managed by the computer system.

Abstract: A fixed-wire type of balloon dilatation catheter has a small diameter and can be steered to and passed to and through narrow stenoses. The catheter has a balloon at its distal end which is collapsible to a low profile to enable it to be passed through the stenosis. The catheter includes a connection between the distal end of the balloon and the supporting core wire which displays the least resistance to twisting about the core wire when the core wire is rotated with respect to the balloon and the balloon is subsequently inflated. Consequently, any twisting of the catheter about the wire will occur distally of the balloon so as not to obstruct fluid flow through the balloon.

Abstract: A signal conditioning unit receives index and data signals from a rotary incremental encoder, and attenuates the pulse-to-pulse jitter of the data signal by passing the data signal through an AND gate having at least two of its inputs tied to the data signal to provide a jitter attenuated data signal. Zero-delay jitter riding on the index signal is attenuated by ANDing together the index signal and the jitter attenuated data signal to provide a jitter attenuated index signal. The jitter attenuated index signal is then processed to extend the active state of the signal to match the duration of the active state of the index signal, and thus provide a synthesized jitter attenuated index signal. To account for the propagation/processing delay associated with extending the active duration of the jitter attenuated index signal, the jitter attenuated data signal is delayed to provide the proper timing relationship between the processed jitter and index signals.

Abstract: On a multi-node client server network, a client node obtains access to remote services by means of a communications directory service located in each node of the network. The communications directory service includes a tree structure to which existing directory services and other network services can be added. The tree structure has a plurality of nodes each of which includes specific methods that query and browse the associated directory service if such actions are supported by the underlying service. The communications directory service further includes shared libraries which store a service object associated with each service offered on the network. The service object, in turn, includes the service exchange address and communication link configuration information. A client desiring to access a remote service retrieves the appropriate service object from the communications directory service and uses the service object to set up the communications path.

Abstract: A method and system for assisting input of information. The method and system dynamically translates information being input, and allows user interaction with the translation process. The system is flexibly designed to allow easy use by application developers and users. The design allows a common input method to be used by multiple applications. Users may also customize the input methods to suit their own needs. The input methods support "active" areas of text input, character based input, and phrase based input. The active area can be customized to appear a certain way. Dictionaries are also supported, including optional properties such as grammar and frequency. Dictionaries may also be chained.

Abstract: An method for determining the inhomogeneities of the magnetic field of the magnet of an NMR system makes use of unshielded coils while minimizing the effect of eddy currents induced in the magnet components by the gradient fields. A first dataset is acquired by ramping the level of a gradient magnetic field to a maximum value and generating an RF pulse to excite the spins. After a delay time t.sub.1, a single data point is sampled. While the spins are allowed to relax, the gradient field magnitude is changed to the next level. Another RF pulse is generated and, after time t.sub.1, the next data point is sampled. This process continues until a first complete dataset is acquired. The next gradient function is then applied in a similar manner, and the data points sampled after an RF pulse and a delay time of t.sub.2. During sampling of the second dataset, the gradient area for each spatial data point is equal to the gradient area for that spatial point during sampling of the first dataset.

Abstract: A two-phase liquid cooling system utilizes and evaporator unit for vaporizing a liquid coolant and a condenser unit for condensing the coolant vapor. The unit is capable of operating in at least two orientations: in one orientation, the condenser is located vertically above the evaporator and condensed coolant returns from the condenser to the evaporator under the force of gravity. In another orientation, the evaporator is located vertically above the condenser and the liquid coolant is returned to the evaporator by a stream of bubbles rising in a tube connecting the evaporator and the condenser. The stream of bubbles is produced by a small heater which is operated by a gravity controlled switch. A check valve is provided to insure that the bubble stream moves in the proper direction.

Abstract: A system and method for managing the color palette for an object oriented operating system providing for the sharing of a plurality (e.g., 256) of colors for display by an external device. In a first aspect, an 8-bit color lookup table (CLUT) is shared by a plurality of views in a document being displayed on the external device such that consistent looking color is provided across a plurality of graphic devices. The inventive method includes creating a color look up table (CLUT) for the operating system, uniformly dividing the CLUT into a predetermined number of colors, displaying graphic information having a plurality of views, and sharing the predetermined number of colors in the CLUT amongst the plurality of views of the graphic information. The predetermined number of colors includes a plurality of colors each of which have a predetermined consistency when shared between first and second views of the plurality of views.

Abstract: A method and apparatus enables direct manipulation of 3D curve images on a computer display. In accordance with this method and apparatus, a curve object is created which, in turn, generates a 3D virtual box image enclosing a portion of a selected curve image. The 3D virtual box image has areas which are sensitive to a pointing device cursor such that a user can select an area and use it to manipulate the virtual box. Manipulation of the virtual box causes the curve object to redisplay the portion of the curve image within the box so that the curve image is changed with direct kinesthetic correspondence between the manipulation of the virtual box and the curve image.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a dialog processing system is disclosed. Dialogs include variables that reflect the system's current state. This includes status information determinative of a command's state (enabled/disabled), its name, its associated graphic, and whether its appearance is currently valid. The invention creates a dialog including an object's data structure containing a command sequence. The command is added to a list of commands, and a dialog box is presented to the user. Later when the dialog is processed, the appearance state is recomputed based on the system state.

Abstract: An electromagnetic energy absorber provides a base having an electrically conductive ground plane positioned thereover. At least one dielectric and one impedance layer are positioned over the ground plane or surface on a side thereof opposite the base. An external most dielectric skin seals the structure. Additional alternating dielectric and impedance layers can be positioned over the first dielectric and impedance layers. The impedance layer, can be formed from a resistive sheet formed into a broken pattern that can comprise a series of geometric shapes spaced from each other. The broken pattern is sized to vary the specific impedance of the sheet. The resistive sheet can be combined with a series of composite dielectric layers to form an integral composite structure. Three resistive sheet layers can be provided with predetermined spacings from the ground surface and predetermined impedance to effect broadband absorption characteristics.

Abstract: An object-oriented framework contains program code for booting a processor with a volatile storage from an attached non-volatile storage. The framework provides a hardware independent boot image base class which can be subclassed to provide boot image program code for each specific hardware configuration. The boot image program code performs low level tasks such as determining the hardware configuration and loading kernel code into the volatile memory. Once the kernel has been loaded into memory it is initialized using the configuration information to provide a hardware-independent platform. Further non-subclassable code is used to establish support for accessing object-oriented shared libraries in the non-volatile storage. Finally an object-oriented environment is established by instantiating a file object from the shared libraries.

Abstract: A specialized linked-list editing structure is used to order multimedia file segments in a multimedia file to be edited. Each multimedia file segment is comprised of a number of contiguous data units, which may preferably be bytes, that are portions of the overall multimedia file even though the file segments may be physically located in different data files. The linked list is arranged as a plurality of nodes where each node represents a single file segment and the linked list orders all of the file segments to make up the entire multimedia file. Accordingly, editing can be performed at the data unit level so that both compressed and uncompressed files can be handled. Editing operations on the file result in changes to this linked-list structure instead of the file itself, thus avoiding the necessity of making file copies. More particularly, the linked-list structure consists of a list of records called "file descriptor nodes".

Abstract: Pump apparatus having a wear end and a pump end is provided with a seal-pump for preventing liquid being pumped from entering the wear end. An internal pump is positioned between the wear end and the pump end of sealless pumps to direct small quantities of gas from the wear end to the pump end at a pressure which prevents liquid in the pump end to pass into the wear end. A seal is provided on a stationary ring of the internal pump which prevents fluid being pumped from contacting working portions of the internal pump.

Abstract: An animating device is attached underneath a floating waterfowl decoy that creates rings, ripples, and waves on the water surface emanating from said decoy giving the appearance that said decoy is alive. In accordance with one embodiment of the device, a long, flexible plastic tube is attached or retrofit to the keel of an existing floating decoy. An apparatus, such as a motor driven pump, a pressurized air cylinder, or a hand- or foot-operated bellows air pump supplies air to the tube and a one-way check valve is provided in the end of tube attached to the decoy to prevent water from back-filling the long flexible plastic tube. Air forced through the long flexible plastic tube bubbles out underneath the decoy and the rising bubbles create rings, ripples, and waves on the water surface to give the appearance that the decoy is alive. In another embodiment, the tube is attached to flexible container mounted under the decoy.

Abstract: An object-oriented printing system includes objects that provide query, data transfer, and control methods. The inventive object-oriented printing system communicates with the remainder of the operating system by means of a standard interface such as a grafport and printer drivers are provided for each printer type within the operating system. Thus, an application not only need not worry about the particular printer/computer combination with which it is to operate, but also need not have a built in document formatting capability. The printing system includes objects that provide queries for device identification, optimized imaging, and printer status. Other objects are also provided for data transfer to bracket connections prior to sending and receiving information. Still other objects are provided for canceling a print job, pausing a job, and clearing out a job. Finally, an object is also provided for supporting multiple streams of communication to an imaging task.

Abstract: An on-site fillable ferrofluidic seal comprises a ferrofluidic seal having at least one ferrofluid conducting channel extending through either the magnet, through one of the pole pieces which sandwich the opposing pole ends of the magnet, or through both the magnet and a pole piece. The conducting channel extends to a location where deposited ferrofluid will be drawn to the gaps between the pole pieces and the shaft. In another embodiment a multi-stage seal is filled by displacing the pole piece/magnet assembly axially relative to the shaft so that each pole piece projection falls halfway axially between two shaft projections. The displacement alters the normal magnetic field pattern to create a substantially uniform magnetic field throughout the pole piece/shaft interface region such that ferrofluid can be drawn through the region.

Abstract: A heat pipe which is flexible and thus conformable to the space in which it is to be deployed consists of two or three layers, namely, a relatively thin, highly conductive plate as a bottom layer, a plastic sheet as a top layer and wicking as an optional middle layer. The bottom plate has a relatively high modulus of elasticity and it is stiff, yet ductile. It is preferably made of metal, such as aluminum, or a plastic sheet or plate. To manufacture the heat pipe, the bottom and top layers are aligned, with the wicking between them, and sealed together around three edges. Liquid coolant is then added and the fourth edge is sealed. The sealing is preferably performed by heat sealing. The heat pipe may include heat-dissipating fins or ridges on the end of the pipe that operates as a condenser. The opposing end of the pipe, which acts as the evaporator, is positioned proximate to a heat-generating component.

Abstract: A fishing rod has line guides which pivot relative to the rod as tension from the line puts lateral forces on the line guides. The pivoting action of the line guides reduces the necessity to rotate the rod such as to angle the line guides in the general direction of a hooked fish. Each line guide consists of a housing which is secured to the rod and an eyelet which is rotatably connected to the housing. The line guides may use conventional line guides having feet which, instead of mounting to the rod, are each affixed to a rotatable member which rotates within one of the housings. The housings may also be provided with mounting legs like the feet of conventional line guides, thus allowing the housings to be attached to the rod with the same equipment as used with conventional line guides. The eyelet may be supported by one or by two housings. The pivotable connection may be spring-loaded to bias the eyelets toward a particular angular position.