Abstract: A collapsible hydraulically operated ambulance cot having a support frame, a wheeled base, a support mechanism disposed therebetween, and a lift system for hydraulically moving the upper frame relative to the lower frame is disclosed. The lift system permits a single attendant to raise the cot from a lowered position to a raised position, and an infinite number of positions therebetween, and to raise the wheeled base relative to the support frame to situate the cot onto an elevated surface such as the transport deck of an ambulance. A manual override is also provided to conserve battery power and as a back-up in no-power situations. It is to be appreciated that the above described manual override mode may be used when raising or lowering the cot without power assist, dropping the undercarriage when unloading from a vehicle, and lifting the undercarriage when loading into a vehicle.

Abstract: A set of elements, such as, for example, a path, a directory list, a playlist, and a listing of information associated with a file or a song, may be truncated so that a partial set may be generated and displayed. The truncation may be performed in an intelligent manner to produce a meaningful truncated portion. Such a partial set may be beneficial when the space allotted for display of the set is small to begin with or is reduced. In one implementation, a display size of a set is compared with a size of a display area. A data element is selected based on the comparison, and a display space size is determined for the selected data element. A truncated, yet meaningful, portion is determined for the selected data element, the portion fitting within the display space size.

Abstract: A securing mechanism for use in a holster, gun safe, base station, recharging/docking station, gun rack, or other safety housing for a firearm or other item, including one or more retaining members that engage the trigger guard, barrel, or other part of the firearm to prevent withdrawal of the firearm from the safety housing by anyone other than an authorized user of the firearm. The securing mechanism includes a biometric identification mechanism such as a fingerprint sensor for scanning fingerprint information of a prospective user of the firearm, and a processor for comparing the scanned biometric information with stored biometric information of an authorized user and releasing the retaining member only if the scanned biometric information matches that of the authorized user.

Abstract: A collapsible pneumatically operated ambulance cot having a support frame, a wheeled base, a support mechanism disposed therebetween, and a lift mechanism for pneumatically moving the upper frame relative to the lower frame is disclosed. The lift mechanism permits a single attendant to raise the cot from a lowered position to a raised position, and an infinite number of positions therebetween, and to raise the wheeled base relative to the support frame to situate the cot onto an elevated surface such as the transport deck of an ambulance.