Abstract: A cardiac stimulation apparatus is provided which includes an implantable cardiac pacer 10 having an antitachycardia circuit 12 and an implantable defibrillator circuit 58. The patient's electrical heart rate is sensed and if the heart rate exceeds a predetermined threshold, the antitachycardia circuit 12 is activated. If the antitachycardia circuit 12 fails to lower the heart rate to below a selected rate, the defibrillator circuit 58 is activated. A coded pulse train is transmitted between the pacer 10 and the defibrillator circuit 58 for isolating the pacer 10 from the defibrillator circuit 58 during operation of the defibrillator circuit 58.

Abstract: A faucet handle comprises an upper portion having a top and downwardly depending skirt. A lower portion has an outer peripheral wall, an inward member, and a central sleeve for connection to handle hardware. The upper portion defines an aperture in the skirt, with the lower portion defining an outwardly biased, inwardly deflectable retention member having a part which snugly fits within the aperture. This causes the upper and lower portions to be retained in lock-together relation. The retention member is inwardly deflectable by pushing for a distance that permits unlocking and separation of the upper and lower portions.

Abstract: An electrical motor system is provided in which driver means position the motor, control the speed of the motor and control the current delivered to the windings of the motor. The operating parameters of the system are sensed on a moment by moment basis and data concerning these operating parameters is provided to a memory. A user has the ability to provide a plurality of user-stipulated operating parameters during use of the motor system. The user-stipulated operating parameters are sensed on a moment by moment basis and data concerning the user-stipulated operating parameters is provided to the memory. The memory contains limiting parameters, sensed operating parameters and user-stipulated operating parameters and a set of adaptive programs for determining the relationship between these parameters. The various parameters are fed to a computer which operates with them, via the adaptive programs, to create, on a moment by moment basis, a new set of operational limiting parameters.

Abstract: An antenna system for mounting on a glass plate with a radiator extending from one side of the glass plate and with an electrical connector and a cable extending from the opposite side of the glass plate whereby energy is transferred through the glass plate. Coupling means for a cable is provided, defining a receptacle for retaining the coupled end of the coaxial cable at an angle of essentially 15 to 60 degrees to said glass plate in said mounted position. Also, the antenna may define a helical base portion which may be attached to the glass plate on the side opposite to the coupling means. The helical base serves to shorten the antenna, and also to simultaneously serve as an electrical phase cancelling coil. Additionally, improvements are disclosed in the design of field cancelling conductors used.

Abstract: Method and device for sealing thermoplastic material. A support plate (16) supports sheets (29, 31) of the thermoplastic material, and a heat element (18) is provided adjacent thereto. A pressure plate (20) mates with the support plate and includes recess means (24) for receiving the heat element means. A confined melt zone (35) is formed between the heat element and the pressure plate (or the recess means) when they are in mating relationship. The confined melt zone serves to confine the melted thermoplastic material to form a good seal by relieving stress between the seal and the seal-material interface. The heat element and recess means are manufactured as interchangeable dies in different sizes and shapes for different materials. The heat element may be formed into different shapes, such as a glove for manufacturing gloves.

Abstract: A pallet rack discloses a pair of spaced, parallel rails, plus first and second wheeled carts mounted in rolling relation with the pair of rails. The second cart is capable of rolling over the first cart to overlie the first cart without movement-obstructing contact therewith. In accordance with this invention, each rail of the pair comprises a vertical web and a pair of generally horizontal flange portions extending outwardly in opposed directions from the web. The wheels of the carts ride on the flange portions, with the wheels of one of the carts riding on the flange portion of each rail which is opposed to the flange portions on which the wheels of the other of said carts ride. At least a portion of the web stands above the flange portions to limit the lateral movement of the wheels.

Abstract: A cardiac pacer is described which includes a pulse generator for providing pacing pulses and an electrical lead for bilateral (or bidirectional) (i.e., sense and pace) connection to a chamber of the heart. A fixed gain, tuned sensing amplifier senses selected activity of the heart chamber. The output of the sensing amplifier is connected to a pair of voltage comparators. One of the voltage comparators has a slightly lower threshold and thus a slightly higher sensitivity level than the other voltage comparator. Under closed loop control, the thresholds of the respective voltage comparators are automatically adjusted so that one of the voltage comparators will sense the selected activity of the heart chamber and the other voltage comparator will not sense the selected activity.

Abstract: A fluid metering device (10) is provided for automatically restricting (i.e., shutting off or reducing) fluid flow to a filter (16). The metering device (10) has a vane (32) which turns as fluid flows and thereby drives a gear (92). Once the vane (32) has rotated a selected number of times, as a result of the fluid flow, the rotation of the gear will break a frangible link (82), causing the fluid flow to stop or reduce by closing a valve (60). The customer will know to replace the filter (16) when the fluid no longer flows or is substantially reduced, and the customer will also have to replace the frangible link (82) to enable the fluid to flow at full volume again.

Abstract: A cardiac pacer is provided which includes a pulse generator for providing pacing pulses and an electrical lead for connection to a chamber of the heart. A pair of separate sensing amplifiers sense selected activity of the heart chamber. One of the sensing amplifiers has a slightly lower threshold and thus a slightly higher sensitivity level than the other sensing amplifier. The thresholds of the respective sensing amplifiers are automatically adjusted so that the first sensing amplifier will sense the selected activity of the heart chamber and the other sensing amplifier will not sense the selected activity.

Abstract: A rate responsive cardiac pacing system is provided. In the illustrative embodiment, electrical stimulus pulses are applied to the heart ventricle and the evoked potential of the applied electrical stimulus pulses is detected. The detected potential is integrated over time to obtain a depolarization gradient duration. The depolarization gradient duration is compared with a corresponding depolarization gradient duration of at least one previous cardiac cycle. The rate of the electrical stimulus pulses is controlled in response to this comparison.

Abstract: A slow sand filtering system is disclosed, in which an uncovered filter tank has therein a layer of sand, and an effective filter-enhancing amount of zeolite. The zeolite is topped by a growth of schmutzdecke, with the schmutzdecke comprising a layer of living organism selected from the group consisting of algae, plankton, diatoms, protozoa, rotifers and bacteria.

Abstract: Hydrophilic dye is added to oil for providing identification to the oil. The dye is dispersed in the oil in the form of polymolecular particles less than 1 mm. in diameter, for example, as an emulsion. Accordingly, the sample of oil may be exposed to a polar solvent for the dye particles, to cause the dye particles to dissolve in the polar solvent to exhibit an intensified color, when compared with the particles in the oil.

Abstract: A rate responsive cardiac pacing system is provided. In the illustrative embodiment, electrical stimulus pulses are applied to the heart ventricle and the evoked potential of the applied electrical stimulus pulses is detected. The detected potential is integrated over time to obtain a repolarization gradient magnitude. The repolarization gradient magnitude is compared with a corresponding repolarization gradient magnitude of at least one previous cardiac cycle. The rate of the electrical stimulus pulses is controlled in response to this comparison.

Abstract: A rate responsive cardiac pacing system is provided. In the illustrative embodiment, electrical stimulus pulses are applied to the heart ventricle and the evoked potential of the applied electrical stimulus pulses is detected. The detected potential is integrated over time to obtain a depolarization gradient and a repolarization gradient. A peak to peak time interval is determined from the peak of the depolarization gradient to the peak of the repolarization gradient. The peak to peak time interval is compared to the peak to peak time interval of at least one previous cardiac cycle. The rate of the electrical stimulus pulses is controlled in response to this comparison.

Abstract: A telemetry system for transmitting digital data from an implanted pacer to an external programming/receiver unit includes a voltage-controlled pulse generator having an output period proportional to its input voltage magnitude. The external receiver unit includes a pulse period detector to generate a reconstructed analog signal whose amplitude is proportional to each pulse-to-pulse time interval from the pulse generator. The pulse generator requires only minimum width pulses and thus there is minimum system drain because the signal information is contained only in the pulse-to-pulse interval and not in the pulsewidth.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for manufacturing an integrated circuit in which multiple patterned layers of thin film materials are provided on a silicon wafer. The wafer is conditioned between the providing of layers, after each etching step, by rinsing the item with a purified water solution containing at least 0.01 ppm ozone, preferably between 0.02 and 0.09 ppm ozone.

Abstract: A depth filter comprises a filter column having opposed inlet and outlet ends containing particulate material. The particulate material is selected in such a manner to provide a lightweight filter which retains equivalent high performance to heavier filters.

Abstract: A telemetry system for communicating with a tank circuit contained in a pacer implanted in a patient includes a telemetry coil and a capacitor connected to the telemetry coil for forming a resonant tank. The telemetry coil is positionable externally on the patient's skin substantially overlying the implanted pacer. The resonant tank has a varying impedance in response to telemetered digital data signals from the implanted tank circuit. A clock oscillator generates a squarewave at a selected frequency. A delayed clock-to-pulse converter is responsive to the squarewave for generating drive pulses which are slightly delayed from the leading edges of the squarewave. A coil driver generates a sinusoidal carrier waveform having a varying amplitude and frequency in response to the drive pulses and to the varying impedance of the resonant tank. A sample and hold circuit is provided for sampling each cycle of the sinusoidal carrier waveform of the varying amplitude and frequency to provide a sample and hold signal.

Abstract: At the time of expansion and accompanying kinetic degradation of a flowing stream of fluid, the flow is stabilized by forming at least two contiguous flow streams which consist of the same fluid but have a different velocity distribution and the two streams are then mixed. When applying the method to a valve provided with a so-called "hemispherical" closure member for compressible fluids, subsonic discharge nozzles are formed by cutting recesses in the valve seat downstream of the zone in which the valve closure member bears on the valve seat in the closed position. The subsonic discharge nozzles are disposed in alternate sequence with supersonic discharge nozzles formed by the opposite surfaces of the valve closure member and of the valve seat outside the recesses. When the method is applied to a multi-bore pressure reducer for compressible gases, a pressure-reducing plate is provided with low-discharge ducts in adjacent relation to high-discharge ducts.

Abstract: A heat exchanger (38) is provided which may be used in a mass transfer device (20), such asn an oxygenator or a dialyzer. The heat exchanger comprises a core (40) formed of a corrugated metal having a high thermal conductivity. Each of the corrugations of the core comprises substantially parallel side walls (70, 72). A first fluid, such as blood, is introduced onto the outside of the core. A second fluid, such as water, is introduced into the inside of the core. The first and second fluids will be in heat exchange relationship with each other and the flow of the fluids is substantially uniform resulting from the substantially parallel side walls of the corrugations. The core is formed by providing a flexible metalhose, annealing the flexible metal hose, compressing the annealed hose and expanding the compressed hose to a length that is substantially less than its original length but greater than its length during compression.