Abstract: Disclosed herein is a guidewire migration controller for use with catheter devices such as atherectomy catheters. The guidewire migration controller includes a housing, a gripper insertable in the housing and a locking member. The locking member holds the gripper within the housing. The gripper has an opening for receiving a guidewire. The gripper permits the guidewire to rotate and holds the guidewire to control guidewire migration.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an articulated guidewire for insertion into a blood vessel. The articulated guidewire includes a rotatable sensor cable, a sensor, a connector, and a satellite wire. The sensor cable has a proximal end and a distal end. A sensor connects to the sensor cable near the distal end and rotates with the sensor cable. The satellite wire attaches to the distal end of the sensor cable and holds the sensor cable in the blood vessel. The connector includes a ball and socket joint which aligns the satellite wire and the sensor cable at a variable angle.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an intravascular universal catheter having interchangeable work elements and methods of use thereof. The catheter comprises a flexible catheter body having a distal end, a proximal end and a lumen extending between the ends. A housing having an open interior and an aperture on a lateral side is attached to the distal end of the catheter body by a coupling element. A work element is movably disposed within the housing and operative through the aperture. A work element connector is disposed in a lumen of the catheter body and has a distal end connected to the work element. At least the distal portion of the lumen defines a receiving space within the catheter body, and the coupling element is configured to allow retraction of the work element from the housing through the open proximal end into the receiving space. In a preferred embodiment, perfusion ports are disposed in the catheter body and the housing proximate to the junctional region of the catheter body with the housing.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is environmentally compatible footwear attachable apparatus for reducing noise caused by a foot walking on ground. The environmentally compatible footwear attachable apparatus includes a frame attachable to the foot, an adjustment member, an attachment member and support members. The support members have a tapered portion, a top portion and a base. The base penetrates ground. The tapered portion displaces the ground. The top portion supports the frame above the ground. When the base penetrates the ground, the tapered portion displaces the ground to reduce noise made by walking.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a catheter device for use in a biological conduit having an encoder structure for indicating linear movement of the work element. The work element includes an ultrasonic transducer along a linear axis of the catheter. The catheter has a housing for insertion in the biological conduit. The transducer transmits ultrasonic pulses and receives echoes in response thereto for imaging an inside wall of the conduit. The housing has a window formed therein to image the conduit inside wall. An encoder structure adjacent an area of the window determines distal movement and travel direction of the transducer through the window area along a linear axis of the catheter housing.

Abstract: A device and method for the localized treatment of vasculature with drugs and medicaments is described herein. Centrifugal force is used to drive a material from a reservoir to the outer surface of the application device and thereby deliver the treatment substance to the chosen area.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a power supply subsystem for use in a system such as a memory storage system. The power supply subsystem includes a housing, redundant load sharing power supplies and a power supply adapter. The power supply adapter includes a voltage offset circuit which enables automatic calibration of redundant power supplies. With redundant power supplies which require a master and a slave, the voltage offset circuit automatically calibrates one power supply to be the master.

Abstract: A feeder for feeding material along a feed path. The feeder includes a conveyer, a sensor and a control system. The conveyer operates at a normal cyclical rate to transfer the material along the feed path. The sensor mounts on the feeder and detects the material being fed. The sensor detects and signals fault when the material is fed in an undesirable manner. The control system couples with the conveyer and with the sensor and responds to the sensor to slow the conveyer to a reduced cyclical rate when the sensor signals fault. The reduced cyclical rate is less than the normal cyclical rate to enable the feeder to self-correct and thereby eliminate the fault. When the conveyer operates at the reduced cyclical rate and the feeder has self-corrected, the sensor ceases to detect fault and the control system speeds the conveyer back to the normal cyclical rate.

Abstract: A flexible composite drive shaft used with a flexible vascular atherectomy catheter for connecting a proximal rotating drive member and a distal rotatable working member. The flexible composite drive shaft includes a core of specially selected highly elastic shape memory alloy surrounded by a flexible torsional reinforcing helical wound member and a covering of a smooth polymeric material penetrating the interstices between the wound member and the outer surface of the core. The material of the core, the relative winding direction of the reinforcing member and the direction of angular offset between the reinforcing member and the core are selected to optimize the consistency of the rotational characteristics of the drive shaft in use.

Abstract: A dilation catheter and expandable balloon. The catheter includes a catheter tube, a proximal end, a distal end and an axis which extends between the proximal and distal ends. A balloon has two ends, at least one end mounts on the distal end of the catheter. The balloon inflates and deflates between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The balloon has a tapered portion and a working length. The tapered portion extends from the catheter tube at an angle .alpha. within the range of 7.degree. to 20.degree. and attaches the working length of the balloon to the catheter tube. Accordingly, the angle .alpha. between the tapered portion and the catheter tube is optimized to enable the balloon to slide when the balloon is in the collapsed configuration.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a three dimensional quadrupole ion trap for analyzing samples. The ion trap includes a pair of opposing end cap electrodes which define a cavity and an axis between them. The ion trap includes a ring electrode attached between the end cap electrodes and circumscribing the axis. Each of the end cap electrodes and ring electrodes are made from Molybdenum to minimize chemical reactivity and to resist thermal deformation.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a carrier for removeably interconnecting a memory storage device having a SCSI ID and a controller ID with an equipment frame. The carrier holds the memory storage device. The carrier removeably attaches to the equipment frame to facilitate hot swappability of the memory storage device. The carrier has a base, a facial assembly with a display and a circuit assembly. The base removeably locks into the equipment frame and supports a memory storage device and the facial assembly. The circuit assembly electrically connects the memory storage device and the display. Accordingly, the display can display information relating to the memory storage device including SCSI ID and controller ID.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a single piece molded locking snap ring assembly for use in holding looseleaf sheets together as in a two or three-ring binder. The assembly is a one-piece molded construction including an elongated longitudinal base section having upright retaining levers at each end, extending between two pivotally opposed ring support sections. Integral reduced cross section living hinge sections joining the base and ring sections and provide pivotal connection therein. The ring sections carry opposed ring segments for movement toward and away from one another into closed and open positions respectively. Integrally molded locking arms mounted at each end of the ring support sections carry free ends having oblique surfaces for contacting and pushing respective levers outward and projecting ledges having latching surfaces for latching with central channels defined in the levers.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is manual actuator for retracting and advancing a therapeutic working element of an intravascular catheter system via an actuation shaft or one or more pulling wires. The manual actuator includes a hollow cylindrical bracing member having an open proximal end and a distal end, and a hollow cylindrical retracting member, the retracting member being slidable, in a telescoping fashion, into the open proximal end of the bracing member. An actuation shaft is secured near to the proximal end of the retracting member and the distal end of the actuation shaft is secured to the therapeutic working element. Alternatively, at least one pulling wire is secured proximal to the proximal end of the retracting member. The distal end of the pulling wire is secured to the therapeutic working element. At least one resilient connecting member has a proximal end attached proximate the proximal end of the retracting member, and a distal end attached proximate the distal end of the bracing member.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for laparoscopically reinforcing blood vessels and vascular endoluminal prosthesis includes providing at least one reinforcing member. The endoluminal prosthesis having a sufficient hoop strength to inhibit collapse of the blood vessel. The reinforcing member constricts around the blood vessel to hold the endoluminal prosthesis with respect to the blood vessel and to inhibit aneurysmal growth.

Abstract: An athetectomy catheter is disclosed having a composite cutter which is capable of cutting material, including hardened plaque, from a biological conduit. The composite cutter has a cutter and a sensor mount. The cutter has a proximal end and a distal end with a cutting edge. The proximal end of the cutter bonds with the sensor mount. The sensor mount is adaptable for holding a sensor and attaching to a cutter torque cable of an atherectomy catheter. Typically, the atherectomy catheter has a cutter housing with a window. The composite cutter is positioned in the cutter housing and moves in response to movement of the cutter torque cable to cut material from the biological conduit via the window.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of lossy decoding of bitstream data. The method comprises the steps of decoding the bitstream data having a plurality of symbols to provide an image stream having a plurality of image blocks, marking an image block with a first identifier having a spatial position associated with a location when an invalid symbol is encountered, discarding the bitstream data until a resynchronization code is decoded, marking the image block associated with the resynchronization code with a second identifier, decoding the image stream to provide a plurality of display frames having a plurality of display blocks, comparing the display blocks of a display frame for similarity between the display blocks of a previous display frame to determine display blocks having errors, and replacing the display blocks having errors with previous display blocks corresponding to a similar spatial position.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a catheter device for use in a biological conduit. The catheter device has a catheter body with a housing and a torque cable lumen, a torque cable, a work element, and a connector. The housing is flexible. The torque cable extends through the catheter body to the housing via the torque cable lumen and is capable of rotation and translation with respect to the catheter body. The work element is slidably positioned in the housing. The housing has an interior which guides the work element in response to rotation and translation of the torque cable. The connector attaches the work element to the torque cable. The connector is flexible to facilitate flexion between the work element and the torque cable when the housing flexes.

Abstract: A simple rugged holder for supporting a box of toilet seat covers for use in a portable toilet includes a front, sides, bottom and a mounting flange for attachment to a wall of the portable toilet. The holder is preferably made of molded plastic in one piece, the flange connecting the sides and bottom to define a space within which the box of seat covers is supported. A stiffening member is disposed along a top front edge of the front and serves also to guide the insertion of a box of seat covers into the defined space. The height, width and depth of the space are selected to allow easy insertion of a box of seat covers yet providing a sufficiently firm grip on the box to prevent inadvertent extraction from the holder when users forcefully remove tissue seat covers. An alternative embodiment is made of sheet metal.

Abstract: Disclosed herein in a garment bag which folds from a fully folded configuration to a tote configuration and an open configuration. The garment bag has wheels, a lifting mechanism, a linkage assembly, and an actuator. The lifting mechanism includes a shoulder strap. The shoulder strap can pull on the linkage assembly to fold the garment bag from the tote configuration to the fully folded configuration. The wheels facilitate transport of the garment bag when the garment bag is in the tote configuration. The garment bag automatically locks in the fully folded configuration to facilitate carrying of and storage of the garment bag. The actuator is engageable to automatically release the garment bag from the fully folded configuration to the tote configuration.