Abstract: A medical information system manages clinical pathway order selection. The medical information system includes a medical database and a user terminal having a display screen. Clinical pathways are defined in the medical database. Each of the clinical pathways is associated with a patient condition and includes a sequence of time intervals and a plurality of clinical pathway order sets. Each of the clinical pathway order sets is associated with a selected one of the time intervals. A selected clinical pathway is associated with a patient in accordance with the patient's condition. When a user selects the patient's clinical pathway order sets, a next order set, which is the first unused order set in the patient's clinical pathway order sets, is determined. A list of the clinical pathway order sets associated with the selected clinical pathway may be displayed on the display screen. The next order set is identified on the list.

Abstract: A trap door spittoon system confines airborne ink aerosol satellites generated while purging an inkjet printhead. This systems prevent stray ink aerosol from clinging to undesired surfaces in an inkjet printing mechanism. The printing mechanism has an inkjet printhead that selectively ejects ink during both printing and when purging the printhead by a process known as "spitting." This ink ejection generates as a by-product airborne ink aerosol satellites, which float about the mechanism, often landing in undesirable locations. To confine the ink aerosol generated during purging, the printing mechanism has a spittoon with a mouth that is covered by a trap door mechanism immediately following spitting to capture the stray aerosol within the spittoon. Various pivoting and sliding door embodiments are shown, along with a method of operating an inkjet printing mechanism to confine the wandering inkjet aerosol.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a device for managing voice data. The embodiment described comprises apparatus for displaying a visual representation of a voice message and processor circuitry for associating markers with segments of the message. The markers are indicative of particular storage areas, e.g. a telephone number storage area, a calendar storage area etc. Association of a marker with a segment of a voice message automatically causes that segment to be linked with the corresponding storage area so that the segment can later be retrieved in the context of a user interface for that particular storage area.

Abstract: A guide piece molded out of a rigid but slightly resilient material, such as plastic, having an elongated body with a U-shaped channel, used to hold an edge of a printed circuit card, extending the length of the guide piece to form an opening on each end. The guide piece has a plurality of raised tabs along the external surface of one leg of the channel and middle and end hubs on the external surface of the other leg of the channel. The raised tabs mate with fingers formed in a chassis, and the middle and end hubs mate with holes in the chassis. The combination of the raised tabs mating with fingers, and the middle and end hubs mating with the holes, secures the guide piece to the chassis, without requiring protrusions through the chassis.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for regulating power consumption in a digital system of the kind including at least one triggerable functional block that consumes more power when triggered than when not triggered. In an embodiment for use with a digital system that includes a pipeline of such triggerable functional blocks, a state machine sequentially applies trigger pulses to each of the functional blocks in the pipeline whenever the output of an OR gate is asserted. It does so by generating a series of enable signals that are used to gate a clock signal to the trigger inputs of the functional blocks. The state machine includes a series of storage devices having outputs. Outputs of the storage devices are used to provide the enable signals. The inputs of the OR gate are coupled to a start signal that indicates when the functional blocks should be triggered to process data, and also to a dummy start signal that indicates when the functional blocks should be triggered to maintain power consumption.

Abstract: A system for calibrating a magnetic tape drive for accurate movement of a tape head or drive motor accommodates mechanical and manufacturing inaccuracies. Motion is corrected through sensing variations from desired position or speed through operation of the drive in one continuous motion. These values may then be processed or filtered to remove non-repeatable effects and thus achieve appropriate correction in operation. The values may be written to a ROM in tabular format correlating position correction values with track number or adjusting speed coefficients for use during operation. For the tape head, actual position values are sensed in one substantially continuous motion of the tape head through a move command for faster calibration.

Abstract: An enclosure for integrated circuit devices is disclosed. The enclosure includes a first portion which substantially encloses a plurality of secondary, relatively low-power integrated circuit devices and which includes a mechanism for contacting the secondary integrated circuit devices in order to conduct heat away. The enclosure also includes a second portion, which may include an active cooling device, directly in contact with a primary, relatively high-power primary integrated circuit device. In addition to removing heat, the first and second enclosure portions together shield the integrated circuit devices to contain electromagnetic energy generated by the devices. The first and second enclosure portions also allow different levels of force to be applied to the primary and secondary devices.

Abstract: The focal length of an acoustic ultrasound transducer is made variable by shaping the focusing element positioned over the transducer. The focusing means consists of a non-uniform focusing element whereby the transducer can be manipulated either electronically or mechanically to optimize the depth of focus for the area of interest.

Abstract: Electron capture detector for use with an effluent stream from a gas chromatograph includes an electron source means and an adjacent ionization chamber in which electron capture takes place. The active region of the ionization chamber is disposed to receive free electrons and a flow of purge gas. The detector has an inlet port for receiving a sample gas as well as an outlet port for exhausting the sample gas and the purge gas. A collector electrode in the detection chamber is biased so as to collect the free electrons in the absence of electrophilic substance. Electrophilic substances in the detector will reduce the flow of electrons to the collector and generate an ionic current. An insulative member in the form of a flow guide may be located at the portion of the anode so as to permit pulsing of free electrons to the anode but substantially block the ionic current, i.e., to discriminate between the free electrons and the ionic current.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for locating a predetermined position in a computer file. A continuous, static ECG waveform is displayed in rows on a CRT screen. A scroll bar permits a user to use a computer mouse to click and drag the scroll box to display different portions of the ECG data. When the cursor is on the scroll box and a button on the mouse is depressed, a data window opens adjacent the scroll box and displays the hours, minutes and seconds of the time of day when the ECG waveform of the portion currently displayed was recorded. The data window moves with the scroll box and continues to display current time of the data displayed. When the mouse button is released, the data window closes and the screen changes to display ECG waveform from the newly selected time.

Abstract: A patient monitoring/signal processing module with increased electrical isolation is disclosed. The combination of an inner isolation piece and an isolation film provide signal isolation and electrical over-voltage protection between a lower, isolated portion of the unit defined by a lower housing and the isolation piece and an upper, non-isolated portion of the unit, defined by an upper housing and the isolation piece, increasing the module's ability to survive an over-voltage condition without damage to itself or to the patient to whom it is coupled. The combination of the isolation film and the isolation piece results in a much thinner module than would otherwise have been necessary to achieve the same levels of signal and electrical isolation.

Abstract: A reusable shipping container assembly for protecting a plurality of articles during shipping is disclosed. The container assembly includes a semi-rigid rectangular corrugated box having a top wall, a bottom wall and side walls. Within the corrugated box are a plurality of interlocking cushioned "clamps;" one such clamp per article to be shipped. Each interlocking cushioned clamp contains a convoluted foam set consisting of a pair of rectangular-shaped interlocking convoluted foam cushions. Each pair of convoluted foam cushions holds one of the articles to be shipped. Completing the cushioned clamp and enclosing the convoluted foam cushions is a cushioned sleeve having a rectangular cross section. The cushioned sleeve is adapted to snugly enclose the convoluted foam cushions on four sides and to maintain the interlocking convoluted foam cushions in place during shipping.

Abstract: A common printer platen for conveying printed media and documents to a printer exit includes an exit mechanism having a series of floating spaced guide ribs to accommodate printed media or documents of a first range of thickness and printed media or documents of a second range of greater thickness. An exit chassis includes a longitudinal first edge, a series of spaced guide ribs including an integral beam forming a star wheel carrier is pivotably mounted transversely to the chassis first edge, and spring members extend between the chassis and the beams for accommodating printed media or documents of a greater thickness conveyed through a nip formed by the star wheels and a printer roller.

Abstract: A Digital Data Storage (DDS) data storage mechanism for reading DDS tapes containing data at either 61 kbpi or 122 kbpi has two circuits for recovering data from signals induced in a magnetic head by magnetic patterns on the tape. One circuit incorporates a clipping amplifier, a phase-locked loop (PLL), and a latch to sample the two-level signal obtained at 61 kbpi, at times defined by clock pulses from the PLL. The second circuit incorporates a PR-1 partial-response maximum-likelihood (PRML) detector to decode the three-level signal obtained at 122 kbpi. The cosine frequency response characteristic of the PR-1 channel facilitates use of the same rotary head drum and magnetic head gap for reading tapes at either bit density.

Abstract: A tape drive has a tape transport system for use with a tape cartridge of the type having an exposed edge of the internal cartridge capstan. A stationary drive capstan fixedly mounted with respect to the tape drive chassis directly drives a compliant frictional drive roller connected thereto via a drive shaft. A combination of the compliance and friction characteristics of the drive roller material and/or the drive roller form factor achieves a contact pressure sufficiently high to engage the exposed edge of the internal cartridge capstan in order to transport the tape past a read/write head and yet sufficiently low to avoid damage to the tape cartridge or the tape drive.

Abstract: A shared memory multiprocessor computer system in which one or more processor modules and/or input/output modules have cache memories. The main memory controller for each main memory of the system maintains a duplicate cache tag array containing current information on the status of data lines from the main memory that are stored in the cache memories. Thus, coherency checks can be performed directly by the main memory controller. This eliminates the need for each processor having a cache memory to perform a separate coherency check and to communicate the results of its coherency checks to the main memory controller, and thereby reduces delays associated with processing coherent transactions.

Abstract: A method is provided for detecting failure in a communication channel with at least two routes (A, B), through which at least two stations (X, Y) communicate. According to the method, at least one station repeatedly sends simultaneous messages on routes containing a sequence number, and receives messages from other station(s), containing an array of sequence numbers last received by other station(s) on each route. At least one station then detects failure of a route by comparing the sequence numbers of the array of the messages it receives. The method provides for failure detection independently of real time constraints. Also provided is a station for carrying out this method.

Abstract: A technique for controlling print quality in an inkjet printer by delivering synchronized heating, non-printing pulses and printing pulses to the ink firing resistors during print firing operations such as during the printing of a swath. A temperature of the printhead substrate is measured and compared against a reference temperature during printing operations. If the measured temperature is below the reference temperature, then the printhead substrate is heated during the printing operations to bring the substrate up to the reference temperature. The heating is done by delivering synchronized heating non-printing pulses and printing pulses to the ink firing resistors during selected print firing periods, wherein either the heating pulses or the printing pulses, but not both, occur during a selected print firing period. The heating pulses are logically OR-ed with the printing pulses to achieve the synchronization.

Abstract: Pressure regulating apparatus for ink delivered to an ink-jet print head. The apparatus includes an ink pressure regulating valve that is urged shut by a plurality of coned disk springs that apply a substantially constant force to the valve over the length of its travel. The coned disk springs are also called Belleville spring washers.

Abstract: A thermal ink-jet pen cartridge having a rigid external frame member fabricated of a rigid engineering plastic, and an interior frame structure attached thereto, formed of a softer, more ductile plastic material than an engineering plastic. An ink reservoir is defined by the interior structure and a pair of flexible bag membranes formed of a plastic material impervious to the ink and compatible with the interior member material, allowing the membranes to be joined to the interior member to form a leak-proof joint. The external structure has locking features formed into an interior surface. When the interior member is injection molded to the external member, the molten material flows into and around the locking features, securing the interior member to the external member and resisting the shrinkage forces as the molten material cools. The ink reservoir is filled through a fill port passageway extending through the external frame member and the inner member.