Abstract: There is proposed a head support apparatus, comprising a frame and an adjustable sling member. The frame including a base and at least two spaced apart upwardly extending side walls, the base being supportable on a patient receiving surface. The adjustable sling member configured to be reversibly attached to a head of a patient, wherein the sling member being reversibly couplable to the upwardly extending side walls of the frame to thereby support the head of the patient above the patient receiving surface. This allows a practitioner to check the patients eyes for anything pressing on them and to check the breathing tube for position, circuit disconnection, kinking or blockages, even when the patient is positioned in the prone orientation.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus and method of inhibiting compression of a flexible tube of an intubated patient using a bite block. The body including at least one resiliently deformable sealed chamber and a tube engaging portion for abutment with said flexible tube, the body being constructed from a resiliently compressible material and comprising a first tapered end, an opposite second end and a mid-region intermediate thereof, wherein said at least one resiliently deformable sealed chamber extending through or into said mid-region. Wherein as the bite force of a patient increases the body is firstly compressed and then the at least one sealed chamber is at least partly deformed, to thereby inhibit damage to said teeth while inhibiting compression of said flexible tube.

Abstract: There is proposed an adjustable bite block for a patient's mouth for use during a medical or surgical procedure. The adjustable bite block includes an upper portion for engaging the teeth of a maxilla of the patient, and a lower portion for engaging the teeth of a mandible of the patient. The upper portion and/or lower portion has at least one passageway therebetween or therethrough, and the lower portion is adjustably connected to or adjacent the upper portion, to facilitate the movement of the mandible to thereby adjust the patient's airway. An adjustment member is connected or coupled to the lower portion of the bite block, and accessible from an exterior of the patient's mouth during use. The adjustment member is configured to move the lower portion relative to the upper portion to thereby move the mandible of the patient between a rest position and a forward thrust position.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus and method of inhibiting compression of a flexible tube of an intubated patient using a bite block. The body including at least one resiliently deformable sealed chamber and a tube engaging portion for abutment with said flexible tube, the body being constructed from a resiliently compressible material and comprising a first tapered end, an opposite second end and a mid-region intermediate thereof, wherein said at least one resiliently deformable sealed chamber extending through or into said mid-region. Wherein as the bite force of a patient increases the body is firstly compressed and then the at least one sealed chamber is at least partly deformed, to thereby inhibit damage to said teeth while inhibiting compression of said flexible tube.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) for forming multi-filament tufts for use in a brush seal includes a support (14) for retaining an end of a skein (16) of aligned wires or fibers and a glue reservoir (15) dimensioned to receive the skein end. The support (14) and the reservoir (15) being relatively movable whereby the end can be inserted in the glue reservoir (15) so that the adhesive can adhere the wires or fibers at the end to form the tuft. A cutter (13) is also provided for cutting the wires or fibers to length after the wires and fibers are retained by the support (14).

Abstract: An eye shield for releasable mounting to a face of a patient, used to inhibit direct pressure being applied to an eye or eyes of the patient during a medical procedure. The eye shield includes a resiliently deformable base having at least one aperture extending therethrough that corresponds to the position of an eye or eyes of the patient, and a curved, flexible, transparent cover plate attached to an upper surface of the base and extending over the at least one aperture. The cover plate includes first and second eye cover portions joined by an integral hinge member therebetween. The eye shield is attached to the face around the orbital rims of the respective eyes and the first and second eye cover portions are configured to pivot relative to each other around the hinge member and flex along their respective spans to generally conform to the shape of the face.

Abstract: A disposable oxygenation apparatus used to apply an oxygen enriched, positive pressure to a patient's airway where a respiratory device is in situ or is to be used, to decrease the incidence of desaturation and with an LMA in situ to assist in maintaining the patient's vocal cords open during recovery after anaesthesia. The apparatus includes a passageway or passageways extending therethrough, an expiratory valve or valves located in or adjacent an outlet for controlling the passage of expired air from said patient during expiration, a primary inspiratory valve located in or adjacent a primary inlet, for controlling oxygen or oxygen rich air flowing through the passageway or passageways from a collapsible reservoir bag, and a secondary inspiratory valve located in or adjacent a secondary inlet for controlling entry of ambient air in from an exterior of the apparatus during inspiration when the collapsible reservoir bad has been substantially emptied.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) for forming multi-filament tufts for use in a brush seal includes a support (14) for retaining an end of a skein (16) of aligned wires or fibres and a glue reservoir (15) dimensioned to receive the skein end. The support (14) and the reservoir (15) being relatively movable whereby the end can be inserted in the glue reservoir (15) so that the adhesive can adhere the wires or fibres at the end to form the tuft. A cutter (13) is also provided for cutting the wires or fibres to length after the wires and fibres are retained by the support (14).

Abstract: Systems and methods for forming an electrostatic MEMS switch include forming a cantilevered beam on a first substrate, forming the electrical contacts on a second substrate, and coupling the two substrates using a hermetic seal. The hermetic seal may be a gold/indium alloy, formed by heating a layer of indium plated over a layer of gold. Electrical access to the electrostatic MEMS switch may be made by forming vias through the thickness of the second substrate.

Abstract: In order to store thermoplastic preforms in a container, the outside faces of the preforms are treated so as to make said outside faces more slippery, and the preforms are stored in bulk in the container, with the outside faces of the preforms after treatment presenting a coefficient of friction that is low enough to ensure that the packing density, i.e. the number of preforms stored per unit volume, is greater than the packing density that would be obtained under the same conditions with non-treated preforms.

Abstract: The invention describes a method and apparatus for deploying micromachined actuators in a plane which is orthogonal to the original fabrication plane of the devices. Using batch-processing, photolithographic procedures known in the micromachined electromechanical system (MEMS) art, a plurality of devices is constructed on a suitable substrate. The devices are then separated one from another by sawing and dicing the original fabrication wafer. The devices are rotated into an orthogonal orientation and affixed to a second wafer. The second wafer also contains circuitry for addressing and manipulating each of the devices independently of the others. With this method and apparatus, arrays of actuators are constructed whose plane of actuation is perpendicular to the plane of the array. This invention is useful for constructing N×M fiber optic switches, which direct light from N input fibers into M output fibers.

Abstract: A peelable lid structure, particularly for use in the closing of food cans, has a tab which is foled over the centre panel and secured in the folded position for processing of can contents and/or handling operations. As the tab is secured, an inexpensive laminate structure which requires little or no aluminum content can be used. Methods of forming the peelable lid structure include exposing a layer of heat sealable material and/or an adhesive layer so that the tab (3) can be folded over and adhered to this layer, for example, by heat sealing.

Abstract: In order to store thermoplastic preforms in a container, the outside faces of the preforms are treated so as to make said outside faces more slippery, and the preforms are stored in bulk in the container, with the outside faces of the preforms after treatment presenting a coefficient of friction that is low enough to ensure that the packing density, i.e. the number of preforms stored per unit volume, is greater than the packing density that would be obtained under the same conditions with non-treated preforms.

Abstract: A treatment method for the internal surface of a molded polyethylene plastics material container such as a drum, including the steps of: introducing an ionizable gas, such as argon, into the container; generating a plasma of the introduced gas by applying electric field of sufficient strength to the container and introduced gas, so as to cause an interaction with the internal surface of the container; coating the internal surface of the container with a curable epoxy-based first polymeric composition; and then curing the polymeric composition to form a coating on the internal surfaces of the container. A second coating, preferably with electrical conductive properties, may be applied and cured over the first coating. Conductive properties may be provided by including conductive particles such as antimony doped tin dioxide, graphite or metal powders, in the second composition.

Abstract: The invention describes a method and apparatus for deploying micromachined actuators in a plane which is orthogonal to the original fabrication plane of the devices. Using batch-processing, photolithographic procedures known in the micromachined electro-mechanical system (MEMS) art, a plurality of devices is constructed on a suitable substrate. The devices are then separated one from another by sawing and dicing the original fabrication wafer. The devices are rotated into an orthogonal orientation and affixed to a second wafer. The second wafer also contains circuitry for addressing and manipulating each of the devices independently of the others. With this method and apparatus, arrays of actuators are constructed whose plane of actuation is perpendicular to the plane of the array. This invention is useful for constructing N×M fiber optic switches, which direct light from N input fibers into M output fibers.

Abstract: In order to store thermoplastic preforms in a container, the outside faces of the preforms are treated so as to make said outside faces more slippery, and the preforms are stored in bulk in the container, with the outside faces of the preforms after treatment presenting a coefficient of friction that is low enough to ensure that the packing density, i.e. the number of preforms stored per unit volume, is greater than the packing density that would be obtained under the same conditions with non-treated preforms.

Abstract: In order to store thermoplastic preforms in a container, the outside faces of the preforms are treated so as to make said outside faces more slippery, and the preforms are stored in bulk in the container, with the outside faces of the preforms after treatment presenting a coefficient of friction that is low enough to ensure that the packing density, i.e. the number of preforms stored per unit volume, is greater than the packing density that would be obtained under the same conditions with non-treated preforms.

Abstract: The receptacle (1) is in the form of a closed hollow body (2) including a side wall (2a) and two end walls, one of which (2b) called the “emptying” wall, is designed to be opened in order subsequently to empty the receptacle. The hollow body (2) includes, in its other end wall (2c), an orifice (3) for filling the hollow body; the receptacle also includes means for closing said orifice (3), e.g. in the form of a removable cap (7). The receptacle includes an add-on hollow part (8) for containing a gas under pressure and designed to be fixed through the filling wall (2c) of the hollow body (2), being inserted into the hollow body via the filling orifice (3) in said wall, and including one or more escape openings (8b) making it possible, once the hollow part has been fixed through the filling wall (2c) to put the inside of the hollow part (8) into communication with the inside of the hollow body (2).