Abstract: A toothbrush is described whose head has a special arrangement of bristle tufts. The arrangement includes a fan-shaped grouping of tufts along left and right edges of the head. Near front and rear ends of the head are a grouping of tufts whose free ends are trimmed to define respective planes slanting downwardly towards the interior area of the head. Within the interior area is a further grouping of tufts arranged in a saddle-shape.

Abstract: An improved noninvasive, electrooptical sensor probe is suitable for removable attachment to the skin of a patient to measure light extinction during transillumination of the blood-perfused tissue beneath the skin. According to the preferred embodiment of the probe, the probe has a unitary chassis having two widened ends connected by a flexible bridge. The topside of each widened end has a concave finger location saddle. The underside of the chassis has a cavity to receive an electrical sensor assembly including a light source and a photosensor. The probe further includes a foam backing having a front end connected to a back end by a neck, and two wings which extend laterally from opposing sides of the back end. The foam backing has an adhesive topside, which is bonded to the underside of the chassis to capture the electrical sensor assembly in the cavity of the chassis. Removable release tabs cover the adhesive topside of the wings prior to the application of the probe to a patient.

Abstract: The invention provides an improved catheter steering mechanism for pulling a first catheter steering wire while simultaneously allowing a second catheter steering wire to remain static, and vice versa. The mechanism includes at least one rotatable gear and means, such as a rotatable knob, for manually rotating the gear. A first linearly slidable toothed rack is attached to the proximal end of one steering wire, and a second linearly slidable toothed rack is attached to the proximal end of the other steering wire. A toothed gear rotatable by rotation of the knob engages each of the toothed racks to move them linearly in opposite directions in response to rotation of said gear. Preferably three intermeshing gears are used so that movements of the racks are in the same direction as the rotation of the knob.

Abstract: A liquid, preferably blood, collection device including an elongated collection tube having an inlet, an outlet and defining a chamber therebetween for holding the collecting liquid. A rotatable valve cap allows the user to selectively control the introduction of liquid into the device. The cap is removable allowing access to the collected liquid. An annular reservoir containing an additive is provided out of the flow path of the liquid into the tube.

Abstract: A toothbrush whose tufts comprise three distinct groups of rows, with each row oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of the head. The tufts of the first group are the shortest. The endmost tufts on each row of the second kind tilt laterally outwardly by about 12 degrees. The tufts of the third group are nearest the end of the head farthest from the handle and diverge from each other. In one embodiment, each tuft of the third kind tilts laterally at an angle of about 30 degrees and forwardly at about 14 degrees. In a first embodiment, each row of the first group comprises a single, wide tuft. In a second embodiment, each row of the first group has a plurality of laterally spaced round tufts. In a third embodiment, each row of the first group comprises a plurality of laterally spaced quadrangular tufts. All of the tufts may also be considered as defining four functional groups of tufts, with each of these four groups performing a specific function during brushing.

Abstract: A toothbrush whose tufts comprise three distinct kinds of rows, with each row oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of the head. The tufts of the first kind are the shortest. The endmost tufts on each row of the second kind tilt laterally outwardly by about 12 degrees. The tufts of the third kind are nearest the end of the head farthest from the handle and diverge from each other, with each tuft thereof tilting laterally at an angle of about 30 degrees and forwardly at about 14 degrees. In a first embodiment, each row of the first kind comprises a single, wide tuft. In a second embodiment, each row of the first kind has a plurality of laterally spaced round tufts. In a third embodiment, each row of the first kind comprises a plurality of laterally spaced rectangular tufts. All of the tufts may also be considered as defining four functional groups of tufts, with each of these four groups performing a specific function during brushing.

Abstract: An improved noninvasive, electrooptical sensor probe is suitable for removable adhesive attachment to the skin of a patient to measure light extinction during transillumination of the blood-perfused tissue beneath the skin. The probe has a flexible generally U-shaped, web-like support structure having spaced, opposed upper and lower inner surfaces. A light source such as an LED is mounted in the support structure and positioned to emit light from one of the inner surfaces. A photosensor is also mounted in the support structure and positioned on the other of the inner surfaces to detect light emitted by the light source. A U-shaped alignment member is disposed in the support structure and extends substantially from the light source to the photosensor to hold the probe into the desired shape for use and aid in aligning the LED and photosensor.