Abstract: A method and system for making purchase payment transactions with merchants, using virtual (eg: points-based) currencies issued by parties other than that of the merchant. Specifically, this invention is a payment network that processes payment instructions across multiple merchants, the payments being made with virtual currency (ie: private, non-sovereign currency, such as loyalty points and social network credits) issued by multiple virtual currency programs (eg: as those from airline, hotel, credit card, social media and gaming companies).

Abstract: A percutaneous treatment catheter comprises a canopy (12) having a treatment side adapted to provide at least one of a variety of treatments to a first tissue layer and a protection side that protects adjacent tissue from the treatment. Treatments include, but are not limited to, those that act to cause an inflammatory response resulting in forming scar tissue that would tend to form adhesions, such as, but not limited to, for the treatment of pleural effusions. In an embodiment, a treatment catheter comprises a shaft (20) having a shaft and a treatment head (10) disposed about the shaft distal end, the treatment head adapted to present a low profile in a closed state and a broad profile in a 10 deployed state, the treatment head adapted to percutaneously treat one of first and second tissue layers and protect the other of the first and second tissue layers from the treatment.

Abstract: In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a debris removal system is provided for a body-space drainage system having one or more body tubes with a body tube lumen disposed therein. The debris-removal system comprises a cleaning member, a collapsible sheath, and a coupler. The cleaning member is an elongated member wherein the distal end is adapted to enter the body tube lumen at or near the body-tube proximal end and adapted to be advanced distally at least a portion of a length of the body tube lumen. The collapsible sheath is adapted to contain at least a portion of the cleaning member that is not contained within the body tube lumen. The collapsible sheath is flexible so as to allow external digital manipulation of the cleaning member proximal end within of the collapsible sheath, while retaining the sterile environment of the body-space drainage system.

Abstract: The invention provides a method to automatically create high quality computer-based drawings by eliminating text and graphics overwrites. This has broad practical application to a class of problems where drawings are created or updated from a non-graphic database. This is achieved through the representation of graphics as a set of bitmap images. As graphic elements are placed onto a drawing plane they contribute to the composition of a drawing's ‘committed’ bitmap. The proposed addition of new graphic elements onto the drawing plane is represented by a second ‘tentative’ bitmap. The white space algorithm uses efficient logical AND and logical OR bit manipulations to track and compare these bitmap images and determine if white space is available for placement of the proposed new graphic elements. When acceptable space is located the proposed graphics are simultaneously added to the drawing plane and inserted into the drawing's ‘committed’ bitmap.