Abstract: The invention uses three-dimensional printing techniques to lay down a three-dimensional black and white grid (or “4-dimensional” grid, if color is used). To read and decode a three-dimensional bar-code, a light-field camera is used to capture the whole three-dimensional structure and the focus levels are then determined for a predetermined number of vertical levels. Adding color adds another degree of freedom (dimension) in the number and difficulty of encoding and decoding the three-dimensional bar-codes. These bar-codes cannot be simply made or copied, providing a level of security thereby.

Abstract: The invention uses three-dimensional printing techniques to lay down a three-dimensional black and white grid (or “4-dimensional” grid, if color is used). To read and decode a three-dimensional bar-code, a light-field camera is used to capture the whole three-dimensional structure and the focus levels are then determined for a predetermined number of vertical levels. Adding color adds another degree of freedom (dimension) in the number and difficulty of encoding and decoding the three-dimensional bar-codes. These bar-codes cannot be simply made or copied, providing a level of security thereby.

Abstract: The tangle-free, kink-free oxygen supply extensible tubing uses a helical accordion support structure on which the oxygen supply tubing is attached. The helical accordion backbone has some tendency to spring back, but this is not relied upon to extend and return the oxygen supply tubing it carries. The carrier structure keeps the oxygen tubing from getting tangle or kinked. A centrally located retractable line, which is located within the center of the helical accordion structure, acts as the retracting mechanism, as it tends to allow the accordion structure to be pulled into an extended position, while upon rewinding the central cord, the helical accordion support structure can be pushed toward a collapsed position without the oxygen supply line tubing becoming tanked, kinked, and thereby blocked. As a safety feature , so the oxygen line does not encounter and strain between it and the patient, a chest-harness has attachment to the helical accordion support structure.

Abstract: The extensible intravenous (“i.v.”) drip line tubing uses a helical accordion support structure on which the i.v. tubing is attached. The helical accordion backbone has some tendency to spring back, but this is not relied upon to extend and return the i.v. tubing it carries. The carrier structure keeps the i.v. tubing from getting tangle or kinked. A centrally located retractable line, which is located within the center of the helical accordion structure, acts as the retracting mechanism, as it tends to allow the accordion structure to be pulled into an extended position, while upon rewinding the central cord, the helical accordion support structure can be pushed toward a collapsed position without the i.v. drip line tubing becoming tanked, kinked, and thereby blocked. As a safety feature, so the i.v. line does not encounter and strain between it and the point of entry of the i.v. line into the patient, is one or more wrist and or armbands to which the i.v. carrier is attached by a short, strong line.

Abstract: A network based method and system (apparatus) for locating remote objects which have become lost, misplaced or stolen. An iPhone-like “application” interrogates a low duty cycle locator device with a transceiver and GPS chip. The user is alerted via phone message (call and/or text). The locator device is interrogated via a telephony capable computer server. The user checks on a website to view a map with the coordinates of the missing object displayed. An automatic computer-based method of interrogating the locator allows for extremely small duty cycles (milliseconds) while a missing location may become available every minute, five minutes, or ten minutes, for example.

Abstract: This invention provides a method for locating a lost object by utilizing a stripped down cell-phone transceiver which is controlled in an on-off periodicity by an independent timer which is always on, and also has a low power GPS module. The invention provides for a software application to reside, for example, in an I-phone® and to interrogate the stripped down cell phone transceiver which is attached to the lost object and to display the lost object's location on a scalable map.

Abstract: The extensible intravenous (“i.v.”) drip line tubing uses a helical accordion support structure on which the i.v. tubing is attached. The helical accordion backbone has some tendency to spring back, but this is not relied upon to extend and return the i.v. tubing it carries. The carrier structure keeps the i.v. tubing from getting tangle or kinked. A centrally located retractable line, which is located within the center of the helical accordion structure, acts as the retracting mechanism, as it tends to allow the accordion structure to be pulled into an extended position, while upon rewinding the central cord, the helical accordion support structure can be pushed toward a collapsed position without the i.v. drip line tubing becoming tanked, kinked, and thereby blocked. As a safety feature, so the i.v. line does not encounter and strain between it and the point of entry of the i.v. line into the patient, is one or more wrist and or armbands to which the i.v. carrier is attached by a short, strong line.

Abstract: An exercise monitoring pedometer for pets is directed toward measuring a pet's exercise over some, period of time, such as a day or week or month. The pet pedometer includes a solid state three-axis accelerometer, a signal processing unit, a CPU, a memory chip and a display with settable controls, and may include a voice recorder/player; or these functions may reside mainly on an application specific integrated circuit. The settable controls are directed toward providing a setting for pet stride size for conversion for walking and running, and for manual resetting. The pet pedometer auto-selects automatically for a pet's stride both a walking stride and a running stride. The present invention may also contain a recorder, typically a solid state recorder, which provide for a recording of the pet “owner's” voice, or selected music, so that the owner may record encouragement, etc., to his/her pet.