Abstract: A drainage catheter includes a shaft having a flexible distal portion to be anchored in a cavity of a patient and a proximal portion attached to a hub. The hub includes a side port with a deformable sealing insert having self-sealing passageways for tensioning members, such as nylon filaments, passing through the catheter shaft and exiting the side port. The tensioning members are pulled proximally to deform and thereby anchor the distal portion of the catheter. Excess filament length is wrapped around a resilient pinch washer and held inside a groove in the pinch washer, with the groove thereafter compressed by a C-clip to secure the excess filament length inside the groove.

Abstract: A sealed microwaveable container including a frozen beverage comprising ice chunks enclosed in a beverage solid is provided. The beverage has a freezing point below that of water allowing for the beverage to be thawed to a substantially liquid form using a prescribed microwave process while solid ice chunks are preserved to create an iced beverage. A plurality of opening for dispensing the beverage may be provided, such as one or more of a plurality of releasable or puncturable seals.

Abstract: An air partitioning device for a vehicle heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system to divide a hot air stream into separate portions comprises an L-shaped front portion including a base leg and a dividing leg, and also comprises a tail portion extending from a back of the front portion, the tail portion oriented angularly to the dividing leg.

Abstract: An air partitioning device for a vehicle heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system to divide a hot air stream into separate portions comprises an L-shaped front portion including a base leg and a dividing leg, and also comprises a tail portion extending from a back of the front portion, the tail portion oriented angularly to the dividing leg.

Abstract: A trocar is formed from a cannula and an interfitting obturator for penetrating body cavity walls in laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. The obturator is provided with an improved piercing tip having a pointed blade and an improved double locking blunt nosed shield design. Hydrophilic coatings or components are also employed on the shield and cannula to facilitate quicker shield action covering the pointed blade and ease of entry of the cannula tube through the body cavity wall. The sharpened portion of the blade is substantially narrower than the inner diameter of the cannula tube and can be completely covered by the shield. The improved shielded trocar is provided with an improved shield design having a dolphin-nose shape at its distal end.

Abstract: A trocar is formed from a cannula and an interfitting obturator for penetrating body cavity walls in laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. The cannula has an improved inexpensive flexible flapper valve and can be manufactured with a reusable cannula tube but disposable flapper valve assembly to minimize cost.

Abstract: A needleless injection system and method for injecting a medical product comprises a needleless injection device having a nozzle assembly defining an ampule chamber for holding medication, an energy device for pushing medication out of the nozzle assembly, and an energy device actuating mechanism. These components are operatively contained in a housing configured for a hand held operation. The energy device is a self-contained gas spring operatively connected to a plunger operating within the ampule chamber. The gas spring is preferably stepped which can be used in many different applications, an air gun being one. The injection device can be provide with a coupling device for coupling a medication supply vial to the nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly is removably situated in the housing with the plunger removable therewith.

Abstract: A system for registering insurance transactions and communicating the insurance transactions to a home office computer, preferably on a nightly basis. The system includes a plurality of communications interfaces and portable computers assigned to respective insurance agents, each of the portable computers including a display screen, data storage element for holding insurance information pertaining to a plurality of insurance customers, a computer processor, and a manual input unit. Each of the portable computers is programmed to receive queries from its respective insurance agent and, in response to the queries, to display agent-selected portions of the insurance information. Each of the portable computers is further programmed to receive agent transaction information from its respective insurance agent and to register the agent transaction information for subsequent transmission to the home office computer.

Abstract: A needleless injection system and method for injecting a medical product including a needleless injection device having a nozzle assembly defining an ampule chamber for holding medication, an energy device for pushing medication out of the nozzle assembly, and an energy device actuating mechanism is disclosed. These components are operatively contained in a housing configured for hand held operation. The energy device is a self-contained gas spring operatively connected to a plunger operating within the ampule chamber. The gas spring is preferably stepped which can be used in many different applications, an air gun being one. The injection device can be provided with a coupling device for coupling a medication supply vial to the nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly is removably situated in the housing with the plunger removable therewith.

Abstract: A needleless injection system and method for injecting a medical product comprises a needleless injection device having a nozzle assembly defining an ampule chamber for holding medication, an energy device for pushing medication out of the nozzle assembly, and an energy device actuating mechanism. These components are operatively contained in a housing configured for a hand held operation. The energy device is a self-contained gas spring operatively connected to a plunger operating within the ampule chamber. The gas spring is preferably stepped which can be used in many different applications, an air gun being one. The injection device can be provide with a coupling device for coupling a medication supply vial to the nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly is removably situated in the housing with the plunger removable therewith.

Abstract: A trocar is formed from a cannula and an interfitting obturator for penetrating body cavity walls in laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. The obturator is provided with an improved piercing tip having a pointed blade and an improved double locking blunt nosed shield design. Hydrophilic coatings or components are also employed on the shield and cannula to facilitate quicker shield action covering the pointed blade and ease of entry of the cannula tube through the body cavity wall. The improved shielded trocar is provided with an improved shield having a dolphin-nose shape at its distal end.

Abstract: A combination baseball style cap and light assembly, wherein the cap has a crown, a bill extending from the crown, a sweatband liner circumscribing the bottom edge of the cap, and a reinforcing crown liner, has a double light and switch assembly comprising two lamp sockets affixed to a mounting plate on each side of a sealed sub-mini micro switch also affixed to the mounting plate. The plate is in turn affixed to the underside of the bill of the cap, two lamp sockets affixed to the mounting plate such that their axes decline at an acute angle to the plane of the plate and converge at an acute angle to a line perpendicular to the front edge of the plate, setting the focal point of the lamps at a predetermined location directly out from and generally equidistant between the wearers eyes. A micro switch is affixed to an integral mounting flange on the mounting plate located approximately on the center line of the mounting plate between the two sockets.

Abstract: A trocar is formed from a cannula and an interfitting obturator for penetrating body cavity walls in laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. The obturator is provided with an improved piercing tip having a pointed blade and an improved double locking blunt nosed shield design. Hydrophilic coatings or components are also employed on the shield and cannula to facilitate quicker shield action covering the pointed blade and ease of entry of the cannula tube through the body cavity wall. The cannula also has an improved inexpensive flexible flapper valve and can be manufactured with a reusable cannula tube but disposable flapper valve assembly to minimize cost. The shield locks in a partially retracted position whereby the point of the blade is covered, but sharp lateral portions are exposed.

Abstract: A needleless injection system and method for injecting a medical product comprises a needleless injection device having a nozzle assembly defining an ampule chamber for holding medication, an energy device for pushing medication out of the nozzle assembly, and an energy device actuating mechanism. These components are operatively contained in a housing configured for a hand held operation. The energy device is a self-contained gas spring operatively connected to a plunger operating within the ampule chamber. The gas spring is preferably stepped which can be used in many different applications, an air gun being one. The injection device can be provide with a coupling device for coupling a medication supply vial to the nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly is removably situated in the housing with the plunger removable therewith.

Abstract: A trocar is formed from a cannula and an interfitting obturator for penetrating body cavity walls in laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. The obturator is provided with an improved piercing tip having a pointed blade and an improved double locking blunt nosed shield design. Hydrophilic coatings or components are also employed on the shield and cannula to facilitate quicker shield action covering the pointed blade and ease of entry of the cannula tube through the body cavity wall. The cannula also has an improved inexpensive flexible flapper valve and can be manufactured with a reusable cannula tube but disposable flapper valve assembly to minimize cost.

Abstract: A vehicle has a steering control system including a first mode in which the front and rear steering mechanisms operate and a second mode in which only the front steering mechanism operates. When the control system is switched from the first mode to the second mode by a master switch, the change to the second mode is prevented unless and until the rear steering mechanism is in a straight-ahead condition. This condition is sensed by an alignment sensor which is activated by the switching of the master switch to the state corresponding to the second mode.

Abstract: An injection syringe useful in the medical arts for injecting high viscosity fluids or pastes, particularly in endoscopic applications. The syringe includes a force multiplying mechanism to infuse viscous medicaments such as collagen or polytetrafluoroethylene paste, with a controlled metering action. The force multiplying mechanism is provided by the combination of lower piston cylinder chamber that intersects with an upper cylinder chamber, wherein the piston is connected to a piston advancing means on a lever pivot arm.

Abstract: A self-sealing, penetrable, hemostasis valve for a catheter introducer or the like which comprises an elastomeric gasket member having first and second opposed faces adapted to be secured in a valve housing, wherein faces define generally concave surfaces to reduce the central thickness of the gasket member, and a pin hole or slits extending through the first and second opposed faces generally at or through the central region of the gasket member. The generally concave opposed face surfaces are molded to possess a pair of convex cusp-shaped surfaces, each lying in about one-half of the generally concave surfaces, each convex cusp having an edge thereof passing generally through the central region of reduced thickness. The pair of generally convex, cusp-shaped surfaces on the first face is disposed at a 90 degree angle to the pair of generally convex, cusp-shaped surfaces on the second face.

Abstract: A balloon catheter is provided for treatment of hypertrophy of the prostate. The balloon is formed in a non-compliant transparent plastic sleeve fitted over a transparent plastic lumen. The distal end of the sleeve is secured to a fitting slidably mounted on the lumen.

Abstract: A self-sealing, penetrable, hemostasis valve for a catheter introducer or the like which comprises an elastomeric gasket member having first and second opposed faces adapted to be secured in a valve housing, wherein faces define generally concave surfaces to reduce the central thickness of the gasket member, and a pin hole or slits extending through the first and second opposed faces generally at or through the central region of the gasket member. The generally concave opposed face surfaces are molded to possess a pair of convex cusp-shaped surfaces, each lying in about one-half of the generally concave surfaces, each convex cusp having an edge thereof passing generally through the central region of reduced thickness. The pair of generally convex, cusp-shaped surfaces on the first face is disposed at a 90 degree angle to the pair of generally convex, cusp-shaped surfaces on the second face.