Abstract:
A medical grasper device (10) that is useful for holding and manipulating a body organ is described. Grasper device (10) is inserted into a body cavity through a cannula port and comprises a flexible strap (26) preferably made of a plastic material having traction formations, comprising openings (34, 34D), ridges (34C) or scalloped edges (34B) provided along the length of a holding section and serving to prevent the strap from releasing from a position encircling the organ. The strap is housed within a tube (12) that is provided with a handle (68). During the laparoscopic procedure, the strap is moved by hand or by suitable manipulation means out through the opposite, distal end (20) of the tube to define a loop (28) of adjustable size. The loop is thus useful for holding and manipulating body organs and body tissue.
Abstract:
An alkali metal, solid cathode, nonaqueous electrochemical cell capable of delivering high current pulses, rapidly recovering its open circuit voltage and having high current capacity, is described. The stated benefits are realized by dissolving organic additives, preferably carbonate additives in the electrolyte. The carbonate additives have an O-X bond with a dissociation energy less than about 80 kcal/mol on either one or both sides of a carbonyl group wherein X is selected from the group consisting of C, O and N.
Abstract:
An electromagnetic pump comprising a housing having a fluid receiving chamber (14) in communication with an inlet (18), a fluid pumping chamber (16) in fluid communication with an outlet (20), a check valve operatively associated with the fluid receiving chamber, and a barrier in the form of a thin diaphragm hermetically isolating the electromagnet from the fluid chambers. An armature of the pump includes both a pole portion located for magnetic attraction by the electromagnet and a piston portion to force fluid out of the chambers. The armature pole portion has a fluid-contacting section of material which is compatible with and corrosion resistant to the fluid. A controlled bypass (274) is provided for bubbles in the fluid. An outlet orifice (290) and accumulator (436) are provided in the path of fluid flow from the pump outlet.
Abstract:
A new process for manufacturing a cathode component from a free-standing sheet of cathode material, is described. The process comprises a first step of adjusting the particle size of the cathode active material (42) to a useful size followed by mixing with a binder and conductive additives suspended in a solvent to form a paste (44). The paste is then fed into a series of roll mills (48) to form the sheet material or the paste can first be pelletized before the rolling step (46). The cathode sheet material is dried (52) and punched (56) into cathode plates having a myriad of geometric shapes suitable for cathode preparation by compressing a current collector between two plates of the cathode material (62).
Abstract:
An electromagnetic valve (10) comprising a housing (12) having a fluid containing region (14) and first and second ports (18, 20) in communication with the region (14), an electromagnet (130) carried by the housing (12) located external to the fluid containing region (14), of the housing (12), and a barrier in the form of a thin diaphragm (160) of fluid impermeable material which hermetically isolates the electromagnet (130) from the fluid containing region (14). An armature (200) is movably positioned in the region (14) and has a pole portion (204) located for magnetic attraction by the electromagnet (130) and has a plunger portion (202) provided with a valve formation (250) for opening and closing one of the ports (18, 20) to place both ports (18, 20) in fluid communication through the fluid containing region (14) of the housing (12) in one control state of the valve (10) and to block fluid communication between the ports (18, 20) in another control state of the valve (10). The armature (200) is moved from a rest position through a forward stroke when attracted by the electromagnet (130) to change the control state of the valve (10), and the armature (200) is moved by a biasing spring (244) in an opposite direction through a return stroke back to a rest position.