Explore the 6,218 U.S. Patent Applications published on the 12th week of 2012, including 4,273 applications that subsequently received a Patent Grant.
Power control arrangements for surgical instruments and batteries
Various embodiments are directed to battery unit for use with surgical instruments. The battery units may comprise a plurality of cells and include a translatable discharge drain. When attached to the surgical instrument, the discharge drain may electrically connect an anode of the battery unit to a cathode of the battery unit, for example, via a resistive element in order to drain the battery unit.
Published: 2012-03-22 Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP, Tyco Healthcare Group LP.
Interlocking buttress material retention system
A surgical stapler is provided having a pair of jaws including a staple containing cartridge and an anvil. Buttress material is releasable affixed to the staple containing cartridge and the anvil. One of the jaws includes a pair of longitudinal projections at a first end of the jaw and configured to frictionally engage corresponding slots in a first end the buttress material. One of the jaws includes a post at a second end of the jaw. The buttress material includes a hole in a second end of the buttress material for receipt of the post.
Published: 2012-03-22 Assignee: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC..
Surgical instruments and batteries for surgical instruments
Various embodiments are directed to battery packs for use with surgical instruments. The battery packs may comprise a plurality of cells and at least a portion of the plurality of cells may not be electrically connected to one another. The battery packs may comprise a switch or other mechanism for interconnecting the plurality of cells and may also comprise, or be used in conjunction with, a discharge switch or plug configured to electrically connect an anode of the battery pack to a cathode of the battery pack, for example, via a resistive element.
Published: 2012-03-22
Reality alternate
Among other things, we describe a reality alternative to our physical reality, named the Expandaverse, that includes multiple digital realities that may be continuously created, broadcast, accessed, and used interactively. In what we call an Alternate Reality Teleportal Machine (ARTPM), some elements of the digital reality(ies) can be implemented using and providing functions that include: devices, architectures, processing, sensors, translation, speech recognition, remote controls, subsidiary devices usage, virtual Teleportals on alternate devices, presence, shared planetary life spaces, constructed digital realities, reality replacements, filtered views, data retrieval in constructed views, alternate realities machine(s), multiple identities, directories, controlled boundaries, life space metrics, boundaries switching, property protection, publishing/broadcasting, digital events, events location/joining, revenues, utility(ies), infrastructure, services, devices management, business systems, applications, consistent customizable user interface, active knowledge, optimizations, alerts, reporting, dashboards, switching to “best”, marketing and sales systems, improvement systems, user chosen goals, user management, governances, digital freedom from dictatorships, photography, and entertainment.
Published: 2012-03-22 Assignee: COVIDIEN AG.
Battery-powered hand-held ultrasonic surgical cautery cutting device
A battery-powered, modular surgical device includes an electrically powered surgical instrument operable to surgically interface with human tissue and a handle assembly connected to the surgical instrument. The handle assembly has a removable hand grip and a handle body. The hand grip is shaped to permit handling of the surgical device by one hand of an operator, has an upper portion and a cordless internal battery assembly that powers the surgical instrument. The internal battery assembly has at least one energy storage cell. The handle body is operable to removably connect at least the upper portion of the hand grip thereto and create an aseptic seal around at least a portion of the hand grip when connected thereto and electrically couple the internal battery assembly of the hand grip to the surgical instrument and thereby power the surgical instrument for interfacing surgically with the human tissue.
Published: 2012-03-22 Assignee: MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY LLC..
Soybean event MON89788 and methods for detection thereof
The present invention provides for soybean plant and seed comprising transformation event MON89788 and DNA molecules unique to these events. The invention also provides methods for detecting the presence of these DNA molecules in a sample.
Published: 2012-03-22
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AND METHODS OF FABRICATING THE SAME
A semiconductor device includes horizontal patterns on a substrate and the horizontal patterns have at least one opening therein, a pad pattern in an upper region of the opening, an insulating gap fill structure in the opening, the insulating gap fill structure is between the pad pattern and the substrate, and the insulating gap fill structure includes a first gap fill pattern and a second gap fill pattern. The first gap fill pattern includes a first oxide and the second gap fill pattern includes a second oxide, and the second oxide has a different etching selectivity from that of the first oxide. The device further includes a semiconductor pattern that is between a sidewall of the gap fill structure and sidewalls of the horizontal patterns and between a sidewall of the pad pattern and the sidewalls of the horizontal patterns.
Published: 2012-03-22 Assignee: Population Genetics Technologies Litd..
Increasing confidence of allele calls with molecular counting
Aspects of the present invention include methods and compositions for determining the number of individual polynucleotide molecules originating from the same genomic region of the same original sample that have been sequenced in a particular sequence analysis configuration or process. In these aspects of the invention, a degenerate base region (DBR) is attached to the starting polynucleotide molecules that are subsequently sequenced (e.g., after certain process steps are performed, e.g., amplification and/or enrichment). The number of different DBR sequences present in a sequencing run can be used to determine/estimate the number of different starting polynucleotides that have been sequenced. DBRs can be used to enhance numerous different nucleic acid sequence analysis applications, including allowing higher confidence allele call determinations in genotyping applications.
Published: 2012-03-22 Assignee: MICROSOFT CORPORATION.
Opacity filter for display device
An optical see-through head-mounted display device includes a see-through lens which combines an augmented reality image with light from a real-world scene, while an opacity filter is used to selectively block portions of the real-world scene so that the augmented reality image appears more distinctly. The opacity filter can be a see-through LCD panel, for instance, where each pixel of the LCD panel can be selectively controlled to be transmissive or opaque, based on a size, shape and position of the augmented reality image. Eye tracking can be used to adjust the position of the augmented reality image and the opaque pixels. Peripheral regions of the opacity filter, which are not behind the augmented reality image, can be activated to provide a peripheral cue or a representation of the augmented reality image. In another aspect, opaque pixels are provided at a time when an augmented reality image is not present.
Published: 2012-03-22 Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION.
Gas switching section including valves having different flow coefficients for gas distribution system
A gas switching system for a gas distribution system for supplying different gas compositions to a chamber, such as a plasma processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus, is provided. The chamber can include multiple zones, and the gas switching section can supply different gases to the multiple zones. The switching section can switch the flows of one or more gases, such that one gas can be supplied to the chamber while another gas can be supplied to a by-pass line, and then switch the gas flows.