Recently Issued Patents

A load sharing bone plate has a plurality of directional apertures configured to effectively support and share the load with a fractured bone to promote healing. A load sharing bone plate may have a body portion that is thinner and be configured to be secured with smaller fasteners than conventional bone plates. A load sharing bone plate has a plurality of directional apertures, configured to direct a fastener is a specific orientation, such as in an oblique angle to the length and/or in an oblique angle to the width of the bone plate. A load sharing bone plate may be configured with a load sharing extension on at least one end that is configured to reduce stress concentration at the end of the bone plate. A load sharing extension may have a tapered thickness and/or width from the body portion to the extended end.

A wiping solution dispenser utilizes a motorized dispenser mechanism that moves a nozzle back and forth along a stroke to dispense a wide band of wiping solution onto toilet tissue. A motor may be coupled with a nozzle that moves back and forth or rotates about a pivot point to dispense a band of wiping solution. Wiping solution may be within a solution container that is configured for insertion into the dispenser housing and may be automatically ruptured by a puncture feature. A pump may force the wiping solution from the nozzle, or the solution may be gravity fed. A motion detector may be incorporated to control the actuation and dispensing of the solution. A near field communication transceiver may be used to receive payment before solution is dispensed.

A heating/cooling system for furnishing employs an electrochemical heat transfer device. An electrochemical heat transfer device may be an electrochemical hydrogen compressor that pumps hydrogen into and out of a tank having a metal hydride forming alloy therein. The absorption of hydrogen by the metal hydride forming alloy is exothermic, produces heat, and the desorption of the hydrogen from the metal hydride forming, alloy is endothermic and draws heat in. An electrochemical hydrogen compressor may be configured between the tanks and pump hydrogen back and forth to form a heat transfer device. A heat exchange device may be coupled with the tank or may comprise the outer surface of the tank to transfer heat to an object or to the surroundings. A closed loop may be configured having two tanks and one or two electrochemical hydrogen compressors to pump the hydrogen in a loop around the system.

A neuromuscular plasticity apparatus is utilized to exercise a stretch reflex circuit which can reduce tremors and improve balance. The apparatus drives a user’s extremity at a frequency to emulate the tremor. An apparatus includes a user interface that may be driven in a rotational and/or linear motion by an electric motor. The user interface may rotate about a rotational axis by a coupler bit that is interchangeable to change the offset distance. The motion may be set to substantially the same as the tremor frequency. A user engages with the user interface to drive an extremity, such as an arm, leg or head to reduce the severity of the tremor and/or improve balance. Muscle tone is improved and tremor is suppressed for a protracted period. The apparatus may be used to exercise and improve balance reflex circuits, the principle difference being the sensory neurons that are stimulated.

A waterproof cast liner is formed by inverting a waterproof cast sleeve over a padding material and sealing the inner and outer layers together to produce a waterproof cast. The padding material is retained within the waterproof enclosure formed by the inverted and seal liner and a rigid material is configure around the outer layer of the inverted sleeve and the limb to form a waterproof cast. A waterproof cast sleeve may have an appendage conduit that branches from the sleeve conduit to enable an appendage such as a thumb or finger to extend out from the waterproof cast. The inner and outer layer of the inverted sleeve or waterproof liner are sealed together to produce a waterproof enclosure for the padding material. The seal may include a thermal seal or adhesive and the rigid material of the cast may form an adhesive for the seal.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for an automated reinforced concrete construction system for onsite slip-form molding and casting a variety of cementitious mixes in a cast in place leave in place externally moldable flexible reinforced containment sleeve providing a wide variety of interchangeable full-scale molding configurations simultaneously optimizing a wide variety of cementitious mix curing characteristics, further having optional internal reinforcement net(s), for layer wise interlocking additive printed brick deposition providing improved slip-form mold casting of a wide variety of reinforced concrete structures; the present invention further includes a variety of operating platforms suitable for on and offsite construction as disclosed herein.

A portable and automatic beverage brewing device configured in a unitary drinking vessel provides for an integral brewing device that is also a drinking vessel. The drinking vessel is configured with a pump and one or more heating elements to heat the liquid and pump it from a liquid container to a receptacle for receiving infusible material, such as coffee or tea, for example. A pump may be configured in the base of the unitary drinking vessel and a tube may extend up between the exterior of the liquid container and the exterior wall of the drinking vessel, to the receptacle. The tube may be spiraled around the liquid container and a heating element may be configured around on in contact with the tube within the inner wall space.

A tracer insert has an upper cavity for retaining shot and a lower cavity for retaining a tracer powder compound. The tracer insert is configured for placement within the shot-pocket of a wad within a shotgun shell. The shot is placed in and around the tracer insert within the shot pocket and some shot is retained within the upper cavity of the tracer insert. A bottom exhaust port in the lower cavity allows the release of the tracer powder compound upon firing of the tracer shell. A cavity separator separates the upper and lower cavities and a flow channel may extend down from the top of the tracer insert into the lower cavity to allow a flow of air to aid in the release of the tracer powder compound. Side exhaust ports may be configured around the lower cavity to provide additional release area for the tracer powder compound.

A propeller system combines innovative strategies to create a new methodology to reduce propeller or rotor noise. The propeller is specifically aimed for ultra-quiet electrically powered aircraft for use in high proximity aviation, but its low-noise advantages will extend to other purposes. The propeller blade includes geometries, along with size and operational limitations that minimize rotational and vortex noise, vibration and span-wise air flow on the blade. To further reduce noise, the propeller provides greater relative thrust on the inboard portions of the blade than do conventional propellers and provides less than conventional relative thrust including negative thrust at the outermost portions of the blade. The propeller blade includes stepped changes in shape at calculated intervals that can reduce resonant blade vibrations and their resultant noise. This ultra-quiet propeller design can also be used for quieting hovercraft, drones, surveillance aircraft, indoor fans, wind tunnels and other applications.

A risk stratification method for a patient in a disease state and specifically patients presenting a tumor, includes determining if the patient is a homozygote or heterozygote and further determining the allelic expression for the patient, CC, T/C, or C/T. For patients having the cytosine methylated, they have a TIC allelic expression and patients without a methylated cytosine have a C/T allelic expression. A patient with a TT allelic expression is classified as a highest risk patient, a patient with a TIC allelic expression is classified as a second highest risk patient, a patient with a C/T allelic expression is classified as a third highest risk patients and a patient with a CC allelic expression is classified as a lowest risk patient. The risk stratification method may further include identification of an abnormal expression or mutation/function of a gene product produced by CTCF binding site 6.