Recently Issued Patents

A method of promoting hemostasis in the mouth or oral cavity utilizes a non-absorbent, low surface energy and highly conformable non-disruptive hemostasis material. Traditional wound packing material is highly absorbent and has large open surfaces that allow clot forming materials, such as the platelet plug to adhere to the packing material and whereupon removal, the clot is disrupted. A non-disruptive highly conformable hemostasis material does not have large open pores and therefore does not adhere to forming clots. A non-disruptive hemostasis material may consist of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene that has a pore size of no more than about 10 microns. A non-disruptive hemostasis material may comprise a thin film of material over a portion of the outside surface that is non-absorbent and thin to allow for conforming into an oral cavity, such as from a tooth extraction. A thin film may cover porous material, such as a foam, that may be elastomeric.

A wrong-way vehicle prevention system utilizes a sensor to detect a wrong-way vehicle traveling in a wrong direction on an off-ramp, and activates a disabling portion having a tire-rupture apparatus that ruptures one or more tires of the wrong-way vehicle. An alert portion having a sign, alert lights and/or an audible alert feature may be activated when a wrong-way vehicle is detected and the wrong-way vehicle may stop and turn around before driving over the tire rupture apparatus. The tire rupture apparatus has a rupture plate that extend substantially across the off-ramp and pivots up to raise a rupture portion above the surface of the off-ramp. The rupture portion has a sharp edge that will rupture a tire. The wrong-way vehicle system may alert authorities when a wrong-way vehicle is detected. The wrong-way vehicle prevention system may utilize an integral power supply to enable locating the system in remote areas.

A self-rightening riser base self-rightens a riser coupled thereto when knocked from a desired orientation by an object. A riser coupler aperture in the riser base is oversized to allow the riser to move and deflect. A floating flange is configured an offset distance under the cap and is attached to the cap by spring bolts that extend down through the cap to the floating flange. The riser is coupled to the floating flange by a riser coupler. The spring bolt apertures in the cap are oversized to allow the spring bolts to move therein and therefore allow the floating flange and riser coupled thereto to deflect. An electrical fixture may extend through the riser coupler and through a conduit in the riser to an electrical fixture, such as a light. A grommet may be configured in the riser coupler aperture of the cap and prevent water from passing therethrough.

A flexible plastic fishing lure has an integral retainer that is configured proximal to a front end of the fishing lure and has at least one retainer barb. The integral retainer is a harder and tougher material than the plastic used in the body of the fishing lure and is configured to seat over the jig-head barb to prevent the flexible plastic fishing lure from sliding down along the jig-head. The integral retainer has at least one retainer barb that more effectively holds the flexible plastic to the integral retainer. The integral retainer may have extension tabs that extend out radially and in some cases extend out from the flexible plastic body. The integral retainer may also have an aperture that extend along the length of the integral retainer and may be used to inject the flexible plastic into a mold.

A head impact test apparatus is configured to enable viewing a head model including a brain component that may be at least partially surrounded by a fluid component and within a skull component. A head model may be a cross-sectional model of a person’s head and have a translucent cover extending over the cross-sectional plane to enable viewing and image capture of the components of the head model. A camera may be configured to take a plurality of images during an impact test. These images may be analyzed to determine the acceleration and deformation of the brain component. An impact element is configured to impact the head model and the head model may have any type of helmet thereon. A helmet component may comprise a helmet cover. The test may be used to determine the effectiveness of helmets and helmet covers in reducing brain trauma.

A dental instrument system has an optical component with a mirror for the dental practitioner to view a patient’s mouth. A light source and an airflow source have a plurality of output levels that are controlled by a user input on the handle, such a single button. The output levels of the light and airflow are controlled by a single or double click, wherein a single click increases the output level of the airflow a double click increases the output level of the light, for example. The light source illuminates the mirror and the airflow source produces airflow over the mirror to remove debris and bodily fluid. A clearing flow of air may be initiated by holding the single button down on the handle and release of the button may return the airflow to the previous level.

A crutch handle is positionably adjustable to crutch at an offset angle to provide an ergonomic position of a user’s hand. The crutch handle has a curved adjustment adapter on both a first and second end of a handle-grip portion of the crutch handle. A fastener slot extends through the first and second adjustment adapters to allow a fastener to extend though and secure the handle to the crutch at an offset angle. The handle-grip has a fastener opening on at least one of the first or second ends to allow the fastener to be positioned along the handle-grip portion of the handle. A conventional crutch may be adapted with this angle adjustable crutch handle with the fasteners being in apertures that are aligned across the crutch support.

An icon liquid desiccant system utilizes an ionic liquid desiccant to draw moisture from a working fluid, such as air that flow into an enclosure, such as a home. The desiccant may be mixed with the working fluid or a separator that allows moisture transport therethrough may be configured between the ionic liquid desiccant and the working fluid. The ionic liquid desiccant system may be part of an air conditioning system and may remove the moisture from air that is cooled by flowing over an evaporator of heat exchanger coupled with the evaporator.the ionic liquid desiccant may be pumped from a desiccant chamber to a regenerator chamber to remove absorbed moisture. a dual-purpose chamber may act as a desiccant chamber and as a regenerator chamber. a refrigeration system may be have an electrochemical compressor and may utilize metal hydride heat exchangers.

An integral battery temperature control system monitors and heats a battery to enable operation in cold environments and utilizes a heating device coupled to one of the terminals of the battery to heat the terminal and thereby heat the electrode coupled thereto. The heated electrode is within the battery housing and internally heats the battery. A temperature sensor measures the temperature of the opposing terminal and a controller will terminate heating when the measured temperature of the opposing terminal rises above an upper threshold temperature value. The heating device be coupled with or be part of a discharge circuit, wherein electrical current from the battery is used to heat the battery. A discharge circuit is part of a battery unit monitoring module that balances the voltage of a plurality of battery units. The heating device may include a resistor or a transistor of the discharge circuit.

A low friction rehabilitation board having an integral band retaining feature is described. The rehabilitation board may have a coefficient of static friction of no more than about 0.5 and in some embodiments no more than about 0.06. The rehabilitation board has a plurality of band retaining feature configured along one or both ends and may be an integral band retaining features being formed in the board. Additionally, the rehabilitation may include one or more band retaining features on one or both sides of the board. The unique configuration of the band retaining features enables rehabilitation method heretofore not possible with a single board. Resistance bands may be retained in the band retaining features and coupled to a user’s limb, such as a foot or ankle, to resist motion, such as sliding or extending the foot along the low friction surface of the rehabilitation board.