Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090177044 | DISPOSABLE SPECULUM - A disposable plastic vaginal speculum constructed for heavy duty use and/or for long duration gynecological procedures including intrauterine device insertion and vaginal surgical procedures. The hinge region of the speculum, as well as other regions, are reinforced so that the speculum can bear forces of a magnitude normally bearable only by metal vaginal specula. | 07-09-2009 |
20090254096 | VACUUM DELIVERY EXTRACTOR - A delivery extractor for use with a vacuum suction source and at least one monitor in vacuum assisted deliveries. The extractor comprises a cup-shaped element and a tubular stem joined to the cup-shaped element and in pneumatic communication with the vacuum suction source. The extractor also includes at least one non-invasive sensor positioned on and in mechanical communication with a sensor support so as to continuously contact the scalp of a fetus when the head of the fetus is positioned in the cup-shaped element. The sensor support is compressible within the cup-shaped element. The at least one sensor is in communication with the at least one monitor which monitors at least one physiological indicator of the well-being of the fetus during its transit through the birth canal. The invention also includes a system and method for using the above extractor. | 10-08-2009 |
20090286310 | INOCULATION LOOP ASSEMBLY - A disposable inoculation loop assembly comprising a test tube and a tube stopper adapted to fit into a free end of the test tube. A first end of the stopper faces into the interior of the test tube substantially hermetically sealing the interior of the test tube. The assembly further includes an inoculation loop fixed to the tube stopper and extending into the interior of the test tube to a predetermined distance when the stopper is positioned in the free end of the test tube. The assembly when assembled is sterilized and pre-evacuated to a predetermined vacuum which is sufficient to draw a volume of a bodily liquid to be sampled into the test tube. The volume is of such an amount so that the liquid level in the test tube substantially just covers a predetermined portion of the inoculation loop. | 11-19-2009 |
20100079751 | LIQUID TESTING ASSEMBLY - A liquid testing assembly for testing a liquid, the assembly comprising a test vessel and a stopper adapted to fit into a free end of the vessel. The stopper substantially hermetically seals the test vessel from the ambient. Further, the assembly includes a support coated with one or more identifying materials for identifying one or more constituents of the liquid. The support is fixed in the stopper and/or the vessel and extends into its interior for a predetermined distance. The liquid testing assembly when assembled is pre-evacuated to a predetermined vacuum sufficient to draw a predetermined volume of liquid to be sampled into the test vessel. The predetermined volume is of such an amount that it wets the one or more identifying materials ensuring identification of one or more constituents present in the liquid. A kit employing the liquid testing assembly is also discussed. | 04-01-2010 |
20100318096 | Obstetrical vacuum extractor with over-traction release - A vacuum extractor for obstetrical use comprises a vacuum cup at one end of an elongated stem having a handle at the opposite end. The vacuum cup is sealed over a portion of the head of the fetus and a vacuum source, usually operating through the stem, connects to the inner side of the cup and secures it to the fetal head. A strain sensor is connected to the stem. When the force applied to the cup through the handle and stem exceeds a predetermined maximum, a valve connecting the vacuum pressure to the atmosphere is opened so as to release the vacuum pressure from the cup. Another extractor comprises an elongated hollow stem having one or more apertures along its length, a vacuum source connected to a cup supported on the stem, and a handle member which includes a traction limiting element operative to open and close the apertures. | 12-16-2010 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090045144 | Method and System For Monitoring Reverse Osmosis Membranes - A monitoring system and a method for monitoring a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane in an RO unit is capable of detecting the formation of mineral salt crystals on the surface of the RO membrane. The monitoring system includes a reverse osmosis monitoring cell coupled to the RO unit so as to receive a sample stream taken from either the feed stream to, or the concentrate stream from, the RO unit. The cell has a visually observable RO membrane that is visible to an imaging system that creates and collects images of the visually-observable RO membrane, and that conveys an image data signal to a data processing system that is operable to translate the image data signal into visual images for display, and to correlate the data in the image data signal with a scaling condition on the RO membrane in the RO unit. | 02-19-2009 |
20090308804 | Fouling and Scaling Resistant Nano-Structured Reverse Osmosis Membranes - In one embodiment, a method of modifying a surface of a membrane includes exposing the surface to an impinging atmospheric pressure plasma source to produce an activated surface, and exposing the activated surface to a solution including a vinyl monomer. In another embodiment, a method of manufacturing a desalination membrane includes treating a surface of the membrane with an impinging atmospheric plasma source for an optimal period of time and rf power, and exposing the surface to an aqueous solution containing a vinyl monomer. In another embodiment, an apparatus includes a membrane having a surface, and polymer chains terminally grafted onto the surface of the membrane. | 12-17-2009 |
20090311540 | Highly Sensitive and Selective Nano-Structured Grafted Polymer Layers - In one embodiment, a method of modifying a surface of a substrate includes activating the surface of the substrate, and polymerizing the surface of the substrate. The polymerizing including subjecting the surface of the substrate to a monomer solution at a temperature of between 105° C. and 130° C. for a first period of time and subjecting the surface of the substrate to the monomer solution at a temperature of between 70° C. and 90° C. for a second period of time different than the first period of time. In another embodiment, a method of modifying a surface of a substrate includes activating the surface of the substrate, and graft polymerizing a vinyl monomer onto the surface of the substrate. The polymerizing including subjecting the surface of the substrate to a mixture including a monomer solution and 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl- | 12-17-2009 |
20100035074 | ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE PLASMA-INDUCED GRAFT POLYMERIZATION - A method of modifying a polymeric, inorganic, or organic-functionalized substrate surface is provided. In one embodiment, an atmospheric pressure (AP) plasma stream is directed at a substrate surface, leading to the formation of surface-bound active sites that function as polymerization initiators. When contacted with a monomer or monomer solution, the active sites facilitate formation of a dense array of graft polymers covalently bound to the substrate surface. In another embodiment, an inorganic substrate is cleaned, conditioned in a humidity chamber, treated with an AP plasma, and contacted with a monomer or monomer solution to facilitate formation and growth of graft polymers on the substrate surface. | 02-11-2010 |
20110155665 | Method and System for High Recovery Water Desalting - A method of desalting an aqueous solution includes performing a demineralization process on a concentrate solution to produce a demineralized solution and performing a desalting process. A method of recovering an aqueous solution includes performing a first membrane based separation process on a feed stream to produce a permeate stream and a concentrate stream, performing a demineralization process on the concentrate stream to produce a solid phase and a liquid phase, separating the solid phase from the liquid phase, and performing a second membrane based separation process on the liquid phase. The demineralization process includes adding chemical additives to induce calcium carbonate precipitation and subsequently adding gypsum seeds to the concentrate stream. | 06-30-2011 |
20140048462 | APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTEGRATED FILTRATION AND REVERSE OSMOSIS DESALINATION - An apparatus includes a filtration skid configured to generate a filtrate through at least one of microfiltration and ultrafiltration. The apparatus further includes a desalination skid fluidly connected to the filtration skid. The desalination skid is configured to perform reverse osmosis desalination on the filtrate to generate a permeate, where the filtrate travels from the filtration skid to the desalination skid without traversing a storage tank. In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a controller, where the filtration skid and the desalination skid are integrated to provide self-adaptive operation of the filtration skid and the desalination skid in response to control by at least one of a supervisory controller and a local controller. In one embodiment, the control responds to at least one of temporal variability of feed water quality, a permeate production capacity target, and a permeate quality target. | 02-20-2014 |