Other

Grover J Liese

William Pong

Split ring opening device

A swimming aid is worn on the hand and secured to and between the forefinger and the thumb of a swimmer. The swimming aid includes a fan-shaped body portion having a relatively wide frontal edge and two lateral edges tapering rearwardly toward an apex adjacent a webbed crotch portion of the hand formed between the forefinger and the thumb. The swimming aid has a crotch receiving portion formed towards the apex of the body portion for receiving and sealingly communicating with the webbed crotch portion of the hand. Also included is a thumb receiving portion and a forefinger receiving portion, both extending laterally from the lateral edges of the body portion respectively, intermediate the wide frontal edge and the apex. The thumb and forefinger receiving portions are integrally formed with the body portion and encircle and retain the thumb and the forefinger. The body portion is formed from material sufficiently rigid to resist displacement of the thumb towards the forefinger along a plane defined by the body portion when the thumb and forefinger are retained by the thumb and forefinger receiving portions, respectively. However, the body portion is sufficiently flexible to allow retention of the opposable nature of the thumb causing the body portion to bend away from a plane defined by the thumb and the forefinger such that the thumb and forefinger can grasp objects therebetween when the thumb and forefinger are retained by the thumb and forefinger receiving portions.

Swimming aid

A fiber-optic stylet is provided for use with a surgical or diagnostic type needle. The stylet comprises an elongated flexible or rigid casing which is adapted to be inserted into the body of a human or animal. It also includes at least one transmitting light fiber having a bevelled end which extends to a first end of the casing and that conforms to that of the needle. A second, receiving light fiber has a bevelled end and is also positioned within the casing, also having its bevelled end located at the first end of the needle. The second fiber-optic element is generally cylindrical and has a reflective surface thereon which is located adjacent to the bevelled end of the light fiber. The apparatus is used to precisely determine the area in which a needle is positioned within a body during a diagnostic or surgical procedure.

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Honolulu, HI, United States of America

Grover J Liese