Other

Gen-probe, Inc.

Skyward Optics LLC

Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Dentalez, Inc.

Romse Tech Research, L.l.c.

Rbcs Software LLC

Robert M Case

Gregory J Foster

Jeffrey D Bransky

Kristi K Myers

Thomas M Shimei

Galo F Acosta

Andrew J Woodhead

James D Morrow

Randall N Bartlett

Corrine A Sukiennik

Arden F Jenkins

Ellis R Taylor

David G Pasternack

H Reiner Merz

John Sauls

James McNew

A watercraft includes a stern flotation compartment. The hull is carved out underneath the gunwales to admit a vertical cylindrical sleeve extending through the flotation compartment from top to bottom, and sealed top and bottom. A studded vertical mounting tube carrying an electric motor fits within a slotted cylindrical steering tube; the latter is carried on rotatable bearings affixed to the vertical cylindrical sleeve. A steering assembly is affixed to the slotted cylindrical steering tube and a guide tube fits closely within the vertical mounting tube. An electrical power cable is connected to the electric motor and a retraction assembly is affixed to the electric motor.

Shallow-draft watercraft propulsion and steering apparatus

Provided is a method for converting an input vector outline image to an output monochrome raster image consisting of only corner-contiguous pixels in a checkerboard pattern. Using a combination of a monochrome checkerboard raster image and a vector-based diamond grid, a determination is made as to which output raster pixels are activated. Efficiencies in file size and computational complexity are realized by using a checkerboard pattern and only half the possible number of raster output pixels. The method improves monitor and printer raster displays for any personal computing or related device, reducing the need for anti-aliasing and font hinting.

Method for checkerboard-based vector to raster conversion

An improved method for colorizing a digital halftone that uses both input color density and output halftone luminance to quantize and relocate color thereby reducing digital storage and transmission overhead capacity. The method utilizes a synergy between color and luminance inherent within the input image to enable the available space for color within the output luminance halftone to not exceed that necessary to allocate all of the input color information. An input color image is digitally reproduced using a separation of input primary color information from input grayscale information. A digital halftone, derived from the grayscale or luminance channel of a four-channel input image, is colorized by the invention's method of processing the remaining three additive or subtractive primary color channels. The halftone's two output colors are designated 'black' and 'transparent.' The three color channels are combined, quantized and assigned to localized output bitmap segments each described by three bits, one for each primary color. Each segment's three-bit descriptor is assigned to all transparent pixels contained within the corresponding multi-pixel cell of the digital halftone. As a result, output file size is decreased while relative accuracy of color placement is maintained. Both the original halftone file and the colorization file then may be stored or transmitted following which they are combined for display by a computer monitor or printer.

Method for colorizing a digital halftone

An improved digital halftoning method that uses an input image's global gray levels to determine the local gray levels of a monochrome output image. Input multi-bit pixels grouped into two-pixel-by-two-pixel local subcells are variously aggregated into one or more larger supercells. The size of said supercell(s) is related to and limited by the size of the global input bitmap. A final monochrome gray level is derived from said supercell(s) and distributed within contained subcells. Subcell gray levels are expressed as interim whole monochrome pixels and gray level remainders. A comparison is made of the final supercell and the summed interim subcell monochrome gray levels. An ordering of the remainders is used for assignment of additional monochrome pixels, if necessary, to yield final subcell monochrome gray levels. Gray level rounding errors thus are quantized by reverse diffusion until a monochrome gray level for each of the global image's two-pixel-by-two-pixel local subcells is derived.

Reverse diffusion digital halftone quantization

An improved method of encoding and compressing digital halftones that utilizes a 'none-of-the-above' method for designating variable-length runs. A monochrome input bitmap is rearranged slightly to reduce the patterns possible in contained digital halftone cells. This revised monochrome bitmap is parsed into subfiles to optimize run-lengths. The parsed subfiles are combined into a single file whose alternating runs of 1's and 0's are converted into successive variable-length binary numbers. One of the permutations of an antecedent binary is designated 'none-of-the-above' and its use triggers a subsequent variable-length binary. All other permutations within each variable-length binary may designate a specific contained run-length and such use triggers a return to the initial binary in the series. The above method is reversed to decode and uncompress the encoded file to reproduce the original revised monochrome bitmap for display by a computer monitor or printer.

None-of-the-above digital halftone compression and decompression

A work station for simultaneously performing multiple assays includes a base structure, a receptacle rack assembly received within a receptacle rack well formed in the base structure, a pipette tip rack assembly received within a pipette tip rack well formed in the base structure, a multiple conduit substance transfer device, and substance transfer device positioning structure. The receptacle rack assembly holds a plurality of receptacles in which a plurality of individual assays are performed, and the pipette tip rack assembly holds a plurality of contamination limiting pipette tips. The substance transfer device is capable of simultaneously dispensing substances into two or more receptacles or simultaneously removing substances from two or more receptacles. Alternatively, the substance transfer device is capable of simultaneously dispensing substances into two or more receptacles, and, at about the same time, simultaneously removing substances from two or more receptacles. The positioning structure permits the substance transfer device to be positioned with respect to the receptacle rack assembly or the pipette tip rack assembly.

Substance transfer device

Assay work station

The present invention relates to a method for reproducing images from precessionary art. The method comprises the steps of converting a piece of precessionary art to a multi-bit pixel depth bitmap, defining a first multi-pixel cell having particular dimensional attributes from the bitmap, determining a gray level for the first multi-pixel cell, dividing the first multi-pixel cell into two groups of alternating pixels with a first one of the groups being nominally on and a second one of the groups being nominally off, and deriving a first derivation cell depicting a maximum apparent gray from the first multi-pixel cell having the two equal groups of alternating pixels.

Method for reproducing an image

A blade removal device includes positionable hand protecting members which are movable to a position relative to a base portion for preventing injury to an operator during use of the blade removal device. A blade removal mechanism is configured in the blade removal device and is accessible through positioning of the hand protecting members. The blade removal mechanism defines a plurality of blade removal chambers disposed in communication with a blade receptacle area. Each chamber defines a blade disengaging mechanism configured to remove a blade from a surgical knife handle by inserting the blade and attached handle into the chamber and withdrawing the handle from the chamber with the blade being retained in the chamber. The blade removal device is operable for removing blades while mated with a storage section or separate from the storage section.

Medical sharps blade removal and containment structure

An intravascular catheter device that serves to control the loss of blood and subsequent contamination of the operator during placement, is disclosed. The catheter device comprises a cannula, a hub, and a generally cylindrical, resilient valve disposed within the hub. The valve includes an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface defines a passage in fluid communication with the cannula and has a plurality of longitudinal inner surface ribs. The outer surface has a plurality of outer surface ribs which are radially aligned with a respective one of the inner surface ribs. The catheter device further includes a ring for selectively compressing the outer surface ribs a distance to bring the inner surface ribs into mutual contact.

Valve for an intravascular catheter device

A cabinetry door including a first member having a backwardly extending peripheral border and a second member having a forwardly extending peripheral border with a peripheral flange, wherein the peripheral flange of the second member is attached to the first member within its peripheral border. In a transparency viewer embodiment, the first member includes an light-transmitting portion and a transparency holder, and a light source is disposed between the first and second members.

Growing community of inventors

Canyon Lake, TX, United States of America

Robert M Case