1. An instrument for locating a femoral mechanical axis and identifying the locations of at least three points in space in relation to the center of a femoral head, the instrument comprising:
a base member;
an extension arm clamp translationally and pivotally attached to the base member;
an extension arm translationally and pivotally attached to the extension arm clamp;
a swiveling arm pivotally attached to a distal end of the extension arm, the swiveling arm comprising a lateral locator member at a proximal end and a medial locator member at a distal end;
a bracket pivotally attached to the swiveling arm; and
a locating arm removably attached to the bracket, the locating arm comprising a middle locator member.
2. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the lateral locator member is positionable to identify a first point of the at least three points, wherein the medial locator member is positionable to identify a second point of the at least three points, and wherein the middle locator member is positionable to identify a third point of the at least three points.
3. The instrument of claim 2, wherein the first, second, and third points define a sphere and a circle with a center.
4. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the swiveling arm is pivotable relative to the extension arm in a direction that is generally parallel to a direction in which the extension arm is pivotable relative to base member.
5. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the bracket is pivotable relative to the swiveling arm in a direction that is generally perpendicular to a direction in which the swiveling arm pivots relative to the extension arm.
6. The instrument of claim 1, wherein each of the extension arm clamp, the extension arm, the swiveling arm, and the bracket are lockable and unlockable relative to the base member, the extension arm clamp, the extension arm, and the swiveling arm, respectively.
7. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the bracket comprises a base portion from which an arch portion extends, wherein the arch portion comprises a curved slot along which a locking screw of the swiveling arm is slideable.
8. The instrument of claim 1, in combination with at least one locating pin that is positionable within a femur in a predetermined relationship with a center of the knee.
9. The combination of claim 8, wherein the at least one locating pin is positionable within an anterior aspect of a distal femur, along a sagittal plane approximately perpendicular to the femoral anatomical axis, and into the center of the knee.
10. The combination of claim 8, wherein the at least one locating pin comprises a bead member for cooperative engagement with at least one of the lateral locator member, the medial locator member, and the middle locator member.
11. The combination of claim 10, wherein at least one of the lateral locator member, the medial locator member, and the middle locator member comprises a structure comprising an inner slot.
12. The combination of claim 8, wherein the at least one locating pin comprises a band for cooperative engagement with at least one of the lateral locator member, the medial locator member, and the middle locator member.
13. The combination of claim 12, wherein at least one of the lateral locator member, the medial locator member, and the middle locator member comprises an elongated member with a distal tip.
14. The combination of claim 8, further comprising an alignment guide positionable over at least a portion of the at least one locating pin.
15. The combination of claim 14, further comprising an alignment rod engageable with an aperture of the alignment guide for identifying the location and direction of the femoral mechanical axis.
16. A method of locating a femoral mechanical axis comprising:
identifying a representative sphere traced by a trace point offset by a predetermined distance from a center of a knee, wherein a center of the representative sphere is coincident with a center of a femoral head;
identifying at least three points on the representative sphere;
locating the center of a circle defined by the at least three points on the representative sphere;
identifying a line passing through the center of, and perpendicular to the plane of, the circle defined by the at least three points on the representative sphere;
positioning the femur such that a line connecting the center of the femoral head and the trace point is coincident with the line passing through the center of, and perpendicular to the plane of, the circle defined by the at least three points on the representative sphere; and
placing a plurality of locating devices on the femur to identify the location of the femoral mechanical axis in both the coronal and sagittal planes, such locating devices being positioned on the femur in such a way as to compensate for the predetermined offset of the trace point from the center of the knee so that the line connecting the center of the femoral head and the trace point has a predetermined angular offset from the femoral mechanical axis.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of locating devices comprises at least one of a pin and a marker.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least three points of the representative sphere are identified using an instrument comprising:
a base member;
an extension arm clamp translationally and pivotally attached to the base member;
an extension arm translationally and pivotally attached to the extension arm clamp;
a swiveling arm pivotally attached to a distal end of the extension arm, the swiveling arm comprising a lateral locator member at a proximal end for identifying a first of the at least three points and a medial locator member at a distal end for identifying a second of the at least three points;
a bracket pivotally attached to the swiveling arm; and
a locating arm removably attached to the bracket, the locating arm comprising a middle locator member for identifying the third of the at least three points.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of identifying at least three points on the representative sphere comprises positioning at least one locating pin within a femur so that a portion of the pin is located at the predetermined distance from the center of the knee.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the instrument further comprises an alignment guide positionable over at least a portion of the at least one locating pin.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A messaging system, comprising:
a plurality of messaging units disposed in different locations within a commercial space, each of said messaging units including:
a light-emitting diode (LED); and
a messagingmodulation controller coupled to the LED and configured to turn the LED on and off so as to broadcast a digital message as a binary-encoded digital signal corresponding to onoff states of the LED,
wherein each of said messaging units is configured to broadcast a different digital message, including substantive content that is different from what is broadcast by the other messaging units, and
wherein the digital messages for said messaging units are coordinated such that a first one of the messaging units covering a first location broadcasts a first message guiding a recipient to a second location, and when the recipient reaches the second location a second one of the messaging units covering the second location broadcasts a second message guiding the recipient to a third location.
2. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein each of said controllers is programmed to cause the digital message for its corresponding messaging unit to be repeatedly broadcast.
3. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of said messaging units also includes a wireless receiver through which it receives updates to its corresponding digital message.
4. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of said messaging units also includes a physical data port through which it receives updates to its corresponding digital message.
5. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the digital messages for a plurality of said messaging units are coordinated such that the recipient is successively guided to at least 3 different locations within the commercial space.
6. A messaging system according to claim 1, further comprising a user device that includes a sensor for receiving light emitted by the LED of a nearby one of the messaging units, and wherein said user device is configured to decode the corresponding digital message and at least one of visually show said corresponding digital message or audibly play said corresponding digital message.
7. A messaging system according to claim 6, wherein said user device further includes a light source and is also configured to broadcast a message via said light source, and wherein said nearby one of the messaging units also includes a sensor for detecting light from said light source and is also configured to decode said message.
8. A messaging system according to claim 7, wherein said user device further includes a wireless interface and is also configured to broadcast a message to said system via said wireless interface and a publicly accessible network.
9. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein said commercial space comprises exactly one retail establishment.
10. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein said commercial space comprises a plurality of independently managed retail establishments.
11. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a promotion pertaining to a first item at said second location, and the second message comprises a promotion pertaining to the second item at said third location.
12. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the digital messages for a plurality of said messaging units are coordinated so as to implement at least one of a contest or a game.
13. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein for each of said messaging units, the controller turns the LED on and off at a rate of at least 1,000 times per second for the purpose of broadcasting the digital message.
14. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein for each of said messaging units, the controller turns the LED on and off at a rate of at least 100,000 times per second for the purpose of broadcasting the digital message.
15. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein at least five of said messaging units are disposed on a ceiling of the commercial space.
16. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein adjacently located ones of said messaging units are configured so as to coordinate broadcasts of their respective digital messages.
17. A messaging system according to claim 16, wherein said coordination of the broadcasts results in time-division multiplexing of said respective digital messages.
18. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the LED emits visible light.
19. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of: (1) the first message comprises a game clue about the second location and (2) the second message comprises a game clue about the third location.
20. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the first message includes a promotion for a product located at the second location.
21. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the first location corresponds to a first shelf within the commercial space and the second location corresponds to a second shelf within the commercial space, the first shelf being different than the second shelf.
22. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the first message also guides the recipient to a particular orientation at the second location.
23. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the digital messages for said plurality of said messaging units are coordinated so as to implement a scavenger hunt game.
24. A messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second messages also encourage the recipient to at least one of look at or purchase items based on at least one of purchasing habits, in-store browsing or Web browsing.