1. A medical device, comprising:
at least one operable component; and
at least one limited-use portion, wherein the limited-use portion is configured to transition from a first state to a second state upon being subjected to sterilization above a sterilization threshold, wherein, in the second state, the at least one limited-use portion inhibits the operability of the at least one operable component.
2. The medical device of claim 1, wherein sterilization of the limited-use portion above the sterilization threshold renders the medical device mechanically inoperable.
3. The medical device of claim 1, wherein sterilization of the limited-use portion above the sterilization threshold renders the medical device electrically inoperable.
4. The medical device of claim 1, wherein sterilization includes use of a chemical sterilization process, and wherein the limited-use portion is sensitive to a least one chemical used in the chemical sterilization process.
5. The medical device of claim 4, wherein the chemical sterilization process includes the use of at least one chemical sterilizer selected from the group consisting of hydrogen peroxide, water, saline, alcohol, ethylene oxide, ozone, bleach, chlorine, glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, phthalaldehyde, silver, and triclosan, and wherein the limited-use portion transitions to the second state due to contact with at least one of the at least one chemical sterilizers.
6. The medical device of claim 1, wherein sterilization includes use of an autoclave, and wherein the limited-use portion transitions to the second state due to autoclaving.
7. The medical device of claim 1, wherein sterilization includes the use of at least one energy-based sterilization process, and wherein the limited-use portion transitions to the second state due to exposure to the at least one energy-based sterilization processes.
8. The medical device of claim 1, wherein sterilization includes a high temperature sterilization process having a sterilization temperature, and wherein the limited-use portion transitions to the second state at a temperature equal to or below the sterilization temperature.
9. The medical device of claim 8, wherein the limited-use portion further includes at least one temperature fuse connected to at least one electrical component thereof, the temperature fuse configured to transition to the second state at a temperature equal to or below the sterilization temperature.
10. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the medical device further comprises:
a housing;
a pair of jaws for clamping tissue;
a pivot pin rotatably connecting the jaws; and
at least one electrode connected to said jaws for applying energy to tissue, wherein at least one of the housing, the jaws, the pivot pin, or the electrode includes the limited-use portion.
11. A method, comprising:
providing a medical device including at least one operable component and at least one limited-use portion; and
subjecting the medical device to sterilization above a sterilization threshold, thereby transitioning the limited-use portion from a first state to a second state, wherein, in the second state, the at least one limited-use portion inhibits the operability of the at least one operable component.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein sterilization of the medical device above the sterilization threshold renders the medical device mechanically inoperable.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein sterilization of the medical device above the sterilization threshold renders the medical device electrically inoperable.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein sterilization includes a the chemical sterilization process, and wherein the limited-use portion transitions to the second state due to contact with at least one chemical used in the chemical sterilization process.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein sterilization includes the use of an autoclave, and wherein the limited-use portion transitions to the second state due to autoclaving.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein sterilization includes at least one energy-based sterilization process, and wherein the limited-use portion transitions to the second state due to exposure to the at least one energy-based sterilization processes.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein sterilization includes a high temperature sterilization process including a sterilization temperature, and wherein the limited-use portion transitions to the second state at a temperature equal to or below the sterilization temperature.
18. A medical device, comprising:
at least one limited-use portion, wherein the limited-use portion is rendered inoperable during or after the limited-use portion is subjected to sterilization.
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 method executable by a receiver to provide an electronic program guide on a display, the method comprising:
receiving the electronic program guide data for a plurality of programs at the receiver, wherein the electronic program guide data for at least one program comprises a first presentation screen that describes first information related to the at least one program and a second presentation screen that describes second information different from the first information that is related to the same at least one program;
storing the electronic program guide data for the plurality of programs;
in response to a user input that selects one of the plurality of programs, retrieving the electronic program guide data for the selected program and rendering the first presentation screen to thereby output the first information about the selected program to the display; and
after the first presentation screen has been rendered, subsequently rendering the second presentation screen to thereby output the second information about the selected program to the display.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the subsequent rendering of the second presentation screen is performed in response to a second user input.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the subsequent rendering of the second presentation screen is performed in after the first information has been rendered for a predetermined period of time.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second presentation screen comprises a network address identifying a service on a network.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising contacting the service available at the network address to thereby obtain current second information.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein the network address is a uniform resource locator.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic program guide data is received from a broadcast source.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the electronic program guide data is received from one of a direct broadcast satellite system, a cable system, and a terrestrial television broadcast.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the rendering comprises rendering a media clip contained within at least one of the first and second presentation screens.
10. A method executable by a television receiver to provide a dynamic electronic program guide data on a display, the method comprising:
receiving electronic program guide data for a plurality of programs at the television receiver, wherein the electronic program guide data for at least one program comprises a first presentation screen that describes first information related to the at least one program and a second presentation screen that describes second information related to the same at least one program that is different from the first information;
storing the electronic program guide data for the plurality of programs at the television receiver;
in response to a user input that selects one of the plurality of programs, retrieving the electronic program guide data for the selected program and rendering the first presentation screen to thereby output the first information about the selected program to the display; and
after rendering the first presentation screen, subsequently rendering the second presentation screen to thereby dynamically change the output to the display from the first information to the second information about the selected program.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the subsequent rendering of the second presentation screen occurs automatically after the first presentation screen has been rendered for a predetermined period of time.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein the electronic program the subsequent rendering of the second presentation screen comprises obtaining at least some of the second information from a network service in response to an address that is received in the electronic program guide data.
13. A receiver to provide television programs for presentation on a display, the receiver comprising:
a program interface configured to receive broadcast signals from a content aggregator, wherein the broadcast signals comprise signals representing television programs and electronic program guide data, and wherein the electronic program guide data comprises, for each of at least some of the programs, a first presentation screen providing first information about the program and a second presentation screen providing second information about the program that is different from the first program;
a storage device;
a decoder configured to receive and decode the signals representing one of the television programs;
a display interface configured to provide a display output to the display; and
control logic configured to direct the storage of the electronic program guide data in the storage device and, in response to a user input, to retrieve the electronic program guide data corresponding to one of the programs, to render the first information for presentation on the display via the display interface, and to subsequently render the second information for presentation on the display via the display interface.
14. The receiver of claim 13 further comprising a network interface to a network, and wherein the control logic is configured to obtain at least some of the second information from a network service via the network interface.
15. The receiver of claim 14 wherein the second presentation screen comprises an address of the network service, wherein the control logic is further configured to obtain the at least some of the second information from the network service using the address
16. The receiver of claim 15 wherein the second presentation screen comprises a display template, and wherein the control logic is configured to render the second information in accordance with the template.
17. The receiver of claim 14 wherein the broadcast signals are received via a broadcast link that is separate from the network.
18. The receiver of claim 17 wherein the broadcast link is one of a direct broadcast satellite link, a cable broadcast link, and a terrestrial television broadcast link.
19. The receiver of claim 17 wherein the control logic is configured to automatically render the second information for presentation on the display after the first information has been displayed for a predetermined period of time.
20. The receiver of claim 17 wherein the control logic is configured to render the second information for presentation on the display in response to a user input received from the viewer.