What we claim is:
1. A filter for a respiratory circuit comprising or including:
a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port for connection to respective breathing tubes and a gases space between said inlet port and outlet port across which gases pass from said inlet port to said outlet port in use,
filter media spanning said gases space to divide said gases space into an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber such that gases passing across said gases space from said inlet port to said outlet port must pass through said filter media, and,
surrounding outer wall means surrounding said housing but for said inlet port and said outlet port and spaced from the wall of said housing to provide there between one or more air pockets between said outer wall means and said housing, which pockets together at least substantially surround said housing but for said inlet port and said outlet port to thereby insulate said housing (but for said inlet port and said outlet port) from ambient conditions.
2. A filter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said filter media comprises a substantially planar web orientated perpendicular to a direct flow path from said inlet port to said outlet port, said web is secured to and sealed with said housing around the periphery thereof and said web is of substantially greater area than the sectional area of said inlet port or said outlet port.
3. A filter as claimed in claim 2 wherein said housing includes wall portions thereof extending on an annular basis from around the periphery of said filter media to each of said inlet port and said filter media and a contracting funnel from said filter media to said outlet port.
4. A filter as claimed in claim 3 wherein said outer wall means comprises or includes first and second cover members; said first cover member having a collar fitted over said inlet port, a periphery located annularly around or in the vicinity of said periphery of said filter media, and a wall member extending on an annular basis from said collar to said periphery to enclose there within, and be spaced apart from, said expanding funnel; said second cover member having a collar fitted over said outlet port, a periphery located annularly around or in the vicinity of said periphery of said filter media, and a wall member extending on an annular basis from said collar to said periphery to enclose there within and be spaced apart from said contracting funnel, and
said first and second cover members substantially sealingly connected at their said peripheries
5. A filter as claimed in claim 4 wherein said connection at said peripheries is a snap fit connection
6. A filter as claimed in claim 5 wherein said snap connection involves said cover members overlapping the other said cover member
7. A filter as claimed in claim 5 wherein at their respective collar each said cover member has a spacing member extending towards said filter media to abut said housing to locate the respective cover members relative to said housing
8. A filter as claimed in claim 5 wherein preferably said housing comprises two plastic components, the first said plastic component incorporating said inlet port and said expanding funnel, said second plastic component incorporating said outlet port and said contracting funnel, said first and second components being connecting at their respective peripheries thereof and clamping between the peripheries thereof of the periphery of said filter media
9. A filter as claimed in claim 8 wherein the peripheries of said first and second components of said housing are adjoined and sealed permanently to one another.
10. A filter as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein one or more outlets are provided through the wall of said housing adjacent the periphery thereof to allow egress of condensed fluids in use into the air space between said housing and said outer wall means.
11. An insulating cover for a filter, said filter having an inlet port and an outlet port substantially coaxial therewith and spaced apart from said inlet port, and a filter media enclosing housing which first expands and then contracts as it extends between said inlet port and said outlet port, said insulating cover comprising or including a pair of cover members, each said cover member including a collar for fitting closely over one of said inlet port or said outlet port, a spacing member extending from said collar along the direction of their respective inlet or outlet port to space the collar away from the filter housing, and shell means extending to surround a respective portion of said housing, each shell means having a periphery substantially at the broadcast extent of said filter, the periphery of one said insulating cover, such that the pair of covers may be fitted over their respective said inlet port or outlet port and brought together such that their peripheries engage, such spacing members keep the inlet portoutlet port surrounding collars spaced from said housing of said filter and said filter housing is enclosed within the insulating cover thus assembled.
12. A method of constructing a filter for a respiratory circuit comprising or including the steps:
1) clamping a web of filter media about its periphery between the periphery of a first housing forming part and the periphery of a second housing forming part,
2) fusing said first and second housing forming parts at their peripheries,
3) fitting a first cover forming shell over said first housing forming part such that an inlet port of said first housing part passes through an aperture in said first cover forming shell,
4) fitting a first cover forming shell over said first housing forming part such that an outlet port of said first housing part passes through an aperture in said first cover forming shell,
5) engaging said first and second cover forming shells such that said cover forming shells enclose the filter formed by the first and second housings and said web of filter media.
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 coordinate determination apparatus which determines output coordinates corresponding to input coordinates, said coordinate determination apparatus comprising:
an obtain and store unit configured to serially obtain coordinate information indicating the input coordinates and a time of input of the input coordinates, and store the coordinate information onto a recording medium;
a time correlation specifying unit configured to specify, as a time correlation value, a correlation between a time of input indicated by first coordinate information and a time of input indicated by second coordinate information, the first and the second coordinate information being among pieces of coordinate information stored on the recording medium;
a coordinate correlation specifying unit configured to specify, as a coordinate correlation value, a correlation between a set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information and a set of input coordinates indicated by third coordinate information, the second and the third coordinate information being among the pieces of coordinate information;
a coordinate mode selection unit configured to select, as a coordinate mode, one of a first coordinate mode and a second coordinate mode, based on the coordinate correlation value and the time correlation value; and
a coordinate transform unit configured to transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates according to the coordinate mode selected by said coordinate mode selection unit, so as to determine the set of coordinates as the output coordinates,
wherein said coordinate transform unit is configured to (i) transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates previously associated with the set of input coordinates, when the first coordinate mode is selected, and (ii) transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates corresponding to output coordinates already determined for another set of input coordinates, when the second coordinate mode is selected.
2. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein said coordinate correlation specifying unit is configured to specify a distance between the sets of input coordinates as the coordinate correlation value and determine whether or not the specified coordinate correlation value is less than a specific threshold that is predetermined,
said time correlation specifying unit is configured to specify a difference between the times of input as the time correlation value and determine whether or not the specified time correlation value is less than a predetermined length of specific time, and
said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to select the second coordinate mode as the coordinate mode, in the case where said coordinate correlation specifying unit determines that the coordinate correlation value is less than the specific threshold and where said time correlation specifying unit determines that the time correlation value is less than the specific time.
3. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein said obtain and store unit is configured to obtain the coordinate information from a coordinate input device including an input detection unit,
the first coordinate information is coordinate information corresponding to a time at which a user releases a finger from said input detection unit, and
the second coordinate information is coordinate information corresponding to a time at which the user touches said input detection unit with a finger again after the first coordinate information is detected.
4. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the third coordinate information is coordinate information corresponding to the time at which a user touches said input detection unit with a finger,
the first coordinate information is coordinate information corresponding to a time at which the user releases the finger from said input detection unit after the third coordinate information is detected, and
the second coordinate information is coordinate information corresponding to a time at which the user touches said input detection unit with a finger again after the first coordinate information is detected.
5. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 4,
wherein said obtain and store unit is further configured to obtain, and store onto the recording medium, selection completion information including a selection completion time that is a time at which the user completes a selection operation, and
said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to obtain the selection completion information from the recording medium, and prevent selecting or changing the coordinate mode when the time of input indicated by the first coordinate information is within a predetermined length of specific permissible time from the selection completion time.
6. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising
a coordinate input device,
wherein said coordinate input device is configured to receive operations performed by the user for the coordinate input and the selection, and transmit the coordinate information and the selection completion information to said obtain and store unit,
said input detection unit is a clickable touchpad capable of detecting a press operation which is a mechanical operation, and
said input detection unit is configured to specify, as the selection completion time, a time at which the user completes an operation of returning the clickable touchpad, the operation being associated with releasing the finger pressing the clickable touchpad.
7. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 5,
wherein said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to calculate a degree of operation which indicates an operational feature of the user, based on at least one of pieces of coordinate information and selection information that have been obtained by said obtain and store unit prior to the second coordinate information, and change at least one of the specific time, the specific threshold, and the specific permissible time, based on the calculated degree of operation.
8. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 7,
wherein said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to calculate, for each piece of coordinate information among the pieces of coordinate information, a difference between a time of input indicated by the piece of coordinate information and a time of input indicated by another piece of coordinate information, and calculate, as the degree of operation, a reciprocal of an average of differences each being the calculated difference.
9. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 7,
wherein said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to change a value of at least one of the specific time, the specific threshold, and the specific permissible time to a smaller value when the calculated degree of operation is higher.
10. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein a position indicated by the third coordinate information coincides with a position indicated by the first coordinate information.
11. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the first coordinate information is included in a first coordinate series which is a series of coordinate information that is input during a time between when the user once touches said input detection unit with a finger and when the user releases the finger,
the second coordinate information is included in a second coordinate series which is a series of coordinate information that is input during a time between when the user touches said input detection unit with a finger again and when the user releases the finger, and
the third coordinate information is included in the first coordinate series.
12. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to cause a display unit to display a specific image, in the case where the predetermined length of specific time has not elapsed since the time of input indicated by the first coordinate information and where said obtain and store unit has not obtained the second coordinate information.
13. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising
an operation recognition unit configured to determine whether or not the first coordinate series indicates a gesture that instructs a display apparatus to start specific calculation processing,
wherein said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to prevent selecting the coordinate mode when said operation recognition unit determines that the first coordinate series indicates the gesture.
14. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein said obtain and store unit is configured to obtain, and store onto the recording medium, grip information that is information indicating a position at which the user grips said coordinate input device,
said coordinate determination apparatus further comprises
a grip estimation unit configured to estimate a grip state that indicates a state in which the user grips said coordinate input device, using the grip information obtained from the recording medium, and
said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to change a value of one of the specific threshold, the specific time, and the specific permissible time, according to the grip state estimated by said grip estimation unit.
15. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein said coordinate input device includes at least two input detection units each being said input detection unit, and
said obtain and store unit is configured to store, onto the recording medium, coordinate information obtained from a first input detection unit and coordinate information obtained from a second input detection unit, the first and the second input detection units being among said at least two input detection units.
16. A coordinate determination method for determining output coordinates corresponding to input coordinates, said coordinate determination method comprising:
serially obtaining coordinate information indicating the input coordinates and a time of input of the input coordinates, and storing the coordinate information onto a recording medium;
specifying, as a time correlation value, a correlation between a time of input indicated by first coordinate information and a time of input indicated by second coordinate information, the first and the second coordinate information being among pieces of coordinate information stored on the recording medium;
specifying, as a coordinate correlation value, a correlation between a set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information and a set of input coordinates indicated by third coordinate information, the second and the third coordinate information being among the pieces of coordinate information;
selecting, as a coordinate mode, one of a first coordinate mode and a second coordinate mode, based on the coordinate correlation value and the time correlation value; and
transforming the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates according to the coordinate mode selected in said selecting, so as to determine the set of coordinates as the output coordinates,
wherein said transforming includes: (i) transforming the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates previously associated with the set of input coordinates, when the first coordinate mode is selected; and (ii) transforming the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates corresponding to output coordinates already determined for another set of input coordinates, when the second coordinate mode is selected.
17. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which program is recorded, the program causing a computer to execute the coordinate determination method according to claim 16.
18. An integrated circuit which determines output coordinates corresponding to input coordinates, said integrated circuit comprising:
an obtain and store unit configured to serially obtain coordinate information indicating the input coordinates and a time of input of the input coordinates, and store the coordinate information onto a recording medium;
a time correlation specifying unit configured to specify, as a time correlation value, a correlation between a time of input indicated by first coordinate information and a time of input indicated by second coordinate information, the first and the second information being among pieces of coordinate information stored on the recording medium;
a coordinate correlation specifying unit configured to specify, as a coordinate correlation value, a correlation between a set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information and a set of input coordinates indicated by third coordinate information, the second and the third coordinate information being among the pieces of coordinate information;
a coordinate mode selection unit configured to select, as a coordinate mode, one of a first coordinate mode and a second coordinate mode, based on the coordinate correlation value and the time correlation value; and
a coordinate transform unit configured to transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates according to the coordinate mode selected by said coordinate mode selection unit, so as to determine the set of coordinates as the output coordinates,
wherein said coordinate transform unit is configured to (i) transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates previously associated with the set of input coordinates, when the first coordinate mode is selected, and (ii) transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates corresponding to output coordinates already determined for another set of input coordinates, when the second coordinate mode is selected.