Author: claimsbot

1. A compliant pressure belt comprising an endless belt comprising at least one elastomeric layer and one metal layer, wherein the outside surface of said belt has a roughness average less than 50 nanometers and a hardness between 90 Shore A and 50 Shore D, wherein said at least one elastomeric layer comprises a first elastomeric layer and a second elastomeric layer; said first elastomeric layer and said second elastomeric layer differ in hardness; and said first elastomeric layer is toward the inside of the belt in relation to the second elastomeric layer.
2. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein said at least one metal layer is on the outside of said belt.
3. The compliant pressure belt of claim 2, comprising a metal layer on the inside of said belt.
4. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein the first elastomeric layer has a greater hardness than the second elastomeric layer.
5. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein the second elastomeric layer has a greater hardness than the first elastomeric layer.
6. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1 wherein said at least one elastomeric layer comprises nanoclay particles in an amount of between 0.2 and 5 weight percentage in the layer having particles present.
7. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein said belt has a circumference between 0.75 and 10 meters and a width between 0.5 and 2 meters.
8. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein said at least one elastomeric layer is on the outside of said belt and said at least one elastomeric layer comprises between 1 and 10 percentage by weight of a polymer having a surface energy between 22 and 35 dynes per square centimeter.
9. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein said belt is provided with timing protuberances on the inside of said belt.
10. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein said metal layer is provided with a three-dimensionalpattern.
11. A compliant pressure belt comprising an endless belt comprising at least one elastomeric layer and one metal layer, wherein the outside surface of said belt has a roughness average less than 50 nanometers and a hardness between 90 Shore A and 50 Shore D, wherein said at least one elastomeric layer comprises reinforcing fibers substantially oriented in one direction.

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 flow meter comprising:
a taper-shaped tube which is made of an approximately transparent or semi-transparent material, is mounted approximately vertically, and circulates a fluid;
a float which is arranged within said taper-shaped tube so as to be displaced in a vertical direction in correspondence to a flow rate of said fluid;
a light emitting means which irradiates a light ray to said taper-shaped tube and said float, and transmits or reflects the light ray;
a first mirror to which said transmitted or reflected light ray is input and reflected;
a second mirror to which said transmitted or reflected light ray is input and reflected from said first mirror;
an image sensor to which said transmitted or reflected light ray is input from said second mirror, and which outputs a digital image of said float within said taper-shaped tube; and
a control portion which executes an input process of said digital signal, detects the position of said float within said taper-shaped tube, and outputs an electric signal showing said flow rate.
2. A flow meter as claimed in claim 1, further comprising one or more third mirrors which are interposed between said first mirror and said second mirror, and to which said transmitted or reflected light ray is sequentially input and reflected.
3. A flow meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light emitting means is constituted by a plurality of LED arranged along said taper-shaped tube, and the flow meter is provided with a polarizing prism which uniformizes said light ray irradiated from said LED, and refracts an optical path of said light ray so as to irradiate to said taper-shaped tube and said float.
4. A flow meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light emitting means is constituted by a luminous body uniformly emitting and irradiating said light ray.
5. A flow meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lens for compensating a difference in an optical path length of said transmitted or reflected light ray is provided just before said image sensor.

1. A device for positioning a cannula (10) inserted into a body by use of an ultrasonic head which may be placed on the bodily surface (22), comprising:
a light pointer (16) proximally situated on the cannula (10) which emits a light beam (18) in a distal direction in a plane encompassing a longitudinal axis of the cannula (10) and produces a light spot (24) on the bodily surface (22) in a distal direction in front of a puncture site (20) of the cannula (10) for placement of the ultrasonic head.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the light pointer (16) is a laser pointer.
3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the light pointer (16) is detachably mounted on a proximal projection (12) of the cannula (10) by use of an adapter (14).
4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the light beam (18) from the light pointer (16) extends axially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cannula (10).
5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the light spot (24) has a two-dimensional shape.
6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the light spot (24) has the shape of a cross, in particular having an arm which intersects an axis of the cannula (10) and an arm which extends perpendicular thereto.
7. A method for positioning a cannula inserted into a body by use of an ultrasonic head which may be placed on the bodily surface, comprising the steps of:
directing a light pointer mounted on the cannula to emit a light beam that extends in a distal direction and in a plane that encompasses a longitudinal axis of the cannula;
inserting the cannula into the bodily surface at an angle a such that the light beam produces a light spot on the bodily surface in a distal direction in front of a puncture site of the cannula,
placing the ultrasonic head on the bodily surface at the light spot.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the light pointer is mounted on the cannula such that the light beam from the light pointer extends axially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cannula.
9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the light pointer produces a light spot on the bodily surface which is formed in two dimensions, and upon insertion of the cannula, further comprising the step of rotating the cannula about its longitudinal axis in such that a plane defined by the light beam from the light pointer and the cannula is oriented perpendicular to the bodily surface, and the light spot is symmetrical with respect to this plane.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein light spot is formed in the shape of a cross.

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 system comprising:
a printer and a scanner connected to a communications network;
a first document printed by the printer wherein the first document comprises a source reference and a first glyph and wherein the first glyph comprises a first encrypted item;
a key module associated with the printer and storing one or more keys and wherein at least one of the one or more keys is a first glyph key
a scanner comprising a key fetch module wherein the scanner scans the document to obtain the source reference and the first encrypted item from the digital channel and wherein the key fetch module uses the source reference to obtain the first glyph key;
a decryption module associated with the scanner that can use the first glyph key to decrypt the first encrypted item to produce a first decrypted item; and
an electronic document comprising the first decrypted item and a storage device adapted to store a multitude of electronic documents.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a multi-function device and wherein the multifunction device comprises the scanner and the decryption module.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the multi-function device further comprises a credentials module containing a scanner credential wherein the key fetch module sends the scanner credential to the key module and wherein the first glyph key can be obtained only if the scanner credential is a sufficient credential.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein the communication network, the multifunction device, and the printer use Internet Protocol.
5. The system of claim 4 further comprising a second multi-function device and wherein the multifunction device comprises the key module and the printer.
6. The system of claim 3 wherein the scanner and the printer use Simple Mail Transport Protocol.
7. The system of claim 3 wherein the scanner and the printer use Hypertext Transport Protocol.
8. A system comprising:
a printer and a scanner connected to a communications network;
a first document printed by the first printer wherein the first document comprises a source reference and a first glyph and wherein the first glyph comprises a first encrypted item;
a key module associated with the first printer and storing one or more keys and wherein at least one of the one or more keys is a first glyph key
a scanner comprising a key fetch module wherein the scanner scans the document to obtain the source reference and the first encrypted item and wherein the key fetch module uses the source reference to obtain the first glyph key;
a decryption module associated with the scanner that can use the first glyph key to decrypt the first encrypted item to produce a first decrypted item; and
a second printer associated with the scanner that prints a second document comprising the first decrypted item.
9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a multi-function device and wherein the multifunction device comprises the scanner, the second printer, and the decryption module.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the multi-function device further comprises a credentials module containing a scanner credential wherein the key fetch module sends the scanner credential to the key module and wherein the first glyph key can be obtained only if the scanner credential is a sufficient credential.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein the communication network, the multi-function device, and the printer use Internet Protocol.
12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a second multi-function device and wherein the multifunction device comprises the key module and the first printer.
13. The system of claim 10 wherein the scanner and the printer use Simple Mail Transport Protocol.
14. The system of claim 10 wherein the scanner and the printer use Hypertext Transport Protocol.
15. A method comprising:
associating a first printer and a key module containing one or more keys;
printing a document comprising a source reference and a glyph wherein the glyph comprises a first encrypted item wherein the first printer prints the document, wherein the source reference refers to the first printer, and wherein one of the one or more keys is a first glyph key;
scanning the document with a scanner such that the scanner obtains the first glyph and the source reference;
using the source reference to direct a request from the scanner to the key module wherein the request is for the first glyph key;
answering the request wherein the key module sends the first glyph key to the scanner; and
using the first glyph key to decrypt the first encrypted item to produce a decrypted first item.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising storing an electronic document on a storage device wherein the electronic document comprises the decrypted first item.
17. The method of claim 15 further comprising printing a second document comprising the first decrypted item wherein a second printer associated with the scanner prints the second document.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein a first multifunction device comprises the second printer, the scanner, and the decryption module.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein a second multifunction device comprises the first printer and the key module.
20. The method of claim 19 further comprising using one or more Internet Protocol packets to send and answer the request.