Author: claimsbot

1. A method for operating a medical device to perform an operation in a body, comprising:
inserting a medical device into a body, the medical device comprising:
a sheath including a lumen, a distal end, and a proximal end;
an end effector unit and an elongate member connected to the end effector unit and extending proximally from the end effector unit within the lumen of the sheath, the end effector unit and sheath movable relative to each other such that in a first state the lumen houses the end effector unit and in a second state the end effector unit extends from the distal end of the sheath;
a handle including a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end of the handle being connected to the proximal end of the sheath, the handle including an actuator; and
a ring disposed along an exterior surface of the handle, wherein the ring is located along the handle closer to the distal end of the handle than the proximal end of the handle;

grasping the handle with a hand of an operator in a position to activate the actuator such that a first finger of the operator’s hand is positioned within the ring;
grasping the sheath with the first finger and another finger of the hand grasping the handle;
advancing the sheath with the first finger and the another finger of the hand grasping the handle to position the end effector unit near a treatment site; and
actuating the actuator of the handle with the same hand used to advance the sheath,
wherein, during the step of actuating the actuator, the ring is stationary relative to a longitudinal axis of the handle, and
wherein, during the step of actuating the actuator, a longitudinal piece disposed internally within the handle slides relative to a proximal opening in the handle.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the end effector unit is a basket having a plurality of legs and the basket is collapsed when the end effector unit is in the first state and the basket is expanded when the end effector unit is in the second state.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein grasping the handle includes positioning a second finger of the hand for actuation of the actuator.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the actuator is an actuating lever that includes a first portion connected to the handle and a second portion formed at an angle to the first portion and wherein actuating the actuating lever comprises locating a first plurality of fingers of the operator at a location positioned to actuate the lever while grasping a distal end of the sheath with a second plurality of fingers from the same hand as the first plurality of fingers.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein grasping the handle with a hand of an operator comprises grasping the handle such that a thumb of the operator is the closest finger of that hand to the proximal end of the sheath.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the ring is rigid and immovably fixed to the handle.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the ring projects in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the handle.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the handle includes only one ring.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the ring is not located on the actuator.
10. A method for operating a medical device to perform an operation in a body, comprising:
inserting a medical device into a body, the medical device comprising:
a sheath including a lumen, a distal end, and a proximal end;
an end effector unit and an elongate member connected to the end effector unit and extending proximally from the end effector unit within the lumen of the sheath, the end effector unit and sheath movable relative to each other such that in a first state the lumen houses the end effector unit and in a second state the end effector unit extends from the distal end of the sheath;
a handle including a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end of the handle being connected to the proximal end of the sheath, the handle including an actuator; and
a ring disposed along an exterior surface of the handle, wherein the ring is located along the handle closer to the distal end of the handle than the proximal end of the handle;

grasping the handle with a hand of an operator in a position to activate the actuator such that a first finger of the operator’s hand is positioned within the ring;
grasping the sheath with the first finger and another finger of the hand grasping the handle;
advancing the sheath with the first finger and the another finger of the hand grasping the handle to position the end effector unit near a treatment site; and
actuating the actuator of the handle with the same hand used to advance the sheath,
wherein, during the step of actuating the actuator, the ring is stationary relative to a longitudinal axis of the handle, and wherein the ring is disposed on an exterior surface of the handle about 90\xb0 relative to the actuator, the about 90\xb0 being measured on a plane orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the handle.
11. A medical device, comprising:
a sheath including a lumen, a distal end, and a proximal end;
an end effector unit and an elongate member connected to the end effector unit and extending proximally from the end effector unit within the lumen of the sheath, the end effector unit and sheath movable relative to each other such that in a first state the lumen houses the end effector unit and in a second state the end effector unit extends from the distal end of the sheath;
a handle connected to the proximal end of the sheath and a proximal end of the elongate member, the handle comprising an actuator including a first portion disposed proximate a distal end of the handle and a second portion formed at an angle to the first portion, the second portion extending into the handle through an opening in the handle:
wherein the handle is configured to allow a single hand of an operator to attain a single position to actuate the end effector unit via the actuator and grasp and manipulate the distal end of the sheath; and
a ring disposed on an exterior surface of the handle, the ring configured to accommodate a first finger of the single hand,
wherein the ring is located along the handle closer to the distal end of the handle than a proximal end of the handle, wherein the handle includes only one ring,
wherein the ring and the first portion of the actuator are located at the same axial position along the handle, and
wherein the ring is stationary relative to a longitudinal axis of the handle as the actuator is actuated,
wherein the actuator is operatively connected to a longitudinal piece disposed internally within the handle, the longitudinal piece being slidable relative to a proximal opening in the handle when the actuator is actuated, and
wherein the ring is disposed along an exterior surface of the handle about 90\xb0 relative to the actuator, the about 90\xb0 being measured on a plane orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the handle.
12. The medical device of claim 11, wherein the actuator is an actuator lever.
13. The medical device of claim 11, wherein the ring is positioned to permit a second finger of the single hand to actuate the actuator when the first finger is within the ring.
14. The medical device of claim 13, wherein the ring is positioned to permit at least a third finger of the single handle to grasp and manipulate the sheath when the first finger is within the ring and the second finger is positioned to actuate the actuator.
15. The medical device of claim 11, wherein the ring is immovably fixed to the handle.
16. The medical device of claim 11, wherein the ring projects in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the handle.
17. The medical device of claim 11, wherein the ring is not located on the actuator.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display, comprising the steps of:
determining at least one topic;
retrieving at least one content associated with the topic; and
mapping the content representative of the topic on the display as a multi-dimensional topic space.
2. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 1, wherein a user action results in a dynamic mapping of a view of the content.
3. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 2, wherein a topic influences the display of the information.
4. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 1, wherein content influences the view to expose additional detail pertaining to the display of information.
5. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 1, wherein a field of relevance includes detecting a change of the field of relevance to provide display of information pertaining to the field of relevance based on the change.
6. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 1, wherein mapping the content representative of the topic in the field of relevance, includes the steps of:
determining relative salience of the content;
calculating a spatial location for the content based upon the relative salience of the content; and
displaying the content at the spatial location of the content.
7. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 1, wherein the user indicia is supplied by positioning a cursor.
8. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 1, including the steps of:
assigning a vector to one or more of the topics;
determining a focal point based on one or more of the topics; and
displaying content pertaining to the topics based upon the vectors as the vectors correlate with the focal point.
9. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 1, including the step of utilizing a user position to map the content representative of the topic in the field of relevance on the display.
10. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 1, including the step of mapping the content representative of the topic in the field of relevance in a multi-dimensional manner and navigating to a topic in the field of relevance in a multi-dimensional manner.
11. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 1, including the step of mapping the content representative of the topic in the field of relevance on a plurality of projection surfaces on the display.
12. A method for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 11, including the step of mapping the content representative of the topic in the field of relevance on a plurality of projection surfaces of a polyhedron on a display.
13. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display, comprising:
code that determines at least one topic;
code that retrieves content representative of the topic;
code that maps the content representative of the topic on the display.
14. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 13, wherein at least one topic results in a dynamic mapping of a view of the content.
15. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 14, wherein a topic influences display of the information.
16. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 13, wherein content influences a view exposing additional detail pertaining to the content on the display.
17. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 13, wherein a field of relevance includes detecting a change of the field of relevance and displaying information pertaining to the field of relevance based on the change.
18. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 13, wherein mapping the content representative of the topic in the field of relevance on the display in a manner centering attention on the content, includes:
code that determines relative salience of the content;
code that calculates a spatial location for the content based upon the relative salience of the content; and
code that displays the content at the spatial location of the content.
19. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 13, wherein the user indicia is supplied by positioning a cursor and selecting the area on the display.
20. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 13, including:
code that assigns a vector to one or more of the topics;
code that selects a focal vector based on one or more of the topics;
code that displays content pertaining to the topics based upon the vectors as the vectors correlate with the focal vector.
21. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 13, including code that utilizes a position to map the content representative of the topic in the field of relevance on the display and code that displays a field of 5 relevance on the display.
22. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 13, including code that maps the content representative of the topic in the field of relevance in a multi-dimensional manner and displays the topic in the field of relevance in a multi-dimensional manner.
23. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 13, including code that maps the content representative of the topic in the field of relevance on a plurality of projection surfaces on the display, displays the topic in the field of relevance on a plurality of projection surfaces and presents the information in the field of relevance utilizing multimedia presentation techniques.
24. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display as recited in claim 13, including code that maps the content representative of the topic in the field of relevance on a plurality of projection surfaces of a polyhedron on the display and code that traverses the polyhedron to display the topic in the field of relevance.
25. An apparatus for displaying information in a multi-dimensional topic space on a display, comprising:
a processor with an attached memory;
a display coupled to the processor that displays information;
logic that determines at least one topic in the relevant field;
logic that retrieves content representative of the topic;
logic that maps the content representative of the topic in the field of relevance on the display to form a multi-dimensional topic space.

1. A quick connector comprising:
a connector body into which a piped body having an annular boss can be inserted; and
a retainer provided movably relative to the connector body from an initial position to a confirmation position by a push-in operation in a direction crossing an axial direction of the connector body, and the retainer locking in the axial direction to the annular boss at the confirmation position,
the retainer including:
a base;
paired locking legs provided at both ends of the base,

allowing passing of the annular boss at the initial position, and locking in the axial direction to the annular boss at the confirmation position; and
paired detecting legs provided at both ends of the base and on an inner side in the axial direction from the paired locking legs, bending to the inner side in the axial direction by contact with the annular boss at the initial position, and allowing the retainer to move to the confirmation position in a state where the paired detecting legs bend,

each of the paired detecting legs including:
a detection portion provided on the end side of the detecting leg to protrude inward in a diametric direction, and contacting with the annular boss at the initial position; and
a push-in inhibition portion provided to the detecting leg on the side of the base from the detection portion, locked in a push-in direction to the connector body in a state where the detecting leg does not bend to the inner side in the axial direction at the initial position, and put in such a state as being not locked in the push-in direction to the connector body in a state where the detecting leg bends to the inner side in the axial direction.
2. The quick connector as set forth in claim 1, wherein
the bending of the detecting leg to the inner side in the axial direction is canceled at the confirmation position,
the detection portion is locked in the pull-out direction to the connector body at the confirmation position, and
the push-in inhibition portion is put in such a state as being not locked in the pull-out direction to the connector body at the confirmation position.
3. The quick connector as set forth in claim 1, wherein
the connector body includes a push-in locked portion locked to the push-in inhibition portion at the initial position, and
at least one of the push-in inhibition portion and the push-in locked portion has a push-in inhibition inclined face inhibiting the moving of the retainer in the push-in direction in such a manner that the push-in inhibition portion and the push-in locked portion are pressed onto each other and the detecting leg then bends to the insertion side in the axial direction, when the push-in operation of the retainer is carried out in a state where the detect leg does not bend to the inner side in the axial direction.
4. The quick connector as set forth in claim 3, wherein
at least one of the push-in inhibition portion and the push-in locked portion has a return inclined face guiding the push-in inhibition portion so as to cancel the bending of the detecting leg to the inner side in the axial direction, when the detecting leg comes into contact with the annular boss at the initial position to bend to the inner side in the axial direction and the contacting of the detecting leg onto the annular boss is then canceled.
5. The quick connector as set forth in claim 4, wherein
the push-in inhibition inclined face is formed in the push-in locked portion,
a normal vector of the push-in inhibition inclined face has a component on the insertion side in the axial direction and a component in the pull-out direction,
the return inclined face is formed on the inner side in the axial direction from the push-in inhibition inclined face, in some of the push-in locked portion, and
a normal vector of the return inclined face has a component on the inner side in the axial direction and a component in the pull-out direction.
6. The quick connector as set forth in claim 1, wherein
the push-in inhibition portion is provided to protrude outward in the diametric direction of the detecting leg.

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 device for protecting solar array panels and control equipment supplying a main power bus against arcing events, said control equipment comprising a regulator for controlling a solar array voltage (Vs) including a power dump stage for shunting said solar array voltage as a function of a control signal (DoD), said device comprising:
a voltage drop detection circuit for detecting a voltage drop in the solar array voltage provided by said solar array panels, said voltage drop detection circuit generating a voltage drop detection signal (VD), and
an arc-quenching circuit comprising means for generating an output signal (Vo) which is applied as said control signal (DoD) to the power dump stage so as to shunt said solar array voltage (Vs) when a voltage drop is detected by said voltage drop detection circuit.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said arc-quenching circuit further comprises means for shaping said output signal (Vo) so as to provide a short initial delay without any action subsequent to a voltage drop detection provided by said voltage drop detection signal (VD), and after said initial delay an arc-quenching pulse which triggers said power dump stage so as to shunt said solar array voltage (Vs).
3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said arc-quenching circuit further comprises a first monostable controlling said initial delay and a second monostable controlling a width of said arc-quenching pulse.
4. The device according to claim 2, wherein said initial delay is set to about 19 ms and said arc-quenching pulse has a width set to about 1.7 s.
5. The device according to claim 2, wherein said arc-quenching circuit further comprises means for starting a new quenching cycle including said initial delay followed by said arc-quenching pulse as long as the voltage drop detection circuit detects a voltage drop in said solar array voltage (Vs)
6. The device according to claim 1, wherein said voltage drop detection circuit comprises means for comparing said solar array voltage (Vs) to a main bus voltage (VB)
7. The device according to claim 1, wherein said arc-quenching circuit further comprises means for combining said control signal (DoD) and said output signal (Vo) before being applied to the power dump stage.