Author: claimsbot

1. A kit for creating a modified handgun from a first handgun having a first frame and a first slide and barrel assembly comprising a first slide and first barrel, a first recoil spring and a first recoil spring guide, and a second handgun having a second frame and a second slide and barrel assembly comprising a second slide and second barrel, a second recoil spring, and a second recoil spring guide, wherein said first slide and barrel assembly is modified and connected to said second frame in replacement of said second slide and barrel assembly, said kit comprising:
a dust cover insert connectable to said first slide;
a replacement recoil spring guide configured to be connected to said first slide in replacement of said first recoil spring guide; and
a replacement recoil spring configured to be mounted on said replacement recoil spring guide in replacement of said first recoil spring,
whereby said kit is configured to create a modified first slide and barrel assembly which is connectable to said second frame in replacement of said second slide and barrel assembly.
2. The kit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first slide has mounting rails and said dust cover insert is generally \u201cU\u201d shaped and has first and second mounts which engage said mounting rails.
3. The kit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said replacement recoil spring is longer than said second recoil spring and shorter than said first recoil spring.
4. The kit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said replacement recoil spring guide is longer than said second recoil spring guide and shorter than said second recoil spring guide.
5. The kit in accordance with claim 4 wherein said replacement recoil spring guide comprises a rod having a head located at a first end and a second tapered end.
6. The kit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first recoil spring has a first length and said second recoil spring has a second length different than said first length.
7. the kit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first recoil spring guide has a first length and said second recoil spring guide has a second length different than said first length.
8. The kit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first slide and barrel assembly has a first length and said second slide and barrel assembly has a second length.
9. The kit in accordance with claim 8 wherein said dust cover insert has a length equal to the difference between said first length and said second length.
10. The kit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first handgun comprises a Smith & Wesson Military and Police model 9 mm standard and said second handgun comprises a Smith & Wesson Military and Police model 9 mm compact.

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 non-compartmental method of predicting a time-dependent response of a component of a system to an input into the system, the method comprising:
identifying the system, the component, the input, and the time-dependent response; wherein, the input includes a set of actual inputs and a test input, and the time-dependent response includes a set of time-dependent actual responses and a test response;
obtaining the set of time-dependent actual responses of the component to the set of actual inputs;
using the set of actual inputs and the set of time-dependent actual responses to provide a model for predicting the test response to the test input, the model comprising the formula
C
\u2061

(
t
)
=
M
0
0

+
M
0
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
+

\u2003
M
1
0

+
M
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062

{
1
–

\u2147
–
N
1
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
1
+
(
\u2147
K

–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–
N
1
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
}
+
\u2026
+
M
n
0

+
M
n
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062

{
1
–

\u2147
–
N
n
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
1
+
(
\u2147
K

–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–
N
n
0

+
N
n
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
}
(
9
)
wherein,
M00, . . . , M0n and M10, . . . , M1n are overall scaling parameters;
N01, . . . , N0n and N11, . . . , N1n are exponential scaling parameters;
n ranges from 1 to 4;
K is an overall shifting parameter; and,
C(t) is the time-dependent response to the test input at time t;
and,
kernel
\u2261
1
–

\u2147
–

\u03b1
p
\u2062

C
0
1
+
(
\u2147

K
p
–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–

\u03b1
p
\u2062

C
0
;
wherein, C0 is the initial amount of the test input; Kp is a shifting parameter related to C0; and, \u03b1p is shifting and scaling parameter related to C0;

and,
using the model to obtain the time-dependent test response to the test input.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is an environmental system and the component is selected from the group consisting of air, water, and soil.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is a mammal, and the component is selected from the group consisting of a cell, a tissue, an organ, a DNA, a virus, a protein, an antibody, a bacteria.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is a chemical system.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is a mechanical system.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is an electrical system.
7. A non-compartmental method of predicting a time-dependent response of a component of a mammalian system to an input into the system, the method comprising:
selecting a component of the system, the component selected from the group consisting of a cell, a tissue, an organ, a DNA, a virus, a protein, an antibody, a bacteria;
selecting a set of actual inputs, the set of actual inputs having an element selected from the group consisting of a DNA, a virus, a protein, an antibody, a bacteria, a chemical, a dietary supplement, a nutrient, and a drug;
obtaining a set of time-dependent actual responses of the component to the set of actual inputs;
using the set of actual inputs and the set of time-dependent actual responses to provide a model for predicting a test response to a test input, the model comprising the formula
C
\u2061

(
t
)
=
M
0
0

+
M
0
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
+

\u2003
M
1
0

+
M
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062

{
1
–

\u2147
–
N
1
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
1
+
(
\u2147
K

–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–
N
1
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
}
+
\u2026
+
M
n
0

+
M
n
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062

{
1
–

\u2147
–
N
n
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
1
+
(
\u2147
K

–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–
N
n
0

+
N
n
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
}
(
9
)
wherein,
M00, . . . , M0n and M10, . . . , M1n are overall scaling parameters;
N01, . . . , N0n and N11, . . . , N1n are exponential scaling parameters;
n ranges from 1 to 4;
K is an overall shifting parameter; and,
C(t) is the time-dependent response to the test input at time t;
and,
kernel
\u2261
1
–

\u2147
–

\u03b1
p
\u2062

C
0
1
+
(
\u2147

K
p
–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–

\u03b1
p
\u2062

C
0
;
wherein, C0 is the initial amount of the test input; Kp is a shifting parameter related to C0; and, \u03b1p is shifting and scaling parameter related to C0;

and,
using the model to obtain the time-dependent test response to the test input.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the component is blood.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the component is a tumor cell.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the component is a virus.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein the component is a bacteria.
12. The method of claim 7, wherein the test response is a bacterial load.
13. The method of claim 7, wherein the test response is a viral load.
14. The method of claim 7, wherein the test response is a tumor marker.
15. The method of claim 7, wherein the test response is a blood chemistry.
16. The method of claim 7, wherein the set of actual inputs includes a set of dosages of a drug.
17. The method of claim 7, wherein the set of actual inputs includes a set of drugs.
18. The method of claim 7, wherein the input is a diabetes drug, and the time-dependent response is glucose in the bloodstream.
19. A device for predicting a time-dependent response of a component of a physical system to an input into the system, the device comprising:
a processor;
a database for storing a set of actual input data, a set of time-dependent actual response data, test input data, and time-dependent test response data on a non-transitory computer readable medium;
an enumeration engine on a non-transitory computer readable medium to parameterize a non-compartmental model for predicting a test response to a test input, the non-compartmental model comprising the formula
C
\u2061

(
t
)
=
M
0
0

+
M
0
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
+

\u2003
M
1
0

+
M
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062

{
1
–

\u2147
–
N
1
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
1
+
(
\u2147
K

–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–
N
1
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
}
+
\u2026
+
M
n
0

+
M
n
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062

{
1
–

\u2147
–
N
n
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
1
+
(
\u2147
K

–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–
N
n
0

+
N
n
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
}
(
9
)
wherein,
M00, . . . , M0n and M10, . . . , M1n are overall scaling parameters;
N01, . . . , N0n and N11, . . . , N1n are exponential scaling parameters;
n ranges from 1 to 4;
K is an overall shifting parameter; and,
C(t) is the time-dependent response to the test input at time t;
and,
kernel
\u2261
1
–

\u2147
–

\u03b1
p
\u2062

C
0
1
+
(
\u2147

K
p
–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–

\u03b1
p
\u2062

C
0
;
wherein, C0 is the initial amount of the test input; Kp is a shifting parameter related to C0; and, \u03b1p is shifting and scaling parameter related to C0;

and,
a transformation module on a non-transitory computer readable medium to transform the test data into the time-dependent response data using the non-compartmental model.
20. The device of claim 19, wherein the system is an environmental system and the component is selected from the group consisting of air, water, and soil.
21. A device for predicting a time-dependent response of a component of a mammalian system to an input into the system, the device comprising:
a processor;
a database for storing a set of actual input data, a set of time-dependent actual response data, test input data, and time-dependent test response data on a non-transitory computer readable medium;
an enumeration engine on a non-transitory computer readable medium to parameterize a non-compartmental model for predicting a test response to a test input, the non-compartmental model comprising the formula
C
\u2061

(
t
)
=
M
0
0

+
M
0
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
+

\u2003
M
1
0

+
M
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062

{
1
–

\u2147
–
N
1
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
1
+
(
\u2147
K

–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–
N
1
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
}
+
\u2026
+
M
n
0

+
M
n
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062

{
1
–

\u2147
–
N
n
0

+
N
1
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
1
+
(
\u2147
K

–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–
N
n
0

+
N
n
1

\u2061

(
kernel
)
\u2062
t
}
(
9
)
wherein,
M00, . . . , M0n and M10, . . . , M1n are overall scaling parameters;
N01, . . . , N0n and N11, . . . , N1n are exponential scaling parameters;
n ranges from 1 to 4;
K is an overall shifting parameter; and,
C(t) is the time-dependent response to the test input at time t;
and,
kernel
\u2261
1
–

\u2147
–

\u03b1
p
\u2062

C
0
1
+
(
\u2147

K
p
–
2

)

\u2062

\u2147
–

\u03b1
p
\u2062

C
0
;
wherein, C0 is the initial amount of the test input; Kp is a shifting parameter related to C0; and, \u03b1p is shifting and scaling parameter related to C0;

and,
a transformation module on a non-transitory computer readable medium to transform the test data into the time-dependent response data using the non-compartmental model.
22. The device of claim 21, wherein the component is blood.
23. The device of claim 21, wherein the component is a tumor cell.
24. The device of claim 21, wherein the component is a virus.
25. The device of claim 21, wherein the component is a bacteria.
26. The device of claim 21, wherein the time-dependent response is a bacterial load.
27. The device of claim 21, wherein the time-dependent response is a viral load.
28. The device of claim 21, wherein the time-dependent response is a tumor marker.
29. The device of claim 21, wherein the time-dependent response is a blood chemistry.
30. The device of claim 21, wherein the device is a handheld device.

1. An electrical component mounting block which can be inserted into an accommodation space defined to penetrate an accommodation box body up and down, the electrical component mounting block comprising:
a block body;
a plurality of first locking parts provided on an outer wall of the block body, the outer wall opposing an inner wall of the accommodation box body defining the accommodation space, the first locking parts being engageable with a plurality of first accommodation box side locking parts formed on the inner wall of the accommodation box body by inserting the block body into the accommodation space of the accommodation box body from upside of the accommodation space; and
a plurality of second locking parts provided on the outer wall of the block body, the second locking parts being engageable with a plurality of second accommodation box side locking parts formed on the inner wall of the accommodation box body by inserting the electrical component mounting block into the accommodation space of the accommodation box body from underside of the accommodation space, wherein
the electrical component mounting block is fixed in the accommodation space by inserting the electrical component mounting block into the accommodation space from either the upside or underside of the accommodation space.
2. The electrical component mounting block as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the first locking parts include a plurality of flexible locking arms each having a slanted surface formed to extend obliquely to an inserting direction of the electrical component mounting block.
3. The electrical component mounting block as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the second locking parts include a plurality of locking projections being engageable with the second accommodation box side locking parts.
4. An electrical junction box comprising:
an accommodation box having an accommodation box body provided with an accommodation space penetrating through the accommodation box body up and down;
an electrical component mounting block having a block body, the electrical component mounting block inserted into the accommodation space from either upside or underside of the accommodation space and fixed in the accommodation space;
a first locking mechanism arranged between an inner wall of the accommodation box body and an outer wall of the block body to lock up the electrical component mounting block, which has been inserted into the accommodation space from the upside of the accommodation space, in the accommodation box; and
a second locking mechanism arranged between the inner wall of the accommodation box body and the outer wall of the block body to lock up the electrical component mounting block, which has been inserted into the accommodation space from the underside of the accommodation space, in the accommodation box,
wherein, when the electrical component mounting block is accommodated in the accommodation space, the first locking mechanism prevents an upward movement of the electrical component mounting block against the accommodation space, and the second locking mechanism prevents a downward movement of the electrical component mounting block against the accommodation space.
5. The electrical junction box as claimed in claim 4, wherein
the first locking mechanism comprises a pair of first locking parts on the accommodation box’s side and the electrical component mounting block’s side,
the first locking parts on the accommodation box’s side has a locking projection formed on the inner wall of the accommodation box body, and
the first locking parts on the electrical component mounting block’s side has a flexible locking arm formed on the outer wall of the block body to engage with the locking projection.
6. The electrical junction box as claimed in claim 5, wherein
the locking projection has a slanted surface formed to extend obliquely to an inserting direction of the electrical component mounting block, and
the flexible locking arm has another slanted surface formed to extend obliquely to the inserting direction of the electrical component mounting block.
7. The electrical junction box as claimed in claim 4, wherein
the second locking mechanism comprises a pair of second locking parts on the accommodation box’s side and the electrical component mounting block’s side,
the second locking parts on the accommodation box’s side has a locking projection formed on the inner wall of the accommodation box body, and
the second locking parts on the electrical component mounting block’s side has another locking projection formed on the outer wall of the block body to engage with the locking projection of the accommodation box body.
8. The electrical junction box as claimed in claim 5, wherein
the locking projection of the accommodation box body has a slanted surface formed to extend obliquely to an inserting direction of the electrical component mounting block, and
a wall of the accommodation box body having the locking projection is made from material capable of elastic deformation caused by the insertion of the electrical component mounting block.
9. The electrical junction box as claimed in claim 4, wherein
the first locking mechanism comprises a pair of first locking parts on the accommodation box’s side and the electrical component mounting block’s side,
a first engagement of the pair of first locking pats prevents an upward movement of the electrical component mounting block against the accommodation space, the first engagement being preformed by allowing one of the first locking parts to climb over the other one of the first locking parts with an elastic deformation of the other one of the first locking parts or with an elastic deformation of a wall of the accommodation box body or the electrical component mounting block having the other one of the first locking parts when the electrical component mounting block is being inserted into the accommodation space from upside of the accommodation space,
the second locking mechanism comprises a pair of second locking parts on the accommodation box’s side and the electrical component mounting block’s side,
a second engagement of the pair of second locking parts prevents an downward movement of the electrical component mounting block against the accommodation space, the second engagement being preformed by allowing one of the second locking parts to climb over the other one of the second locking parts with an elastic deformation of the other one of the second locking parts or with an elastic deformation of a wall of the accommodation box body or the electrical component mounting block having the other one of the second locking parts when the electrical component mounting block is being inserted into the accommodation space from underside of the accommodation space.

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. An ultrasound device, comprising:
a substrate; and
an ultrasound transducer element mounted on the substrate, the ultrasound transducer element having first and second portions separated by an acoustical discontinuity.
2. An ultrasound device as defined in claim 1, wherein the ultrasound transducer element is formed from piezoelectric material and the acoustical discontinuity comprises a notch.
3. An ultrasound device as defined in claim 2, wherein the notch is filled with a low acoustic impedance material.
4. An ultrasound device as defined in claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a flexible substrate.
5. An ultrasound device as defined in claim 1, wherein the transducer element is piezoelectrically poled in one direction along the entire length of the transducer element.
6. An ultrasound device as defined in claim 5, wherein the transducer element is sized so that it is resonant in a thickness extensional mode and a length extensional mode.
7. An ultrasound device as defined in claim 6, wherein the thickness extensional mode is resonant at a frequency whose half wavelength in the transducer element is equal to the thickness of the transducer element.
8. An ultrasound device as defined in claim 6, wherein the length extensional mode is resonant at a frequency whose half wavelength in the transducer element is substantially equal to the distance of length of the first portion of the transducer element.
9. An ultrasonic imaging system, comprising:
a catheter having a distal end portion and a longitudinally extending axis;
a plurality of transducer elements arranged about the distal end portion of the catheter for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic energy; and
an ultrasound processing system for exciting the transducer elements and processing signals produced by the elements to selectively form images in a B-mode lateral plane which is perpendicular to the axis of the catheter and passes through the transducer elements, a B-mode forward plane which extends in a forward direction from the transducer at an arbitrary angle with respect to the axis of the catheter, and a C-mode plane which is perpendicular to the axis of the catheter and spaced in front of the transducer.
10. The ultrasonic imaging system of claim 9, wherein the transducer elements are arranged in a circular array.
11. The ultrasonic imaging system of claim 9, wherein the transducer elements are resonant in a thickness extensional mode for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic energy in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the catheter and in a length extensional mode for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic energy along the axis.
12. The ultrasonic imaging system of claim 11, wherein the ultrasound processing system includes a pulser for selectively exciting the elements at a first resonant frequency for the thickness extensional mode and at a second resonant frequency for the length extensional mode.
13. The ultrasonic imaging system of claim 12, wherein the resonant frequency for the thickness extensional mode is at least 1.5-2 times the resonant frequency for the length extensional mode.
14. A method for ultrasonic imaging utilizing a plurality of transducer elements arranged about the distal end portion of a catheter for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic energy, comprising the steps of:
exciting the transducer elements; and
processing signals produced by the elements to selectively form images in a B-mode lateral plane which is perpendicular to the axis of the catheter and passes through the transducer elements, a B-mode forward plane which extends in a forward direction from the transducer at an arbitrary angle with respect to the axis of the catheter, and a C-mode plane which is perpendicular to the axis of the catheter and spaced in front of the transducer.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the transducer elements are operated in a thickness extensional mode for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic energy in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the catheter and in a length extensional mode for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic energy along the axis.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the transducer elements are excited at a first resonant frequency for the thickness extensional mode and at a second resonant frequency for the length extensional mode.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the resonant frequency for the thickness extensional mode is at least 1.5-2 times the resonant frequency for the length extensional mode.
18. An ultrasonic imaging device, comprising:
a plurality of transducer elements arranged in a circular array about an axis, each of the elements comprising a body of piezoelectric material having a thickness dimension perpendicular to the axis and a length dimension parallel to the axis; and
means for selectively exciting the transducer elements at a first resonant frequency having a half wavelength equal to the thickness dimension and at a second resonant frequency having a half wavelength equal to the length dimension.
19. The ultrasonic imaging device of claim 18, wherein the length dimension is on the order of twice the thickness dimension and the first resonant frequency is on the order of twice the second resonant frequency.
20. The ultrasonic imaging device of claim 18, wherein the body of each transducer element has a transversely extending notch toward one end thereof, with a wall of the notch being perpendicular to the axis, and the length dimension of the body being the distance between the one end and the wall.
21. The ultrasonic device of claim 20, wherein the notch has a generally triangular profile in cross-section.
22. A method of ultrasonic imaging, comprising the steps of:
arranging a plurality of transducer elements in a circular array about an axis, with each of the elements having a body of piezoelectric material with a thickness dimension perpendicular to the axis and a length dimension parallel to the axis, and
selectively exciting the transducer elements at a first resonant frequency having a half wavelength equal to the thickness dimension and at a second resonant frequency having a half wavelength equal to the length dimension.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the length dimension is selected to be on the order twice the thickness dimension and the first resonant frequency is on the order of twice the second resonant frequency.
24. The method of claim 22, including the further step of:
forming a transversely extending notch toward one end of the body of each transducer element, with a wall of the notch being perpendicular to the axis, and the length dimension of the body being the distance between the one end and the wall.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the notch is formed to have a generally triangular profile in cross-section.
26. An ultrasonic imaging device, comprising:
a cylindrical substrate, and
a plurality of longitudinally extending transducer elements of piezoelectric material spaced circumferentially apart on one side of the substrate, each of the elements having a transversely extending notch toward one end thereof and being resonant in a thickness extensional mode at a frequency corresponding to the thickness of the element and in a length extensional mode at a frequency corresponding to the distance between the notch and the one end of the element, and means carried by the substrate for applying signals and receiving signals from the transducer elements for selective operation in the thickness extensional mode and the length extensional mode.
27. The ultrasonic imaging device of claim 26, wherein the distance between the notch and the one end of the element is on the order of twice the thickness of the element, and the frequency at which the transducer elements resonate in the thickness extensional mode is on the order of twice the frequency at which the elements resonate in the length of the extensional mode.
28. The ultrasonic imaging device of claim 26, wherein the notch has a generally triangular profile in cross-section.
29. The ultrasonic imaging device of claim 26, further including an acoustic matching tube disposed coaxially within the cylindrical substrate, and a body of acoustic absorbing material between the transducer elements and the tube.
30. The ultrasonic imaging device of claim 29, further including a radiopaque marker disposed between the acoustic matching tube and the acoustic absorbing material.
31. A method of manufacturing an ultrasonic imaging device, comprising the steps of:
mounting a generally rectangular body of piezoelectric material on a flexible circuit substrate,
cutting a transversely extending notch in the body toward one end of the body, cutting the body lengthwise along transversally spaced apart lines to form a plurality of longitudinally extending transducer elements which are operable selectively in a thickness extensional mode and a length extensional mode at frequencies corresponding respectively to the thickness of the elements and to the length between the one end and the notch, and
forming the flexible circuit substrate into a substantially cylindrical shape with the transducer elements extending longitudinally thereof.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein the length between the one end and the notch is made equal to twice the thickness of the elements so that in the thickness extensional mode the transducers operate at twice the frequency of the length extensional mode.
33. The method of claim 31, including the further step of:
mounting integrated circuits on the substrate for interfacing with the transducer elements.
34. The method of claim 31, wherein the notch is formed to have a generally triangular profile in cross-section.
35. The method of claim 31, further including the steps of:
disposing an acoustic matching tube coaxially within the cylindrical substrate; and
filling a region between the transducer elements and the tube with an acoustic absorbing material.
36. The method of claim 35, further including the step of mounting a radiopaque marker between the acoustic matching tube and the acoustic absorbing material.