Author: claimsbot

What is claimed is:

1. A method of printing at least a portion of a sales receipt with a graphic, such as a circle-about-an-item or a watermark, the steps comprising:
a) placing graphical information in memory;
b) forming a graphic using said graphical information;
c) merging said graphic with text in real time; and
d) printing said graphic upon a sales receipt.
2. The method of printing a graphic upon a sales receipt in accordance with claim 1, wherein a circle-about-an-item is printed about up to four lines of text.
3. The method of printing a graphic upon a sales receipt in accordance with claim 2, wherein said circle-about-an-item is printed with a broken circle.
4. The method of printing a graphic upon a sales receipt in accordance with claim 2, wherein said circle-about-an-item is printed with a closed circle.
5. The method of printing a graphic upon a sales receipt in accordance with claim 1, wherein a watermark is printed in red ink.
6. The method of printing a graphic upon a sales receipt in accordance with claim 1, wherein a watermark is printed, said method further comprising the step of:
e) applying a fade filter to said graphic.
7. A method of printing at least a portion of a sales receipt with a strike-through, the steps comprising:
a) obtaining font information from memory;
b) using a font cell from said font information, and selectively adding a dot row to an intermediate portion thereof;
c) selecting a dot row axis;
d) repeating steps (a) through (c) to generate a strike-through; and
e) printing said strike-through upon a sales receipt.
8. A method of enhancing at least a portion of a sales receipt with a graphic, such as a circle-about-an-item or a watermark, the steps comprising:
a) placing graphical information in memory;
b) forming a graphic using said graphical information;
c) merging said graphic with text in real time; and
d) printing said graphic upon a sales receipt.
9. The method of printing a graphic upon a sales receipt in accordance with claim 8, wherein a circle-about-an-item is printed about up to four lines of text.
10. The method of printing a graphic upon a sales receipt in accordance with claim 9, wherein said circle-about-an-item is printed with a broken circle.
11. The method of printing a graphic upon a sales receipt in accordance with claim 9, wherein said circle-about-an-item is printed with a closed circle.
12. The method of printing a graphic upon a sales receipt in accordance with claim 8, wherein a watermark is printed in red ink.
13. The method of printing a graphic upon a sales receipt in accordance with claim 8, wherein a watermark is printed, said method further comprising the step of:
e) applying a fade filter to said graphic.
14. The method of printing a graphic upon a sales receipt in accordance with claim 8, wherein a watermark comprises a logo.

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 intraluminal stent having a first end and a second end, the intraluminal stent comprising:
a framework comprising straight longitudinal fibers and curved helical fibers, the framework consisting essentially of biodegradable material; and
a first non-biodegradable strut located at the first end of the intraluminal stent and a second non-biodegradable strut located at the second end of the intraluminal stent;
wherein each of the straight longitudinal fibers and each of the curved helical fibers is operably attached to the first non-biodegradable strut and the second non-biodegradable strut, and wherein the straight longitudinal fibers extend continuously from the first non-biodegradable strut to the second non-biodegradable strut such that the straight longitudinal fibers and the first and second non-biodegradable struts define a tubular body extending from the first end to the second end of the intraluminal stent, and wherein the curved helical fibers extend continuously around an exterior of the tubular body from the first non-biodegradable strut to the second non-biodegradable strut.

2. The stent of claim 1 wherein the non-biodegradable material is chosen from a group consisting of plastically deformable material and super-elastically self-expandable material.

3. The stent of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second non-biodegradable struts is radiopaque.

4. The stent of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second non-biodegradable struts comprises a structural support.

5. The stent of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second non-biodegradable struts comprises a crown shape.

6. The stent of claim 1 wherein at least one therapeutic agent is positioned on a portion of the stent.

7. The stent of claim 1 wherein the framework comprises at least one of a braided pattern, a knitted pattern, a mesh pattern, and a weaving pattern.

8. The stent of claim 1 wherein the framework expands during a stent deployment.

9. The stent of claim 1 wherein the intraluminal stent includes only one non-biodegradable strut at the first end and only one non-biodegradable strut at the second end.

10. The stent of claim 1 wherein:
adjacent straight longitudinal fibers are separated by a first distance in a compressed configuration of the stent and by a second distance in a deployed configuration of the stent, the second distance being greater than the first distance; and
overlapping curved helical fibers are positioned at a first angle opening towards the first end in the compressed configuration and at a second angle opening towards the first end in the deployed configuration, the second angle being greater than the first angle.

11. The stent of claim 1 wherein the straight longitudinal fibers have a fixed length during deployment and use.

12. The stent of claim 1 wherein the straight longitudinal fibers are directly attached to the first non-biodegradable strut and the second non-biodegradable strut.

13. An intraluminal stent delivery system comprising:
a catheter; and
a stent having a first end and a second end disposed on a portion of the catheter, the stent including a framework, a first non-biodegradable strut located at the first end of the stent and a second non-biodegradable strut located at the second end of the stent, the framework comprising straight longitudinal fibers and curved helical fibers, the framework consisting essentially of biodegradable material;
wherein each of the straight longitudinal fibers and each of the curved helical fibers is operably attached to the first non-biodegradable strut and the second non-biodegradable strut, and wherein the straight longitudinal fibers extend continuously from the first non-biodegradable strut to the second non-biodegradable strut such that the straight longitudinal fibers and the first and second non-biodegradable struts define a tubular body extending from the first end to the second end of the stent, and wherein the curved helical fibers extend continuously around an exterior of the tubular body from the first non-biodegradable strut to the second non-biodegradable strut.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the non-biodegradable material is chosen from a group consisting of plastically deformable material and super-elastically self-expandable material.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one of the first and second non-biodegradable struts is radiopaque.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one of the first and second non-biodegradable struts comprises a structural support.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one of the first and second non-biodegradable struts comprises a crown shape.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one therapeutic agent is positioned on a portion of the stent.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the framework comprises at least one of a braided pattern, a knitted pattern, a mesh pattern, and a weaving pattern.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the framework expands during a stent deployment.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein the stent includes only one non-biodegradable strut at the first end and only one non-biodegradable strut at the second end.

22. The delivery system of claim 13 wherein the straight longitudinal fibers have a fixed length during deployment and use.

23. The system of claim 13 wherein the straight longitudinal fibers are directly attached to the first non-biodegradable strut and the second non-biodegradable strut.

24. A method of treating a vascular condition, the method comprising:
positioning an intraluminal stent having a first end and a second end via a catheter within a vessel, the intraluminal stent having a biodegradable framework comprising straight longitudinal fibers and curved helical fibers, the biodegradable framework consisting essentially of biodegradable material, a first non-biodegradable strut located at the first end of the intraluminal stent and a second non-biodegradable strut located at the second end of the intraluminal stent, wherein each of the straight longitudinal fibers and each of the curved helical fibers is operably attached to the first non-biodegradable strut and the second non-biodegradable strut, and wherein the straight longitudinal fibers extend continuously from the first non-biodegradable strut to the second non-biodegradable strut such that the straight longitudinal fibers and the first and second non-biodegradable struts define a tubular body extending from the first end to the second end of the intraluminal stent, and wherein the curved helical fibers extend continuously around an exterior of the tubular body from the first non-biodegradable strut to the second non-biodegradable strut;
expanding the biodegradable framework during deployment of the intraluminal stent;
allowing the biodegradable framework to biodegrade within the vessel.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the expanding the biodegradable framework includes sliding of the straight longitudinal fibers and the curved helical fibers relative to one another.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising eluting at least one therapeutic agent from the stent.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the intraluminal stent includes only one non-biodegradable strut at the first end and only one non-biodegradable strut at the second end.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the straight longitudinal fibers have a fixed length during deployment and use.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein the straight longitudinal fibers are directly attached to the first non-biodegradable strut and the second non-biodegradable strut.

1. An assay for trypsin inhibitors in urine which comprises (a) contacting a urine test sample with a buffered assay medium comprising (i) trypsin in an amount of from 10 to 750 IUmL, (ii) a substrate for trypsin which will produce a detectable response when cleaved by trypsin present in a concentration of from 0.2 to 50 mM and (iii) a polycarboxylic chelating agent present in an amount of from 0.2 to 50 mM, and (b) correlating the concentration of trypsin inhibitor with the detectable response from the cleaving of the substrate, wherein the polycarboxylic chelating agent reduces variation in detected amounts of trypsin inhibitor caused by the presence of calcium ions in the urine in reference to a control sample lacking the polycarboxylic chelating agent.
2. The assay of claim 1 wherein the assay reagents are in solution.
3. The assay of claim 2 wherein the solvent used to form the solution is an aqueous or polar aprotic solvent.
4. The assay of claim 3 wherein the solvent is water, ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, acetonitrile, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetone, dimethylformamide or methylethylketone.
5. The assay of claim 1 wherein the assay reagents are in a dry phase.
6. The assay of claim 5 wherein the assay reagents are impregnated into a dry test device of a material through which the urine test sample can flow by dipping the dry test device into the buffered assay medium with subsequent drying of the solvent.
7. The assay of claim 1 wherein the chelating agent is ethylene glycol bis (\u03b2-aminoethyl ether) N,N,N\u2032,N\u2032-tetraacetic acid (EGTA); ethylenediaminetrata acetic acid (EDTA); iminodiacetic acid (IDA); nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA); diethylenetriaminipentaacetic acid (DTPA); triethylenetriamine-hexa-acetic acid (TTHA); 2,3-propylenediamino-tetra-acetic acid (UEDTA) and 1,2-diaminocyclohexanetetra-acetic acid.
8. The assay of claim 1 wherein the trypsin concentration is from 100 to 500 IUmL, the chelating agent is present in a concentration of from 10 to 25 mM, and the pH is at a level of from 7.0 to 8.0.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate for trypsin is selected from the group consisting of arginine or lysine derivatives of 7-amino-4-methylcourmarin, 2-aminonaphthalene, 4-methoxy-2-amino-naphthalene, 3-carboxy-4-hydroxy-analine, 2-chloro-4-nitro-analine, 3-aminoindole, 2-aminoacridone, 2-aminobenzothiazole, 2-aminopyrimidine, Rhodamine 110 and 6-aminoquinoline.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the buffer is selected from the group comprising (a) phosphate group containing buffers, (b) carboxyl group containing buffers and (c) Tris buffers.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the buffer is selected from the group comprising (a) phosphate group containing buffers and (b) carboxyl group containing buffers.

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 of transmitting data from a wireless device (10) to a base station (20) of a wireless communications system, the method comprising:
storing user packets (50) in a first buffer (56) of the wireless device, each user packet including a respective header;
converting user packets taken out of the first buffer into data units (60) written to a second buffer (81) of the wireless device, wherein the conversion includes header compression applied to the headers of the user packets depending on feedback information received from the base station;
transmitting, from the wireless device to the base station, data units read from the second buffer; and
transmitting, from the wireless device to the base station, a buffer status report containing information on an amount of data to be transmitted from the wireless device, said information being dependent on an amount of data stored in the first buffer.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data units written to the second buffer (81) of the wireless device (10) further comprise control data units (70) containing information generated in a protocol layer (55) implementing said conversion of the user packets (50).

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the buffer status report indicates an amount of data stored in the second buffer (81).

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer status report indicates an amount of uncompressed data stored in the first buffer.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising transmitting, from the wireless device to the base station, an additional buffer status report containing an estimation of a compression factor achieved by applying said header compression, the additional buffer status report being transmitted at a lower frequency than the buffer status report indicating the amount of uncompressed data stored in the first buffer (56).

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer status report indicates an estimation of an amount of compressed data resulting from the uncompressed data stored in the first buffer (56).

7. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the buffer status report further indicates an amount of compressed data stored in the second buffer (81).

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information on the amount of data to be transmitted from the wireless device further depends on a value of a compression factor provided by the base station (20).

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer status report indicates an amount of data depending on a size of further headers added for transmission of the data units read from the second buffer.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer status report is transmitted as part of a medium access control (MAC) procedure.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer status report is transmitted as part of a radio resource control (RRC) procedure.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conversion of user packets (50) into data units (60) is part of a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) procedure.

13. A wireless device for communication with a network having a plurality of base stations (20), the wireless device (10) comprising:
a first buffer (56) for storing user packets (50), each user packet including a respective header;
a converter (55) for converting user packets taken out of the first buffer into data units (60) written to a second buffer (81) of the wireless device, wherein the converter applies header compression to the headers of the user packets depending on feedback information received from a base station; and
a transmitter arranged for transmitting to the base station data units read from the second buffer and a buffer status report containing information on an amount of data to be transmitted from the wireless device, said information being dependent on an amount of data stored in the first buffer.

14. The wireless device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the buffer status report indicates an amount of uncompressed data stored in the first buffer.

15. The wireless device as claimed in claim 13 or 14, wherein the information on the amount of data to be transmitted from the wireless device further depends on an estimation of a compression factor applied by the converter.