Author: claimsbot

1. Electric motor vehicle parking installation comprising a tower above ground and comprising vehicle parking places and at least one vehicle entry andor exit area, wherein the tower comprises a pair of contiguous coaxial helical ramps of identical pitch, comprising a first ramp dedicated to parking vehicles and a fixed second ramp, the first ramp being mobile vertically and in rotation relative to the second ramp.
2. Installation according to claim 1, wherein the first ramp is an internal ramp and the second ramp is an external ramp relative to the first ramp.
3. Installation according to claim 1, wherein the first ramp includes vehicle charging means.
4. Installation according to claim 3, wherein the charging means comprises induction charging means.
5. Installation according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle entry andor exit area includes means for automatically guiding vehicles to the second ramp andor means for guiding vehicles to a vehicle drop-off and recovery area.
6. Installation according to claim 1, wherein the second ramp comprises means for guiding vehicles to the entry andor exit area andor means for guiding vehicles to the first ramp.
7. Installation according to claim 1, wherein the first ramp includes means for guiding vehicles to the second ramp.
8. Installation according to claim 1, wherein the first ramp is mobile vertically and in rotation with a stepwise movement.
9. Installation according to claim 1, further comprising a central unit for managing the parking of vehicles, connected to vehicle parking detection means and a motor drive system for driving the movement of the mobile ramp.
10. Installation according to claim 9, wherein the central unit includes means for communicating with the vehicles and for establishing instructions commanding movement of vehicles from the mobile ramp to the entry andor exit area via the fixed ramp.
11. Installation according to claim 1, wherein the management unit includes a control stage adapted to receive instructions commanding recovery of vehicles sent by users.

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 medical device, comprising:
a hollow housing;
a needle having a sharpened tip, the needle being operable between extended and retracted positions, wherein the sharpened tip projects forwardly from the housing in the extended position and the sharpened tip is enclosed within the housing in the retracted position;
a biasing element biasing the needle toward the retracted position;
an actuator for actuating a needle retainer to release the needle so that the biasing element propels the needle toward the retracted position;
a rearward stop connected with the needle, operable to retain the needle against continued rearward displacement after the needle is retracted;
a forward stop connected with the needle, operable to retain the needle against forward displacement after the needle is retracted;
a flexible conduit in fluid communication with the needle;
an expandible reservoir in fluid communication with the flexible conduit; and
a pierceable seal forming a fluid-tight seal over the forward end of the housing after the needle is displaced into the retracted position.
2. A medical device, comprising:
a hollow housing having an aperture in a wall of the housing, the aperture forming a rim;
a needle having a sharpened tip operable between an extended position in which the sharpened tip is exposed for use and a retracted position in which the needle is shielded;
a biasing element biasing the needle toward the retracted position;
a needle hub having a cylindrical body axially displaceable within the housing between a forward position and a rearward position,
the needle hub having a central bore for receiving the needle; wherein the needle is fixedly attached to the needle hub,
the needle hub being configured for providing a fluid tight connection between a fluid line and the needle;

a needle retainer releasably retaining the needle in the projecting position against the bias of the biasing element, comprising:
a radially deformable arm attached to the needle hub and projecting radially outwardly from the needle hub; and
an actuator disposed at the end of the arm releasably engaging the rim of the aperture and having a surface directly manually operable from outside the housing, wherein depressing the actuator releases the needle whereupon the biasing element displaces the needle hub into the rearward position;
a first rearward locking element projecting radially outwardly from the needle hub;
a second rearward locking element projecting radially inwardly from the wall of the housing; wherein the first and second rearward locking elements cooperate to impede rearward axial movement of the needle hub after the needle hub is displaced into the rearward position; and
a radially displaceable first forward stop projecting radially inwardly from the housing, wherein the forward stop is operable to impede forward axial movement of the needle hub after the needle hub is displaced into the rearward position, wherein the forward stop is displaced radially as the needle hub is displaced from the forward position to the rearward position;
wherein the biasing element has a biasing force between an upper limit and a lower limit, the lower limit being defined by the amount of axial force required to effectuate radial displacement of the forward stop during retraction and the upper limit being defined by the amount of axial force required to overcome the engagement between the first and second rearward locking elements;
wherein the fluid line is displaced rearwardly when the needle is retracted.
3. The medical device of claim 2 comprising a second forward stop configured substantially similarly to the first forward stop and operable to retain the needle in the retracted position.
4. The medical device of claim 2 wherein the forward stop is a latch integrally formed in the housing.
5. The medical device of claim 2 wherein the housing comprises a separate forward housing element and a rearward housing element, wherein the forward housing element has a rearward open end having a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the needle hub so that the needle hub can freely pass through the rearward end of the forward housing element.
6. The medical device of claim 5 wherein the forward housing element is a molded element that is molded separately from the rearward housing element.
7. The medical device of claim 2 wherein the rearward end of the housing has an opening that is larger than the body of the needle hub and smaller than the first rearward locking element, such that in the rearward position, the needle hub projects rearward through the opening.
8. A medical device, comprising:
a hollow housing;
a needle having a sharpened tip operable between an extended position in which the sharpened tip projects from the housing and a retracted position in which the needle is disposed within the housing;
a biasing element biasing the needle toward the retracted position;
a needle hub axially displaceable within the housing between a forward position and a rearward position, wherein the needle is fixedly attached to the needle hub;
a fluid line connected with the needle hub so that the fluid line is in fluid communication with the needle;
a needle retainer releasably retaining the needle in the projecting position against the bias of the biasing element, comprising:
a radially deformable arm attached to the needle hub and projecting radially outwardly from the needle hub; and
an actuator disposed on the arm, releasably engaging the housing and having a surface manually operable from outside the housing, wherein depressing the actuator releases the needle whereupon the biasing element displaces the needle into the retracted position;

a first rearward locking element projecting radially outwardly from the needle hub;
a second rearward locking element projecting radially inwardly from the wall of the housing, wherein the first and second rearward locking elements cooperate to impede rearward axial movement of the needle hub after the needle hub is displaced into the rearward position; and
a forward stop operable to substantially permanently impede forward axial movement of the needle hub after the needle hub is displaced into the rearward position, wherein the forward stop is displaced radially as the needle hub is displaced from the forward position to the rearward position;
wherein the biasing element has a biasing force between an upper limit and a lower limit, the lower limit being defined by the amount of axial force required to effectuate radial displacement of the forward stop during retraction.
9. The medical device of claim 8 wherein the fluid line is displaced rearwardly when the needle is retracted.
10. The medical device of claim 8 wherein the hub is disposed within the housing in the forward position.
11. The medical device of claim 8 wherein the rearward end of the housing has an opening that is larger than the cylindrical body of the needle hub and smaller than the first rearward locking element, such that in the rearward position, the needle hub projects rearward through the opening.
12. The medical device of claim 8 wherein the forward stop is a latch integrally formed in the housing.
13. The medical device of claim 8 wherein the forward stop is connected with one of the housing and the needle hub.
14. The medical device of claim 8 wherein the housing comprises a separate forward housing element and a rearward housing element, wherein the forward housing element has a rearward open end having a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the needle hub so that the needle hub can freely pass through the rearward end of the forward housing element.
15. The medical device of claim 14 wherein the forward housing element is a molded element that is molded separately from the rearward housing element.
16. A medical device, comprising:
a hollow housing having an aperture in a wall of the housing, the aperture forming a rim;
a needle having a sharpened tip operable between an extended position in which the sharpened tip is exposed for use and a retracted position in which the needle is shielded;
a biasing element biasing the needle toward the retracted position;
a needle hub axially displaceable within the housing between a forward position and a rearward position,
the needle hub having an opening for receiving the needle;
the needle hub being configured for providing a fluid tight connection between a fluid line and the needle;

a needle retainer releasably retaining the needle in the projecting position against the bias of the biasing element, comprising:
a radially deformable arm attached to the needle hub and projecting radially outwardly from the needle hub; and
an actuator disposed at the end of the arm releasably engaging the rim of the aperture and having a surface directly manually operable from outside the housing, wherein depressing the actuator releases the needle whereupon the biasing element displaces the needle hub into the rearward position;

a first rearward locking element projecting radially outwardly from the needle hub;
a second rearward locking element projecting radially inwardly from the wall of the housing, wherein the first and second rearward locking elements cooperate to impede rearward axial movement of the needle hub after the needle hub is displaced into the rearward position; and
a radially displaceable first forward stop projecting radially inwardly from the housing, wherein the forward stop is operable to impede forward axial movement of the needle hub after the needle hub is displaced into the rearward position, wherein the forward stop is displaced radially as the needle hub is displaced from the forward position to the rearward position; and
a second forward stop configured similarly to the first forward stop and operable to retain the needle in the retracted position;
wherein the biasing element has a biasing force between an upper limit and a lower limit, the lower limit being defined by the amount of axial force required to effectuate radial displacement of the forward stop during retraction and the upper limit being defined by the amount of axial force required to overcome the engagement between the first and second rearward locking elements.
17. The medical device of claim 16 wherein the first forward stop is a latch integrally formed in the housing.
18. The medical device of claim 16 wherein the housing comprises a separate forward housing element and a rearward housing element, wherein the forward housing element has a rearward open end having a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the needle hub so that the needle hub can freely pass through the rearward end of the forward housing element.
19. The medical device of claim 18 wherein the forward housing element is a molded element that is molded separately from the rearward housing element.
20. The medical device of claim 16 wherein the fluid line is displaced rearwardly when the needle is retracted.
21. The medical device of claim 16 wherein the rearward end of the housing has an opening that is larger than the body of the needle hub and smaller than the first rearward locking element, such that in the rearward position, the needle hub projects rearward through the opening.
22. A medical device, comprising:
a hollow housing having an aperture in a wall of the housing, the aperture forming a rim;
a needle having a sharpened tip operable between an extended position in which the sharpened tip is exposed for use and a retracted position in which the needle is shielded;
a biasing element biasing the needle toward the retracted position;
a needle hub axially displaceable within the housing between a forward position and a rearward position,
the needle hub having an opening for receiving the needle,
the needle hub being configured for providing a fluid tight connection between a fluid line and the needle;

a needle retainer releasably retaining the needle in the projecting position against the bias of the biasing element, comprising:
a radially deformable arm attached to the needle hub and projecting radially outwardly from the needle hub; and
an actuator disposed at the end of the arm releasably engaging the rim of the aperture and having a surface directly manually operable from outside the housing, wherein depressing the actuator releases the needle whereupon the biasing element displaces the needle hub into the rearward position;

a first rearward locking element projecting radially outwardly from the needle hub;
a second rearward locking element projecting radially inwardly from the wall of the housing, wherein the first and second rearward locking elements cooperate to impede rearward axial movement of the needle hub after the needle hub is displaced into the rearward position; and
a radially displaceable first forward stop projecting radially inwardly from the housing, wherein the forward stop is operable to impede forward axial movement of the needle hub after the needle hub is displaced into the rearward position, wherein the forward stop is displaced radially as the needle hub is displaced from the forward position to the rearward position and wherein the forward stop is a latch integrally formed in the housing;
wherein the biasing element has a biasing force between an upper limit and a lower limit, the lower limit being defined by the amount of axial force required to effectuate radial displacement of the forward stop during retraction and the upper limit being defined by the amount of axial force required to overcome the engagement between the first and second rearward locking elements.
23. The medical device of claim 22 comprising a second forward stop configured similarly to the first forward stop and operable to retain the needle in the retracted position.
24. The medical device of claim 22 wherein the housing comprises a separate forward housing element and a rearward housing element, wherein the forward housing element has a rearward open end having a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the needle hub so that the needle hub can freely pass through the rearward end of the forward housing element.
25. The medical device of claim 22 wherein the forward housing element is a molded element that is molded separately from the rearward housing element.
26. The medical device of claim 22 wherein the fluid line is displaced rearwardly when the needle is retracted.
27. The medical device of claim 22 wherein the rearward end of the housing has an opening that is larger than the body of the needle hub and smaller than the first rearward locking element, such that in the rearward position, the needle hub projects rearward through the opening.

1. A protective shell for an aircraft galley wall having an above work deck area and a below work deck area, comprising:
an outer skin having a thickness and micro-perforations along an outer surface;
an intermediate layer comprising vacuum insulated panels, where a thickness of said intermediate layer is greater than the thickness of the outer skin; and
an interior layer comprising carbon fiber composite having a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the intermediate layer.
2. The protective shell for an aircraft galley wall of claim 1, further comprising a layer of open cell acoustic foam between the skin and the interior layer.
3. The protective shell for an aircraft galley wall of claim 1, wherein a ratio of outer skin thickness to intermediate layer thickness is 1:2.
4. The protective shell for an aircraft galley wall of claim 1, wherein the micro-perforations are conical.
5. The protective shell for an aircraft galley wall of claim 2, wherein the layer of open cell acoustic foam is present only above the work deck.
6. The protective shell for an aircraft galley wall of claim 2, wherein a ratio of a thickness of the acoustic open cell foam to the thickness of the carbon fiber composite panel is 2:1.
7. The protective shell for an aircraft galley wall of claim 1, wherein the vacuum insulation panels are located adjacent thermal sinks to reduce energy loss.

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 for encoding a digital video signal, said digital video signal comprising some sets of objects (OBJ) with associated shapes, characterized in that it comprises the steps of:
Defining information (FLAG) for determining if the shape of an object (OBJ) is to be encoded, or its complement’s one, and
As a function of this information (FLAG), encoding said shape or its complement.
2. A method of processing a digital video signal as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the complement is the complement (NOT_OBJ) of an object (OBJ) in an image frame.
3. A method of processing a digital video signal as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a bounding box (BOUND_BOX) is associated with an object (OBJ) and the complement is the complement (NOT_OBJ_BB) of an object (OBJ) within its bounding box (BOUND_BOX).
4. A method of processing a digital video signal as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that it has a further step of encoding the bounding box coordinates of said object (OBJ).
5. A method of processing a digital video signal as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the information is activated when an object (OBJ) has a bounding box (BOUND_BOX) with frontiers in common with an image comprising said object (OBJ).
6. A method of processing a digital video signal as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that when the bounding box (BOUND_BOX) of an object (OBJ) is greater than the bounding box (BOUND_BOX) of its complement (NOT_OBJ, NOT_OBJ_BB), its complement’s shape is encoded.
7. A computer program product for an encoder (ENC), comprising a set of instructions, which, when loaded into said encoder (ENC), causes the encoder (ENC) to carry out the method claimed in claims 1 to 6.
8. A computer program product for a computer, comprising a set of instructions, which, when loaded into said computer, causes the computer to carry out the method claimed in claims 1 to 6.
9. A method for decoding a digital video signal, said digital video signal comprising some sets of objects (OBJ) with associated shapes, characterized in that it comprises the steps of:
Retrieving information (FLAG), which determines if the shape of an object (OBJ) has been encoded or its complement’s one,
As a function of said information (FLAG), decoding said shape or its complement (NOT_OBJ, NOT_OBJ_BB), and
If the complement has been decoded, retrieving the shape as a function of said complement (NOT_OBJ, NOT_OBJ_BB).
10. An encoder (ENC) for encoding a digital video signal, said digital video signal comprising some sets of objects (OBJ) with associated shapes, characterized in that it comprises an information (FLAG) for determining if the shape of an object (OBJ) is to be encoded, or its complement’s one, and encoding means for encoding said shape or its complement as a function of said information (FLAG).
11. A decoder (DEC) for decoding a digital video signal, said digital video signal comprising some sets of objects (OBJ) with associated shapes, characterized in that it comprises decoding means for retrieving an information (FLAG), which determines if the shape of an object (OBJ) has been encoded or its complement’s one, for decoding said shape or its complement as a function of said information (FLAG), and for retrieving the shape as a function of said complement if the complement (NOT_OBJ, NOT_OBJ_BB) has been decoded.
12. A video communication system (SYS), which is able to receive a digital video signal, comprising a transmitter (REC) with an encoder (ENC) as claimed in claim 10 for encoding said video signal, a transmission channel (CH) for transmitting the encoded video signal and a receiver (RECEIV) with a decoder (DEC) as claimed in claim 11 for decoding said encoded video signal.