All The Claims

1. An implantable splinting device for supporting a defect in a passageway of a human or other animal subject comprising:
one or more bellow support structures together defining a structural component that substantially conforms to at least a portion of the passageway, wherein the one or more bellow support structures comprise a biocompatible polymeric material;
a longitudinal opening formed within the one or more bellow support structures to facilitate placement of the implantable splinting device over the passageway; and
a plurality of apertures defined in at least a portion of the one or more bellow support structures capable of receiving a suture for attaching the implantable splinting device to at least a portion of the passageway.
2. The implantable splinting device of claim 1, wherein the implantable splinting device is designed for placement around and substantially conforms to at least a portion of the passageway selected from the group consisting of: a trachea, a bronchi, an esophagus, and a blood vessel.
3. The implantable splinting device of claim 1, wherein the defect in the passageway is selected from the group consisting of: tracheomalacia, tracheoesophageal fistula, tracheoinnominate fistula, congenital stenosis, acquired stricture, cancer (obstruction from tumors), idiopathic tracheomalacia, trachealairway reconstruction surgery, bronchomalacia, weakened veins and a coronary bypass.
4. The implantable splinting device of claim 1, wherein the structural component has an inner diameter and an outer diameter, wherein the inner diameter ranges from greater than or equal to about 4 mm to less than or equal to about 30 mm and the outer diameter ranges from greater than or equal to about 5 mm to less than or equal to about 34 mm, and wherein the implantable splinting device has a length ranging from greater than or equal to about 10 mm to less than or equal to about 60 mm.
5. The implantable splinting device of claim 1, wherein the biocompatible polymeric material comprises a biodegradable polymer having a degradation time of from about 10 months to about 24 months.
6. The implantable splinting device of claim 5, wherein the biodegradable polymer is polycaprolactone.
7. The implantable splinting device of claim 1, wherein the structural component is capable of restricting displacement to less than 10% under a direct compression load of about 50N, while permitting outward radial displacement of at least 100% of an initial diameter of the structural component under non-stress conditions under a radial pressure of about 50N.
8. The implantable splinting device of claim 1, wherein the implantable splinting device further comprises a bioactive agent, wherein the bioactive agent is selected from the group consisting of: a cell adhesion factor, an isolated tissue material, a growth factor, a peptide, a cytokine, a hormone, a pharmaceutical active, and combinations thereof.
9. The implantable splinting device of claim 8, wherein the implantable splinting device comprises acellularized dermis, an acellularized tissue matrix, a composite of acellularized dermis matrix and designed polymer, or a composite of acellularized tissue matrix and designed polymer.
10. The implantable splinting device of claim 1, wherein a wave period of the one or more bellow support structures is greater than or equal to about 1.5 mm to less than or equal to about 6 mm.
11. The implantable splinting device of claim 1, wherein each bellow of the one or more bellow support structures comprises a protruding region and a recessed region.
12. The implantable splinting device of claim 11, wherein a first length of the protruding region is greater than or equal to about 1 mm to less than or equal to about 4 mm and a second length of the recessed region is greater than or equal to about 0.5 mm to less than or equal to about 2 mm.
13. The implantable splinting device of claim 1, wherein a width of the longitudinal opening ranges from greater than or equal to about 4 mm to less than or equal to about 15 mm.
14. The implantable splinting device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of apertures respectively has a diameter ranging from about 0.5 mm to about 3 mm.
15. The implantable splinting device of claim 1, wherein the implantable splinting device comprises a first structural component and a second structural component.
16. The implantable splinting device of claim 15, wherein the first structural component is a tracheal U-shaped structure and the second structural component is an esophageal U-shaped structure.
17. The implantable splinting device of claim 16, wherein the first structural component and the second structural component are joined together via a hinge to define the structural component.
18. A method of making an implantable splinting device for application to a passageway defect in a human or other animal subject comprising:
laser sintering or three-dimensional (3D) printing a biocompatible polymeric material to form a structural component comprising one or more bellow support structures that substantially conforms to a portion of a passageway having the passageway defect specific to the human or other animal subject, wherein the structural component comprises a longitudinal opening formed within the one or more bellow support structures to facilitate placement over the passageway; and
integrating a plurality of pores within the structural component capable of receiving a suture for attaching the implantable splinting device to at least a portion of the passageway.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising designing a structural component for the implantable splinting device from a set of medical image data of the passageway defect specific to the human or other animal subject prior to the laser sintering or three-dimensional (3D) printing.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the implantable splinting device is configured for placement around at least a portion of the passageway of the subject selected from the group consisting of: a trachea, a bronchi, an esophagus and a blood vessel.
21. The method of claim 18, wherein the biocompatible polymeric material is polycaprolactone and has a degradation time of from about 10 months to about 24 months.
22. A method of making an implantable splinting device for application to a defect in a passageway of a human or other animal subject comprising:
forming a biocompatible polymeric material into a U-shaped structural component comprising a plurality of apertures and a plurality of bellows, wherein the U-shaped structural component substantially conforms to at least a portion of the passageway selected from the group consisting of a trachea, a bronchi, an esophagus and a blood vessel.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the biocompatible polymeric material is polycaprolactone and has a degradation time of from about 10 months to about 24 months.

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 visual restoration aiding device for restoring vision of a patient, the device comprising:
an electrode array having a plurality of electrodes placed on or under a retina of an eye of the patient for applying an electrical stimulation pulse signal to cells constituting the retina;
a photographing unit which photographs an object to be recognized by the patient;
a converting unit which converts photographic data transmitted from the photographing unit to data for electrical stimulation pulse signals; and
a control unit which outputs an electrical stimulation pulse signal through each electrode based on the data for electrical stimulation pulse signals so that the control unit produces pulse output through one of a first electrode and a second electrode during a halt time of pulse output through the other electrode, the first and second electrodes being arranged within a distance such that electrical stimulation pulse signals outputted therethrough at substantially the same time are likely to interfere with each other.
2. The visual restoration aiding device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical stimulation pulse signal includes a two-phase pulse waveform signal.
3. The visual restoration aiding device according to claim 2, wherein the electrical stimulation pulse signal includes a bipolar pulse waveform signal, and
the control unit produces the pulse output through one of the first and second electrodes during the halt time of the pulse output through the other electrode between a negative pulse and a positive pulse.
4. The visual restoration aiding device according to claim 2, wherein the electrical stimulation pulse signal includes a bipolar pulse waveform signal, and
the control unit produces the pulse output through one of the first and second electrodes during the halt time of the pulse output through the other electrode between a bipolar pulse waveform signal and a next bipolar pulse waveform signal.
5. The visual restoration aiding device according to claim 2, wherein the electrical stimulation pulse signal includes a bipolar pulse waveform signal including a negative pulse and a positive pulse different in strength, and
the control unit produces the pulse output so that a high strength pulse through one of the first and second electrodes does not coincide with a high strength pulse through the other electrode.
6. A visual restoration aiding device for restoring vision of a patient, the device comprising:
a plurality of electrodes placed on or under a retina of an eye of the patient; and
a control unit which outputs an electrical stimulation pulse signal through each electrode so that the control unit produces pulse output through one of a first electrode and a second electrode during a halt time of pulse output through the other electrode, the first and second electrodes being arranged within a distance such that electrical stimulation pulse signals outputted therethrough at substantially the same time are likely to interfere with each other.

1. A buffering communication protocol proxy for connection between a first party and a second party, comprising:
a data store;
a first communication protocol proxy system for authentication operative, in response to receipt of at least one communication option negotiation request from the first party before a communication connection is established between the first party and the second party, to store the received at least one communication option negotiation request in the data store; and
a second communication protocol proxy system for setup operative to establish a communication connection to the second party and to send the stored at least one communication option negotiation request to the second party after the communication connection is established: wherein
the first communication protocol proxy system for authentication and the second communication protocol proxy system for setup are operative to pass data through the communication protocol proxy, between the first party and the second party, after the communication connection is established.
2. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 1, wherein:
the at least one communication option negotiation request is a Telnet option negotiation request; and
the communication connection to the second party is a Telnet connection.
3. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 1, wherein the data is character data.
4. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 1, wherein the first party is a Telnet client.
5. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 1, wherein the first party is a Telnet proxy.
6. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 1, wherein the second party is a Telnet server.
7. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 1, wherein the second party is a Telnet proxy.
8. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 1, wherein the second communication protocol proxy system for setup is further operative to send the stored at least one communication option negotiation request to the second party after an account entity is logged in to the second party over the communication connection.
9. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 1, wherein:
the first communication protocol proxy system for authentication is further operative, in response to receipt of data from the first party before the communication connection is established, to store the received data in the data store; and
the second communication protocol proxy system for setup is further operative to send the stored data to the second party after the communication connection is established.
10. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 9, wherein the second communication protocol proxy system for setup is further operative to send the stored data to the second party after an account entity is logged in to the second party over the communication connection.
11. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol proxy system for authentication is further operative, in response to receipt of valid user credentials from the first party, to establish the communication connection.
12. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 11, further comprising an authentication database, wherein the first communication protocol proxy system for authentication is further operative to validate the user credentials by accessing the authentication database.
13. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 12, wherein the authentication database is directly connected to the buffering communication protocol proxy.
14. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 12, wherein the authentication database comprises an authentication server connected to the buffering communication protocol proxy via a network.
15. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 12, wherein the authentication database stores user credentials for an account on the second party, and the second communication protocol proxy system for setup is further operative, in response to establishment of the communication connection, to send the user credentials stored in the authentication database to the second party to thereby log in to the second party on behalf of the first party.
16. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 15, wherein the second communication protocol proxy system for setup is further operative, in response to the second communication protocol proxy system for setup logging in to the second party on behalf of the first party, to send the stored at least one communication option negotiation request to the second party.
17. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 15, wherein:
the first communication protocol proxy system for authentication is further operative, in response to the second communication protocol proxy system for setup logging in to the second party on behalf of the first party, to receive data from the first party and to store the received data in the data store; and
the second communication protocol proxy system for setup is further operative, in response to the second communication protocol proxy system for setup logging in to the second party on behalf of the first party, to send the stored data to the second party.
18. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 1, further comprising a log, wherein the first communication protocol proxy system for authentication and the second communication protocol proxy system for setup are operative to write information into the log when at least one predetermined event related to the first party occurs.
19. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 18, wherein the at least one predetermined event related to the first party is receipt of valid user credentials.
20. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 18, wherein the at least one predetermined event related to the first party is receipt of invalid user credentials.
21. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 18, wherein the at least one predetermined event related to the first party is successful establishment of the communication connection.
22. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 18, wherein the at least one predetermined event related to the first party is a failure to establish the communication connection.
23. The buffering communication protocol proxy of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol proxy system for authentication is operative to receive and store the received at least one communication option negotiation request in the data store without responding to the first party.
24. A method of establishing a communication connection between a first party and a second party, comprising:
receiving at least one communication option negotiation request from the first party;
storing the received at least one communication option negotiation request;
after storing the at least one communication option negotiation request, establishing the communication connection between the first party and the second party:
after establishing the communication connection, sending the stored at least one communication option negotiation request to the second party and passing data between the first party and the second party.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein:
the at least one communication option negotiation request is a Telnet option negotiation request; and
the communication connection between the first party and the second party is a Telnet connection.
26. The method of claim 24, wherein the data is character data.
27. The method of claim 24, wherein sending the stored at least one communication option negotiation request to the second party comprises sending the stored at least one communication option negotiation request to the second party after an account entity is logged in to the second party over the communication connection.
28. The method of claim 24, further comprising:
before the communication connection is established, receiving data from the first party; storing the received data; and
after the communication connection is established, sending the stored data to the second party.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein sending the stored data to the second party comprises sending the stored data to the second party after an account entity is logged in to the second party over the communication connection.
30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:
logging in to the second party on behalf of the first party; and
wherein sending the stored data to the second party comprises sending the stored data to the second party after logging in to the second party on behalf of the first party.
31. The method of claim 24, further comprising:
receiving user credentials from the first party; and
wherein establishing the communication connection comprises establishing the communication connection only if the user credentials are valid.
32. The method of claim 31, further comprising validating the received user credentials by accessing a local authentication database.
33. The method of claim 31, further comprising validating the received user credentials by accessing an authentication server via a network.
34. The method of claim 24, further comprising logging in to the second party on behalf of the first party.
35. The method of claim 24, wherein sending the stored at least one communication option negotiation request to the second party comprises sending the stored at least one communication option negotiation request to the second party after logging in to the second party on behalf of the first party.
36. The method of claim 24, further comprising:
detecting at least one predetermined event related to the first party; and
in response to detecting the at least one predetermined event related to the first party, writing information into a log.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein detecting at least one predetermined event comprises receiving valid user credentials. .
38. The method of claim 36, wherein detecting at least one predetermined event comprises receiving invalid user credentials.
39. The method of claim 36, wherein detecting at least one predetermined event comprises successfully establishing the communication connection.
40. The method of claim 36, wherein detecting at least one predetermined event comprises failing to establish the communication connection.
41. The method of claim 24, wherein receiving the at least one communication option negotiation request and storing the received at least one communication option negotiation request comprises receiving and storing the at least one communication option negotiation request without responding to the first party.
42. An article of manufacture, comprising:
a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer instructions for:
receiving at least one communication option negotiation request from a first party;
storing the received at least one communication option negotiation request;
after storing the at least one communication onion negotiation request, establishing a communication connection between the first party and a second party;
after establishing the communication connection, sending the stored at least one communication option negotiation request to the second party and passing data between the first party and the second party.
43. The article of manufacture of claim 42, wherein:
the at least one communication option negotiation request is a Telnet option negotiation request; and
the communication connection to the second party is a Telnet connection.
44. The article of manufacture of claim 42, wherein the data is character data.
45. An authenticating multi-protocol proxy, comprising:
a data store; and
a proxy operative to establish a connection according to one of a plurality of protocols between a first party having an identifier and a second party, wherein the plurality of protocols includes Telnet, HTTP and FTP, the proxy being further operative to:
prompt for user credentials before establishing a first connection between the first party and the second party;
based on entered user credentials, obtain data indicative of user access rights;
store the obtained information indicative of user access rights in the data store and associate the stored information with the identity of the first party;
based on the data indicative of user access rights, either establish or not establish the first connection between the first party and the second party; and
subsequently use the stored information to determine whether to establish or not establish a second connection between the first party and another party, without prompting for user credentials.
46. The authenticating multi-protocol proxy of claim 45, wherein the first party is a client.
47. The authenticating multi-protocol proxy of claim 45, wherein the first party is a proxy.
48. The authenticating multi-protocol proxy of claim 45, wherein the second party is a server.
49. The authenticating multi-protocol proxy of claim 45, wherein the second party is a proxy.
50. The authenticating multi-protocol proxy of claim 45, wherein the identifier of the first party is an Internet protocol (IP) address.
51. The authenticating multi-protocol proxy of claim 45, wherein the data indicative of user access rights identifies at least one second party to which a connection is permitted.
52. The authenticating multi-protocol proxy of claim 45, wherein:
the data indicative of user access rights includes user credentials for an account on the second party; and
the proxy is further operative, in response to establishment of the first connection, to send the user credentials in the data indicative of user access rights to the second party to thereby log in to the second party on behalf of the first party.
53. The authenticating multi-protocol proxy of claim 45, further comprising:
a Telnet server for authentication operative, in response to receipt of at least one Telnet option negotiation request from the first party before a Telnet connection is established between the
first party and the second party, to store the received at least one Telnet option negotiation request in the data store; and
a Telnet client for setup operative to establish a Telnet connection to the second party and to send the stored at least one Telnet option negotiation request to the second party after the Telnet connection is established; wherein
the Telnet server for authentication and a Telnet client for setup are operative to pass character data through the Telnet proxy, between the first party and the second party, after the Telnet connection is established.
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.-20. (canceled)
21. An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, comprising:
a pixel;
a first layer;
a first transistor in the pixel; and
a wire connected to the first transistor,
wherein the wire includes first and second connection portions extending in a first direction and a first planar portion extending in a second direction crossing the first direction and wherein at least the first planar portion is in a first groove in the first layer.
22. The display as claimed in claim 21, wherein the first layer is an interlayer insulation layer.
23. The display as claimed in claim 22, wherein the interlayer insulation layer is on a gate of the first transistor.
24. The display as claimed in claim 22, wherein the interlayer insulation layer extends between plates of a capacitor of the pixel.
25. The display as claimed in claim 22, wherein the first connection portion and the second connection portion are at least partially on an inner side surface of the first groove.
26. The display as claimed in claim 21, wherein the first layer is a gate insulation layer of the first transistor.
27. The display as claimed in claim 21, wherein the first layer is a buffer layer that extends under the first transistor.
28. The display as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:
a second layer including a second groove,
wherein the first groove extends into the second groove.
29. The display as claimed in claim 28, wherein:
the first groove is an interlayer insulation layer of the first transistor, and
the second groove is a gate insulation layer of the first transistor.
30. The display as claimed in claim 28, further comprising:
a third layer including a third groove,
wherein the third groove extends into the second groove.
31. The display as claimed in claim 30, wherein:
the first groove is an interlayer insulation layer of the first transistor,
the second groove is a gate insulation layer of the first transistor, and
the third groove is a buffer layer that extends under the first transistor.
32. The display as claimed in claim 21, wherein the wire has a width which includes a distance between first and second surfaces of at least one of the first or second connection portions.
33. The display as claimed in claim 32, wherein a width of the wire includes a sum of:
a first distance between opposing surfaces of at least one of the first or second connection portions, and
a second distance corresponding to a thickness of the first planar portion.
34. The display as claimed in claim 21, wherein:
the wire includes a second planar portion,
the first and second planar portions are at different levels relative to the first and second connection portions, and
the first layer is between the first and second planar portions.
35. The display as claimed in claim 21, wherein:
the wire includes a plurality of first and second connection portions and a plurality of first planar portions, and
the pluralities of the first and second connection portions and first planar portions forming a predetermined pattern having a thickness greater than a thickness of each of the first connection portion, the second connection portion, and the first planar portion.
36. The display as claimed in claim 35, wherein the predetermined pattern is substantially a square wave pattern.
37. The display as claimed in claim 21, wherein the wire is a power wire connected to an organic light emitting diode of the pixel.
38. The display as claimed in claim 21, wherein only one side of each of the first connection portion, the second connection portion, and the first planar portion are at least partially on the first groove.
39. The display as claimed in claim 38, wherein the only one side is an outer side which is at least partially on an inner surface of the first groove.
40. The display as claimed in claim 21, wherein the first transistor is a driving transistor of the pixel.