Channel-bodied surgical needles and surgical incision members are disclosed having a generally U-shaped cross-sectional body portion and a penetrating tip portion formed on at least one end thereof. Preferably, penetrating tip portions are formed at both ends of the channel-bodied portion. The surgical needle and/or surgical incision member may additionally includes apparatus engagement structure formed adjacent either end of the body portion and engagable with a suitable surgical suturing apparatus. The channel-bodied surgical needle and/or surgical incision member may additionally include securement structure for attachment of a length of suture material thereto. There is also disclosed apparatus for forming a channel-shaped body portion and the suture attachment structure. Additionally, methods for suturing tissue sections, particularly vascular tissue sections, with the channel-bodied surgical needle and the channel-bodied surgical incision members, are disclosed. Also, methods for forming the channel-bodied surgical needle and channel-bodied surgical incision member are disclosed.

This invention relates to a method for manufacturing a needle attached suture and an apparatus therefor. A needle attached suture is obtained by inserting a suture into an insertion hole formed in the end of a needle N which is held by a needle retaining unit 16 and by swaging the end of the needle with the suture. The method and the apparatus have been developed to accurately position the end of the needle for swaging with the suture to stabilize the swaging strength between the suture and the needle. Before the swaging, the needle is held by the needle retaining unit 16, and the end of the needle N is pushed to a certain position by a rod 99 or its equivalent. Thereby, the end of the needle N relative to the needle retaining unit 16 is accurately positioned.

A hypodermic needle featuring a multi-beveled point geometry is disclosed. In one embodiment, the multi-beveled point features a primary bevel, a pair of tip bevels, and a pair of middle bevels each intermediate the primary bevel and a respective one of the tip bevels. The primary and middle bevels are provided at angles of inclination, measured between the central axis and a reference plane that are substantially identical. The tip bevels are formed at an angle of inclination respective to the central axis which is not equal to the angle of inclination at which the primary and middle bevels are formed. The resulting five-beveled point geometry contributes to a more continuous bevel face free of abrupt intercepts or transitions between the respective bevel faces, lessening the penetration force required to urge the needle point through skin, flesh, or other material.

A new machine for and method of manufacturing fluted pin fasteners and the pins produced thereby are disclosed which utilize a circular grinding arrangement of a plurality of grinders which grind flutes into a threaded pin. An internally threaded collar threads onto the pin. When the collar engages a surface of a work piece, resistance to further threading increases. When sufficient resistance to threading occurs, the driver deforms the lobes of the collar radially inward toward the axis of the collar. Material of the collar positioned internally from the lobes responds to deformation of the lobes and flows radially inward into the flutes of the pin to lock the collar, pin, and work piece together. The driver then rotates freely, and a joint has been made with a predetermined axial load thereby locking the component parts together. The apparatus grinding the flutes into the pins comprises a vibratory feed bowl loading threaded pins into a four station rotary drum assembly rotationally driven by a drive mechanism through a plurality of stations. There is a feed station to receive pins into drum assembly, a grind station to grind the pins, and an eject station to eject the ground pins. The circular arrangement of grinders is mounted on a table which is translated up and down by an air spring against a cam wheel to grind the pins located at the grinding station.

A swaging apparatus for attaching sutures to surgical needles includes at least a first die and a second die. The first die has a first member, which includes a first surface, and a second member, which includes a second surface. The second member is movable relative to the first member between an extended position, in which the second surface extends beyond the first surface, and a retracted position, in which the second surface does not extend beyond the first surface. The second die has at least one surface and is movable relative to the first die between a remote position and an adjacent position. When the second die moves relative to the first die from the remote position towards the adjacent position, the second member of the first die is caused to move from the extended position towards the retracted position, and the surfaces of the first and second dies cooperate with one another so as to swage a surgical needle positioned between the first and second dies. The second member of the first die is movable to the retracted position when the second die abuts the first die. In this manner, surgical needles of many different types or sizes can be swaged by the swaging apparatus.

A method and an apparatus is disclosed for forming a one-piece introducer needle having a member portion and a needle portion by introducing a photoresist on a substrate. The temperature of the substrate is increased and then decreased. A photomask is deposited onto a substrate.

A tip portion of a needle main body having an edge point includes a first slant surface slanted at 10-18 degrees with respect to the axis of the needle main body, a pair of second slant surfaces slanted at 16-23 degrees, and a pair of third slant surfaces slanted at 19-27 degrees. The ratios of the lengths of the first, second, and third slant surfaces are set to be 40-50%, 5-15%, and 35-55%. At the time of forming the second slant surfaces and the third slant surfaces, a grinding wheel or the needle main body is turned relative to the other in a horizontal plane so that the direction of axis of the grinding wheel and the direction of axis of the needle main body are in a twisted or distorted relationship from a substantially orthogonal relationship such that the radial outer sides of the second and the third slant surfaces are included downwardly.

A quilting needle for achieving substantially uniform stitches in a multi-layer fabric/batten quilting substrate. The needle is formed as an elongated straight slender needle body having an eyelet at one end thereof sized for receiving a quilting thread therethrough and a sharp quilting fabric piercing point at another end of the needle body. A viewable stitch size guide is permanently disposed on the needle body so as not to disrupt the smooth needle body surface and is positioned from the point a distance equal to a desired stitch size. Successive stitches formed into the substrate of uniform size or length when the needle body is consistently pierced through the substrate to a depth defined when said stitch size guide just touches or meets and aligns with an obverse surface of the substrate before piercing the point into a reverse surface of the substrate to complete each stitch.

A method for manufacturing a surgical needle devoid of a grinding process includes the steps of swaging a needle blank to define a substantially tapered or conical needle end, pressing the tapered needle to form a plurality of intersecting surfaces and forming cutting edges along the lines of intersection of the intersecting sides. The needle may be subjected to an etching process (e.g., an acid bath) to sharpen the cutting edges and/or provide a matte finish on the needle. The needle produced by the novel process is extremely sharp and durable, and exhibits an enhanced retention of sharpness relative to conventional ground needles over periods of prolonged use.

A process for manufacturing a surgical needle incorporates at least one pressing operation which, preferably, in conjunction with a trimming and/or etching process, ultimately forms the sharpened needle end. The grinding operation in the preferred process does not produce the primary sharpened edges of the needle, but, rather is incorporated, in one instance, to reduce excess needle material prior to the pressing operation. Consequently, the amount of flash material generated during pressing is substantially reduced. This feature desirably enhances the subsequent trimming and etching operations, and produces a needle which is extremely sharp, durable and exhibits an improved retention of sharpness over periods of prolonged use.

In a manipulator needle portion defect repairing method, the existence of an abrasion or a fracture in a needle portion for holding a sample at an end of a manipulator disposed in an FIB device is confirmed using a microscope function of the FIB device. The abrasion or the fracture in the needle portion is then repaired by chemical vapor deposition using a focused ion beam of the FIB device.

Surgical needles are produced by immersing a needle possessing a distal end surrounded at least in part by flash material and a body portion in an acid bath according to a predetermined sequence, wherein the distal end of the needle is exposed to the acid bath under conditions sufficient to remove flash material from the distal end of the needle and the body portion of the needle is exposed to the acid bath under conditions sufficient to provide a matte finish on at least a portion of the body portion of the needle.

A process for manufacturing a surgical needle incorporates at least one pressing operation which, preferably, in conjunction with a trimming and/or etching process, ultimately forms the sharpened needle end. The grinding operation in the preferred process does not produce the primary sharpened edges of the needle, but, rather is incorporated, in one instance, to reduce excess needle material prior to the pressing operation. Consequently, the amount of flash material generated during pressing is substantially reduced. This feature desirably enhances the subsequent trimming and etching operations, and produces a needle which is extremely sharp, durable and exhibits an improved retention of sharpness over periods of prolonged use.

A method of mechanically treating alloy metal surgical needles to improve bending strength is disclosed. The needles are curved and reverse-curved in this method to improve bending strength.

In a method of attaching a suture to a needle barrel, a first compression stroke compresses the radially-defined top of the barrel against a suture in the bore of the barrel while restraining the bottom and sides of the barrel against deformation. A second compression stroke compresses the bottom of the barrel against the suture while restraining the sides against deformation. In another method, the top and bottom are compressed concurrently while the sides are restrained against deformation. An apparatus for attaching a suture to a needle barrel includes two die sets, each including a die with a groove therein. In one die set, the groove protects the bottom and sides of the barrel from deformation while the top is compressed. In the other die set, the groove protects the sides of the barrel from deformation while the bottom is compressed.

In a process for producing a microneedle (12) that can be inserted into body tissue in which a needle tip (20) and a preferably capillary collecting channel (14) having a distal inlet for body fluid formed at the needle tip (20) are formed, it is provided that at least part of a preform (38) prefabricated from a flat material is shaped into a tubular structure (22) so that the collecting channel (14) is at least substantially annularly closed in the cross-section in the area of the tubular structure (22).

A method of stress relieving drilled surgical needles is disclosed. At least the metal about a drilled bore hole is heat treated to relieve stress without annealing.

An information handling system (IHS) employs a power fault protection circuit to protect the IHS from overvoltages which may occur on an information line from a power adapter to the IHS. The system includes a processor coupled to the protection circuit. The circuit is operative in a first mode to decouple an information line from the IHS in response to a disable command and operative in a second mode to decouple the information line from the IHS when a voltage in the information line exceeds a predetermined threshold voltage.

A rodless power cylinder includes a cylinder body, a piston assembly adapted to reciprocate in the cylinder body, a magnet mounted at each of the two ends of the piston assembly, a valve mounted at each of the two ends of the cylinder body for guiding a flow of air or fluid in and out of the cylinder body to cause the piston assembly to reciprocate, a magnetic sensor mounted in a sensor mounting groove at each of the two valves for sensing the position of the respective magnet, a movable member mounted around the cylinder body and coupled to the piston assembly by a magnetic force for synchronous reciprocating motion.

A pedestrian-friendly forward structure of a motor vehicle includes a grill opening reinforcement (GOR), a front fascia located forward of and spaced from the GOR, and a support bracket extending transversely to the vehicle forward of the GOR and rearward of the front fascia. The support bracket has a transverse cross-bar and left and right legs extending rearward from a cross-bar adjacent opposite ends thereof. The legs are attached to respective outboard positions on the GOR, and the cross-bar has an upper flange underlying an upper rear panel of the front fascia. If a pedestrian strikes the forward structure, the fascia and support bracket yield rearward in an injury-reducing manner.

A material handling vehicle includes a laminated bumper that provides both durability and reduced energy transmissibility. The laminated bumper includes at least a first bumper layer and a second bumper layer, such that at least one of the first bumper layer and second bumper layer of the laminate bumper are allowed to translate upon bumper contact with an object.

What is described is a middle buffer coupling for rail-bound vehicles, comprising two coupling halves (2, 2') to be coupled together attached to vehicle parts (A, B), each of said coupling halves (2, 2') comprising a coupling rod (8, 8') with a coupling head (12, 12'), and comprising a connecting element (16) for manually connecting the two coupling heads (12, 12'). Disposed at each coupling head (12, 12') is an electrical contact element (32, 34) for contacting with the contact element of the other respective coupling head (12, 12') when the two coupling halves (2, 2') are coupled. Routed within each coupling rod (8, 8') are electrical lines (18, 18') that lead from the contact elements (32, 34) of the associated coupling head (12, 12') to the vehicle part (A, B) to which the coupling halves (2, 2') comprising said coupling rods (8, 8') are attached, respectively.

A container and method are provided for storing fat containing liquid products. The container includes a body defining a storage chamber for receiving the product, and a container closure. A first material portion forms at least most of the surface area overlying the storage chamber that can contact any product therein. Neither the body nor the first material portion leach more than a predetermined amount of leachables into the product or undesirably alter a taste profile thereof. A needle penetrable and thermally resealable second material portion either (i) overlies the first material portion and cannot contact any product within the storage chamber, or (ii) forms a substantially lesser surface area overlying the storage chamber that can contact any product therein in comparison to the first material portion. A sealing portion is engageable with the body to form a substantially dry hermetic seal between the container closure and body.

A pressure-stable cylinder/piston unit which blocks water vapor and oxygen and is designed for a needle-free injector, with a chamber arranged in a cylinder, which blocks water vapor and oxygen, and designed for long-term and sterile storage of an injection solution, an end wall with at least one nozzle bore or one outlet element, a pressure-stable outer cylinder, and a pressure-stable piston arranged movably in the chamber and blocking water vapor and oxygen. Methods for bubble-free, automatic or manual filling of the cylinder/piston unit, also at atmospheric pressure are also disclosed.

A hydrocarbon drilling tubulars storage and handling system, said system comprising: —first and second rotary storage racks, each rotary storage rack being rotatable about a vertical axis and having storage slots for storage of multiple tubulars in each rotary storage rack in vertical orientation, the first and second rotary storage rack each including a drive to rotate the storage rack about its vertical axis, —a tubulars racking device positioned between the first and second rotary storage racks, said racking device including a rotary structure that is rotatable about a vertical axis and a drive to rotate the rotary column structure about said vertical axis, the rotary structure supporting at a first side thereof a first tubular racker assembly and at a second side thereof a second tubular racker assembly, each tubular racker assembly including one or more one gripping members adapted to grip a tubular.

A manual marine winch includes a safety knockout override preventing release of winch tension without the handle in stowed position. The winch includes a housing; a rotating drum on the housing; a winch line on the drum; a control for spooling and un-spooling the winch line on the drum, wherein the control includes a handle for selectively tensioning the drum and moveable between a position engaged with the drum and a disengaged stowed position; a tension holding mechanism on the housing comprising a ratchet gear coupled to the drum, a pawl selectively engaged with the ratchet gear, and a knockout configures to selectively disengage the pawl from the gear to allow for release of winch tension; and a safety knockout override coupled to the housing and selectively engaged by the handle and configured to prevent release of winch tension when the handle is not in the stowed position.

An extension has a main extension body with a first extension end and a second extension end, an extension passage is defined there between. An annular extension recess is formed about the extension passage at the first extension end. An annular extension flange is formed about the extension passage at the second extension end. A saddle has a main saddle body with a first saddle end and a second saddle end with a saddle passage defined there between. An annular saddle flange is formed about the saddle passage at the second saddle end. A fastener has an elongate shaft with a first shaft end and a second shaft end. A head is at the first shaft end. A fastening engagement is about the second shaft end. The shaft is configured to be disposed within the saddle passage and the extension passage.

A boom truck includes a telescopic lifting boom with a lifting unit and a support structure having a first support arranged on the chassis of the boom truck. A second support in the form of an elongated bearing and support beam body extends in the longitudinal direction of the boom truck. The beam body is pivotally mounted to the first support about a rear bearing axis, whereas the lifting boom is pivotally mounted to beam body about a front bearing axis. Actuators act on the beam body and the lifting boom as a unit and act to pivot the lifting boom about the front bearing axis.

A pipe handling apparatus has a frame, a boom pivotally connected to the frame so as to be movable between a first position and a second position, an arm extending outwardly of the boom when the boom is in the second position, a gripper affixed to the end of the arm opposite the boom, a first line having a first end affixed to the boom, a second line interconnected to an opposite end of the first line and connected to the frame, and an actuator interconnected to the first and second lines. The actuator changes an angular relationship of the first and second lines so as to selectively tension the lines. The second line includes a first cable offset from linear alignment with the first line and a second cable extending in angular relationship with the first cable.

A method and an apparatus for handling and/or servicing components of a wind turbine, such as installing and/or dismantling components into or from a wind turbine nacelle or such as servicing exterior components such as blades, hub, tower and nacelle of the wind turbine are disclosed. The gripping apparatus comprising at least one arm for gripping around the wind turbine tower, the at least one arm capable of forming a gap between gripping elements of the gripping apparatus. The at least one arm extends around the entire outer circumference, seen perpendicular to a horizontal plane, of the wind turbine tower.

A damper system may include a handle mechanism for use with a damper actuator system. Illustratively, the handle mechanism may include a drive gear mechanism, a handle, a housing, and a spring, and may be actuated to set a crack pressure for the damper system. The handle may connect to the drive gear mechanism at a drive gear arm of the drive gear mechanism and may flip over or about the drive gear arm to move from a first position to a second position. In some instances, once the handle is in the second position, a force may be applied thereto to disengage the drive gear from a stop member and thereafter, the handle may be rotated to change the crack pressure of the damper system.

The present invention discloses a double-handle faucet, comprising two valve seats, two spools, two inlet pins, two handles, an outlet pipe, a connecting tube, an upper panel, and a lower panel. The double-handle faucet further comprises two semi-cladding members. The two valve seats, the connecting tube, and the two semi-cladding members are all made of a plastic material. Each of the valve seats is provided with an upper annular flange and a lower annular flange. Each of the inlet pins is further provided with a connecting ring. Each of the semi-cladding members comprises two first enveloping parts and a second enveloping part. The two first enveloping parts are located at both sides and correspond to the positions of the valve seats. The second enveloping parts of the two valve seats together cover the outer side of the connecting tube. The two semi-cladding members oppositely cover the outer side of two valve seats to fasten the inlet pin and the valve seats. As compared with the prior art, the present invention not only avoids lead contamination, but also has a low cost.

The present invention discloses a novel double-handle faucet comprising two valve seats, two spools, two inlet pins, two handles, an outlet pipe, a connecting tube, an upper panel, a lower panel, a cladding member, and two caps, the two valve seats, the connecting tube, the cladding member, and two caps are all made of a plastic material, each of the valve seats is provided with an upper annular flange and a lower annular flange, each of the inlet pins is further provided with a connecting ring, the cladding member comprises two first enveloping parts and a second enveloping part, the two first enveloping parts are located at both sides and are both provided with a chamber for accommodating the valve seats at respective side, the chamber is provided with a positioning step at the bottom, the connecting ring is abutted against the positioning step, the second enveloping part covers the outer side of the connecting tube, each of the caps is provided with a cover body and a circular engaging edge which is formed along the periphery of the cover body. As compared with the prior art, the present invention not only avoids lead contamination, but also has a low cost.

An automatic lathe is provided including a table stand having a top with a plurality of legs coupled thereto and extending downwardly therefrom. A pair of spindle spinning assemblies are positioned on the top of the table stand. Each spindle spinning assembly has a securement rod rotatably mounted thereon which is adapted to releasably secure to an end of a spindle for spinning the same. A carriage assembly is adapted to slide between each spindle spinning assembly. The carriage assembly has a blade mechanism mounted thereon for engaging a front surface of the spindle secured between the spindle assemblies. The carriage assembly further includes a carriage motor functioning to move the carriage in a forward direction upon the receipt of a forward signal and move the carriage in a reverse direction upon the receipt of a reverse signal only when the carriage motor is actuated. Finally, a reverse direction mechanism serves to transmit the forward signal to the carriage motor when the carriage is moving in a reverse direction and reaches a first end of the top of the table stand. Further, the reverse direction mechanism transmits the reverse signal to the carriage motor when the carriage is moving in a forward direction and reaches a second end of the top of the table stand.

A way of making small, fragile, decorative handles on a lathe is disclosed along with tools for gluing pen-tubes into these handles is shown. Use of these tools and methods of use allows wood turners to avoid excessive rework and mess associated with the gluing process of making pen blanks while assuring better product due to more complete and uniform distribution of the adhesive layer.

The invention relates to a device (10) for handling notes of value, comprising a sensor unit (300) for detection of at least one feature of each note of value, and a control unit (28) which classifies the notes of value into accepted notes of value and sheet-shaped media to be returned, dependent on the feature to be detected by the sensor unit (300). A sorting gate (400) is arranged downstream the sensor unit (300), wherein the control unit (28) controls the sorting gate (400) to supply notes of value classified as accepted notes of value to a first intermediate storage (32), and notes of value classified as sheet-shaped media to be returned to a second intermediate storage (500).

The invention relates to a device (10) for handling notes of value, comprising two intermediate storages (32, 500) for intermediate storage of notes of value and a stack combining unit (802). The stack combining unit (802) combines a first stack formed by notes of value intermediately stored in the first intermediate storage (32) and a second stack formed by notes of value intermediately stored in the second intermediate storage (500) to a single combined stack.

The invention relates to a device (10) for handling notes of value, comprising an input unit (20) for input of at least one note of value, and a transport unit (24, 26, 248, 302, 304) for transport of the note of value into a transport direction (P1) along a transport path (218). A control unit (28) determines the note of value type of the note of value dependent on an image comprising a representation of the input note of value that is captured by means of an image detection unit (306), and dependent on the note of value type determined controls at least one processing unit (400, 600) for further processing the note of value that is located downstream the image detection unit (306).

A device for handling notes of value including a transport unit for transport of the notes of value in a transport direction along a transport path, and an aligning unit for alignment of the notes of value. The device further includes a sensor arranged upstream of the aligning unit for determining at least one feature of the notes of value, and a control unit that controls the aligning unit such that the aligning unit aligns each note of value depending on the determined expression of the feature of the note of value in a preset first target alignment or at least in a preset second target alignment that is different from the first target alignment.

A coin dispensing apparatus has a cabinet serving as an apparatus housing for the apparatus. The apparatus has a control means for controlling the apparatus. The apparatus further has a module for receiving, optionally validating and optionally sorting coins of different types and at least one dispenser for coins to be dispensed. The apparatus also comprises a filling compartment comprising a plurality of dispense locations. Each dispense location is adapted for receiving a portable coin receptacle for collecting dispensed coins from a specific dispenser. The apparatus is adapted to dispense a specific amount of coins under control of said control means to at least one portable coin receptacle at a specific dispense location in said filling compartment. The control means is adapted to only start the dispense operation at said specific dispense location if a portable coin receptacle is present at the location.

A paper sheet processing apparatus includes: an insertion slot through which a paper sheet is inserted; a sensor which detects insertion of the paper sheet; a traveling route through which the paper sheet is conveyed; a light emitting part which irradiates the traveling route with light; a light receiving part which receives light from the traveling route; a black calibration part which sets a reference value for the lowest brightness in a state that the emission of the light emitting part is ineffective; and an authenticity judgment processing part which judges an authenticity. The black calibration part can set the reference value before the authenticity judgment processing part judges the authenticity after the sensor detects the insertion of the paper sheet at every time when the paper sheet is inserted.

In a money handling apparatus 10, an inlet 21 receives money of a plurality of different currencies. A control unit 40 controls a transport unit 31 such that the money is sorted and delivered from the transport unit 31 to the outlets 23, 24 and 25 based on a money recognition result by a recognition unit 32. The control unit 40 judges whether the currency having been recognized by the recognition unit 32 is assigned to any of the outlet 23, 24 and 25. When this happens, the control unit 40 transports the money to the assigned outlet. When the currency of the money having been recognized by the recognition unit 32 is not assigned to any of the outlet 23, 24 and 25, if there is an outlet to which no currency is assigned, the control unit 40 assigns and transports the money to that outlet.

Provided is a paper sheet handling device with which paper currency having an optimal property can be deposited and disbursed without reducing the number of denominations than can be handled, and without changing the higher-level system. This paper sheet handling device is equipped with: multiple cassettes provide respectively for each classification based on the value of a paper sheet, with each of the multiple cassettes having multiple housing units a storage unit that associates and stores a housing unit housing status, and a main control unit, which executes paper sheet deposit/disbursement processes on the basis of the housing unit housing status and the cassette housing status stored by the storage unit.

In one embodiment, a banknote handling machine includes a recognition unit configured to recognize a kind of each banknote taken in a take-in unit, a plurality of stacking units, respectively configured to stack therein the banknotes, a transport unit configured to transport the banknotes, respectively recognized by the recognition unit, to any of the plurality of stacking units, an instruction accepting unit configured to accept an instruction concerning an automatic decision mode provided for deciding the kind of the banknotes to be stacked, by utilizing a recognition result obtained by the recognition unit, for each of the plurality of stacking units, and a control unit configured to control the transport unit to transport each banknote to a destination, which destination is decided based on the instruction accepted by the instruction accepting unit and on the recognition result obtained by the recognition unit.

A banknote handling device includes a safe that protects banknotes (casing of a second unit), a first conveyance path externally provided to the safe, and a second conveyance path internally provided to the safe. The safe is provided with at least one opening portion through which the banknotes pass. A passing unit including a passing conveyance mechanism that passes a banknote between the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path and a left-behind sensor that detects a banknote that is left-behind, is detachably installed inside the opening portion of the safe.

There is provided a cash handling system capable of reliably storing sales proceeds and the like stored in a cash settlement apparatus into a cash accounting apparatus. A cash management system 1 includes a cash settlement apparatus 11, a cash accounting apparatus 21 and the cash transport cassette 30. The cash settlement apparatus 11 and the cash accounting apparatus 21 have reading units 157, 257, respectively, which are configured to read out cassette ID information from a memory unit 35 of the cash transport cassette 30. In addition, the cash management system 1 further includes: a management unit 26 having a depositing judgment unit 26A configured to judge whether cash in the cash settlement apparatus 11 to be received by the cash transport cassette 30 can be deposited into the cash accounting apparatus 21 or not; a guide apparatus configured to guide information from the management unit 26; and a comparison unit 27 configured to compare the cassette ID information read out by the reading unit 257 of the cash accounting apparatus 21 and the information from the management unit 26.

A saddle-ride type vehicle which includes catalyst devices in left and right exhaust flow passages can suppress effect of the catalyst devices on the reach to the ground even if the sizes of catalysts are large. The vehicle includes: exhaust flow passages connected to a multi-cylinder engine and disposed independently on left and right sides of a vehicle body; a first catalyst device provided in a middle of the left exhaust flow passage; a second catalyst device provided in a middle of the right exhaust flow passage; a swing arm pivotally supporting a rear wheel such that the rear wheel is swingable, the saddle-ride type vehicle includes silencers connected to portions of the exhaust flow passages downstream of the first catalyst device and the second catalyst device, and the first catalyst device and the second catalyst device are arranged side by side below the swing arm.

A long handled sock donning tool includes a handle portion adapted to be gripped by a user and an opposing sock engaging portion. The sock engagement portion includes first and second flanges spaced from an elongated support by first and second spacers. Each of the flanges include a sock engagement arm for retaining a sock thereon, and an opposing stabilizing arm for supporting the tool during the mounting of the sock onto the tool. First and second rubber sock gripping portions help retain the sock on the tool. Once an upper portion of a sock is folded over the sock gripping portions, a user's foot can be inserted into the sock comfortably without being forced into contact with a hard plastic wall of the tool. Additionally, the tool can be used as a shoe horn by fitting one of the first and second flanges into the heel of a shoe.

A pre-threaded and knotted needle with a length of thread knotted though the eye of the needle and a connection securing the ends of the thread and a sleeve securing a bundle of the thread so that the thread is not tangled until it is released and ready for use The thread is bundle is formed by wrapping it into a bundle and securing a sleeve around the bundle of the thread so that the thread is not tangled until it is released and ready for use. The bundle is released for use by pulling on the needle and the end of the thread to release the bundle of thread.

Methods and apparatus for parsing friendly and error resilient merge flag coding in video coding are provided. In some methods, in contrast to merging candidate list size dependent coding of the merge flag in the prior art, a merge flag is always encoded in the encoded bit stream for each inter-predicted prediction unit (PU) that is not encoded using skip mode. In some methods, in contrast to the prior art that allowed the merging candidate list to be empty, one or more zero motion vector merging candidates formatted according to the prediction type of the slice containing a PU are added to the merging candidate list if needed to ensure that the list is not empty and/or to ensure that the list contains a maximum number of merging candidates.