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Who we support and Advocate for:
Let Kids Be Kids™ supports the following organizations, and others, with donations, articles/videos through Connemara Productions, video interviews, joint fund raising and volunteerism at various events.
See the following presentation on Let Kids Be Kids.
We actively support these organizations with finances, volunteering and promoting their services.*American Cancer Society - Road to Recovery program, *Washington Talking Book and Braille Library *Special Olympics *NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness *Woodland Park Zoo *Washington State Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty *Natives Rising *Avivara (Guat) *Roots *AZADZ *Teachabout (AUS) *Heifer *Survival International (AUS) *Earthwatch Institute *Code Pink, *Save the Children *Sandy Hook Promise *YMCA Teen Global Leadership Initiative *SNAP *Acorn *Sierra Club *Audubon *Interfaith Council on Homelessness *Balcoomb (AUS) *Lifelong AIDS Alliance *Multifaith Works *Samaritan *PAWS *The Little Bit Program *Wolfhaven *Sierra Club *Ducks Unlimited *#yeson1401 and various individuals needing help and a voice...
We contribute time, money,clothing, tents, sleeping bags, gloves, meals, housing support, transportation to residents in various homeless shelters and outdoor camps. Part of our advocacy work is to assist people who are temporarily blocked by systems they may not understand. This is "one on one" assistance to people who have asked for help i.e. helping a homeless diabetic secure a companion dog that will warn him to seizures.We continue our commitment to those who are suffering from HIV/AIDS and the loneliness, isolation and abandonment that so often accompanies their struggles by highlighting, being on a team, promoting healthy choices. Our book "Ice" speaks to the realities of living with a termonl diseaseLet Kids Be Kids, Inc. volunteers their time at the Woodland Park Zoo, Samaritan. Care Teams, with the Seattle Mennonite outreach to the poor and to other non-profits needing physical assistance with various enterprises.
* Woodland Park Zoo Ambassador
* Earthwatch Ambassador
* Member of Advisory Team to YMCA International Programs, Teen Leadership & Development
* Member of Care Team Advisory Committee, Samaritan Center, in service to the terminally ill
* Advisor to Natives Rising, Tsimshian organization creating the "Kindness Campaign"
* Member Interfaith Task-Force on Homelessness
* Member Lake City Task-Force on Homelessness & Poverty
* Certificate of Appreciation, Service & Community Engagement, Seattle University 2013
* KING Television, "Girls and Friend with AIDS", listed as one 2012 favorites by anchor Dennis Bounds.
* Writers Union/AFL-CIO support to Youth Advocacy work in strengthening school curriculums.
* State of Washington Resolution #4652 honoring our work with young people.
* Women's Rights Advocacy-KOMO Television Interview- April 2011
* Girls Service to AIDS Patient - KING Television Segment June 2011
* Congressman Jim McDermott letter of support for kids outreach. (Duwamish Tribal recognition)
* Office of the Mayor, Greg Nickels, various enterprises and work with kids in community outreach.
* Salvation Army recognition of our work with kids and the elderly.
* Greater Seattle Cares recognizes my work with the poor involving young people into the solution.
* Seattle University highlights and reviews "View from the Tent."
* Children's Hospital recognition of support from students to kids in the hospital.
* Eileen Cody, State Representative, recognition and thanks for work with students and community programs and outreach.
* Duwamish Nation, recognition of support of kids to tribal identity.
* Seattle University, Magis, recognition and thanks for Katrina work,
student trip to work on homes in Mississippi and Alabama.
* Multifaith Works, recognition for HIV/AIDS "team" work.
* "View from the Tent" as "Best narrative on Homelessness..."
* Rotary International, Geelong, recognition of support.
* Lamalama, Coen, recognition of support and assistance…
* Nomination as Alumni of the year, Seattle University 2010.
* Bailey-Boushay House, letter of recognition for service and support for Carlson Center and youth involvement with residents.
* Mapoon letter of thanks for work on the Pennefather.
* Safe Passages, Guatemala, letters of thanks for volunteerism.
* Forward Edge recognition of Katrina work.
* Avivara, Guatemala, recognition of various contributions.
* San Pedro Sula Med Services, HIV training documentation.
* Most popular rating, Lulu.com, for "View from the Tent."
* Carlson Center, University of Washington, Service to UW students.
* Swedish Hospital/Univ. of Washington Medical,- HIV Works for Me!
* City Year, Seattle, conducted various youth seminars, job training, marketing of youth skills.
* Outstanding Service Award 2010, Holy Family School, "Caring Leadership"
* EarthWatch Institute - acknowledgement of support and articles on expeditions. 2015/2016 Ambassador for Earthwatch in NW.
* Lifelong Aids Alliance – recognition of fund raising and on-going volunteerism/Dine Out For Life ...
* Member of Magis-Seattle University/Youth Initiative
* Member Seattle Irish Club
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How can you sum up the unpredictable nature of the winter free agency game?
I always tell players that free agency is 70 percent planned, 30 percent 'we'll wait and see what happens'. The reality of it is that GMs, owners and everybody, they get involved. Last year was such a great example because no one had any idea that Pudge (Ivan Rodriguez) was going to wind up with Detroit except me and (Tigers owner) Mike Ilitch.
The truth of the matter is, I picked up the phone and called him because I knew what Mike wanted. I had listened to research of what Mike said during the season, what he planned to do. Fortunately, we put the deal together with (Tigers GM) Dave Dombrowski and it worked out. I'm not sure Dave had it planned in October - I doubt that he did.
So, any player who goes through the process understands there are different things that can arise.
How does Steve Finley's signing with the Angels impact the Carlos Beltran chase?
I had dinner with the owner of the Angels (Arte Moreno) last night, and I can assure you that very little of our conversation had anything do with outfielders. I don't know where a lot of that speculation came from, that the Angels were interested in Carlos Beltran.
They signed Vladimir Guerrero last year and also signed Garret Anderson last year, and they also signed Darin Erstad the year before that. When you're talking about a club that had two major free-agent signings in their outfield, it was kind of obvious to us that their next major signing would be a pitcher. I live in this area and watch the Angels play, and that pitching would be their priority was not a shock.
Do you see one of your players signing somewhere in the next few days?
I don't offer contracts. I always think that can happen, because we've had meetings that take things down the way. Clubs will sit down and say, 'OK, this is so important that we're going to jump to those levels.' But it's not something that's a planned affair, and frankly, I'm never the first to know because the club has to come to me.
What did you think of Jeff Kent's comment about the Dodgers winning without franchise players?
I think in this business there are good players and there are franchise players. Those are two different things. Jeff Kent is a very good player. In my opinion, and it may not be Mr. Kent's opinion, Mr. Gagne and Mr. Beltre are definitely franchise players.
Would you consider looking for a reduced one-year deal for Magglio Ordonez so that he can prove himself for next year's free agent market?
Magglio Ordonez is a player who has a meniscus tear. Anything else you heard is medically false. I say that because orthopedic surgeons will tell you he had a simple tear – that's all he had. Unfortunately, it took one exam in June and one in September to get the meniscus properly repaired.
Other than that, it's a very pedestrian element and there's nothing about Magglio Ordonez that needs to be re-proven. It's a very minor knee operation as a result of a failure to diagnose an anterior meniscus tear along with an original medial meniscus tear.
Obviously, every team that asks for his medical records will get a chance to see them and evaluate them.
What do you think about the Boston Red Sox and the Jason Varitek situation?
I don't think you spend money and don't sign Jason Varitek. I certainly believe that Jason belongs among the compensation scale of Jason Kendall, who's making $12 million, and Jorge Posada, and Pudge, who's making $10 million. You really know where Varitek belongs on that scale. We've had some proposals and still need to get to the point of the next level.
What do you think of the Detroit Tigers?
I think they may be the most improved team in the game. I think Mike Ilitch made it clear that he wants to take that team to the top. Pudge was just the start. I expect them to be aggressive.
Do you believe Carlos Beltran will sign somewhere by January 1?
I don't know. We have clubs that are really serious about Carlos, and they're really after him. They may make that decision for us.
Is Carlos coming to the winter meetings, and what is he looking for from a team?
He's not coming to the winter meetings, but he's been on a few trips with me so far. He wants an owner who'll give him the opportunity to win on a regular basis. He wants to be treated fairly the way premium players are. And he wants a place where his family can be comfortable to live.
Q&A with Scott Boras
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Rarities Surround Lynn-Kershaw BattleBoth pitchers faced off in a great pitching duel last night at Dodger Stadium, but no one earned the won, while the game finished in extra innings.
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Scouting Baseball05/23/2017

subset: commoncrawl


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Mediterranean lighting hardware
Explore related topics
Stunning medallion/ceiling feature and chandelier in kitchen
Another great transitional look, not quite traditional, not quite contemporary but a good mix with the lighting and coastal looking seating, but a very cool traditional table and sideboard. Like I always say, "its the mix of styles that make it your own." By Darci Goodman, Interior Designer; Long Beach, CA
Atmosphere Interior Design - bathrooms - gray walls, gray wall color, black and white floral art, marble floor tile, marble tiled floors, ma...
Black and white Mediterranean bathroom features a lantern hanging over a freestanding tub fitted with a deck mount tub filler placed under windows atop a white, gray and black mosaic tiled floor.
I like this house...what do you think??? Spacious luxury kitchen with a Mediterranean style throughout . . Several more designs <3
Caden Design Group: Mediterranean style kitchen with kitchen stove alcove with French range, built-in spice ...
Free Shipping-GSD01 Modern sliding glass barn door stainless steel hardware kit(satin) $269.00
Mediterranean kitchen features steel windows positioned over black cabinets adorned with vintage gold ring pulls fitted with a farmhouse sink and aged brass vintage style faucet paired with a white mosaic tiled backsplash.
$50 Canarm IPL222B01ORB Polo 1 Light Mini Pendant with Oil Rubbed Bronze Metal Shade
iron lighting~Old World, Mediterranean, Italian, Spanish & Tuscan Homes & Decor


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Anybody rock with him?
2016, watch out for Carti, he signed to A$AP Mob.
i seen a ***** pick up ran over, crushed xans from a gas station parking lot the other week lol
im cool off the liquor and weed #YallBoys trippin
but i like broke boi, plug and money counter
someone post them
most of his appeal is the cloudy, post-zaytoven mexiko dro beats
HE was workin tho
Broke Boi the best song of 2015 tho
After hearing the backstory it's kinda lame now.
Ian Connor is the lamest...most sus...goofiest dude in existence.
I swear I didn't notice dude in the back at first
definitely. Carti has some dope music, though.
NikeTalk is NOT affiliated with Nike Inc. in any way, shape, or form.
All opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Nike Inc.


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Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a program started by the Obama administration. Since August 15, 2012, certain undocumented immigrant youth who met strict requirements have been allowed to apply for deferred action, essentially placing their immigration cases on the back burner for purposes of immigration enforcement.
Key resources
• Información sobre DACA en español (USCIS)
• FAQs sobre DACA em Português (USCIS, setembro 2012)
• Updated DACA info (Immigrant Legal Resource Center)
• DACA document checklists: English, español, short version
This policy was implemented as a use of prosecutorial discretion, on a case-by-case basis, NOT as a new law, and is thus subject to change by the Trump administration. Despite railing against DACA during the campaign, President Trump has largely softened his language since his inauguration and has expressed a desire to do something to help the young people covered by the program. For now, the DACA program remains in place, although it could be eliminated or changed at any time. We have no real indication from the administration of what, if anything, it has planned for the future of the program.
For those thinking about submitting an initial application for DACA, MIRA would advise caution as it would require you to give the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) all of your information, including your address. The incremental risk is significantly lower for those seeking to renew their DACA status, as DHS already has their information. In either situation, MIRA strongly recommends consulting with an immigration attorney or a BIA-accredited representative to ensure that you meet eligibility requirements and are not putting yourself at risk of deportation by submitting an application.
How does DACA work?
Under DACA, immigrant youth who are at least 15 years old and meet the requirements are eligible for a favorable grant of prosecutorial discretion on a case-by-case basis. Qualified youth who meet the requirements, including those in immigration proceedings and those with a removal order, are able to file for deferred action with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
People who are granted DACA status can then apply for work authorization through USCIS and obtain a Social Security number. A grant of deferred action is effective for two years and is renewable. Individuals who have been granted DACA status and wish to renew have to reapply both for deferred action and for work authorization.
Youth who are currently in immigration detention cannot apply for deferred action and should contact their deportation officer or jail liaison.
Who qualifies for DACA?
Immigrants eligible for prosecutorial discretion are those who:
1. Entered the United States before their 16th birthday;
2. Have continually resided in the United States since June 15, 2007;
3. Are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a GED, or have been honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces;
4. Have not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety; and
5. Were under the age of 31 on June 15, 2012; and
6. Were out of status on June 15, 2012.
Immigration general considers a "felony" to be any crime for which the sentence can be over one year, no matter what the individual was actually sentenced to. As with all immigration applications, all applicants will be subject to an FBI background check to verify their criminal history.
How do I request deferred action?
Individuals requesting deferred action must file three forms with USCIS: I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals; I-765, Application for Employment Authorization; and the I-765 Worksheet. All forms can be obtained for free from the USCIS website. Applications from New England residents should be sent the USCIS Chicago Lockbox:
Via USPS
PO Box 5757
Chicago, IL 60680-5757
Via courier
Attn: DACA
131 S. Dearborn, 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60603-5517
Is there a fee for the application?
The total fee for a deferred action request is $495 ($410 for the application for Employment Authorization and $85 for biometrics).
Are fee waivers available?
No, fee waivers are not available for DACA requests. However, fee exemptions are available in three limited cases:
1. (a) Under 18 years old, (b) homeless, in foster care or otherwise lacking any parental or other familial support, and (c) your income is less than 150% of FPL;
2. (a) Cannot care for yourself because you suffer from a serious, chronic disability and (b) your income is less than 150% of FPL; or
3. (a) Have accumulated $25,000 or more in debt in the past 12 months as a result of unreimbursed medical expenses for yourself or an immediate family members and (b) your income is less than 150% of FPL.
A request for a fee exemption must be filed and favorably adjudicated before you file a request for consideration of DACA without a fee. Individuals seeking a fee exemption should send a signed request letter along with supporting documentation to USCIS:
Attn: DACA Fee Exemption Request
20 Massachusetts Ave. NW
4th floor, Suite 4300
Washington, DC 20529
If the request for a fee exemption is approval, the individual should attach a copy of the approval letter to the front of the DACA request package.
What is a significant misdemeanor?
USCIS had defined a significant misdemeanor as any misdemeanor conviction for:
• Domestic violence;
• Sexual abuse or exploitation;
• Burglary;
• Unlawful possession or use of a Firearm;
• Drug distribution or trafficking;
• Driving under the influence; or
• Any other misdemeanor for which the individual was sentenced to more than 90 days in custody.
Please be aware that immigration law considers a "continuance without a finding" as a conviction!
Is there a deadline for filing requests?
No, there is no deadline for filing a request. However, remember that because this is an administrative policy rather than a law, it could change at any time.


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Future engineering work
PAGE LAST UPDATED: 26/06/2017 14:57. Update now
See details of routes affected by planned engineering works, including when they take effect, maps of the affected area, alternative timetables, advice for alternative travel and real-time updates.
Check my journey
Amended East Midlands Trains services from Monday 17 to Friday 21 April
- Start date
- 17/04/2017 00:00
- End date
- 21/04/2017
- Route affected
Trains between Liverpool Lime Street and Nottingham
- TOC(s) affected
- East Midlands Trains;
- Description
Network Rail are carrying out engineering work in the Langley Mill area and also in the Beighton area, closing some lines.
Customer Advice:
Monday to Wednesday
The 19:52 train from Liverpool Lime Street to Nottingham will not call at Langley Mill. There will be a replacement bus service in operation between Alfreton and Nottingham to help you complete your journey.
The 21:37 Liverpool Lime Street to Nottingham will arrive in to Nottingham later than the normal timetable.
Tuesday to Friday
The 05:21 train from Nottingham to Liverpool Lime Street will run between Nottingham and Sheffield later than the normal timetable, before returning to its normal timetable from Sheffield.
Non folding bicycles are not allowed on rail replacement bus services at any time. Folding bicycles are allowed if fully folded. For more information, please see here.
Check before you travel:
You can plan your journey using the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner
You can read more about engineering work and why it is necessary.


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|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Dec 1, 1998
|Filing date
|Sep 23, 1997
|Priority date
|Sep 23, 1997
|Fee status
|Publication number
|Jeff L. Musick
|Original Assignee
|Musick; Jeff L.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (12), Referenced by (146), Classifications (8), Legal Events (8)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The present invention relates to a bed egress alarm system and, more particularly to an early warning bed egress alarm system designed to allow an attendant to reach a patient bed before the patient can evacuate the bed thereby preventing falls and other accidents.
In hospitals, long-term care facilities or nursing or convalescence facilities, there is a constant possibility of a bed-ridden patient exiting his or her bed unassisted. Often a patient may become disoriented or dizzy and fall unless an attendant is present to assist the patient. Alarm systems, often for use in conjunction with a nurse call system, have been used for some time to alert a nurse, aid, or other attendant that a person has evacuated a bed. Unfortunately, by the time these conventional "after the fact" systems sound an alarm, the patient has already left the bed and may already have fallen or otherwise injured himself. Similar hazards apply to certain patients seated in chairs. Alarm systems may be designed to identify patients who have stood up and may have fallen from the chair.
Several bed egress alarm sensors and systems have been patented. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,845 for BED PATIENT MONITORING SYSTEM; was issued Mar. 13, 1990 to Ron Wood. Wood utilizes a plurality of environmentally sealed ribbon switches sandwiched between stiff plexiglass sheets, the entire assembly then being disposed beneath a patient's mattress. The sensing system is used in cooperation with a normal nurse call function to provide an alarm signal when patient motion indicates bed egress. The Wood system is activated or deactivated by a switch on a bed rail. In contradistinction, the inventive sensor is designed for easy placement atop a patent's mattress and may be easily positioned by a single attendant. Unlike the Wood sensor, the inventive sensor is designed particularly for the early detection of patent motion indicating potential bed egress, thus allowing an attendant time to reach a patient before actual egress is accomplished. By means of an optional adapter, the inventive sensor may also be connected to a normal (i.e., a system expecting a normally closed (n/c) contact), fall monitoring or nurse call system while maintaining the early warning, edge sensing feature.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,284 for PATIENT-MONITORING BED COVERING DEVICE; issued Sep. 1, 1992 to Rawlings H. Hammett discloses a fitted, waterproof sheet structure with a plurality of both pressure and liquid sensors. Unlike the universal applicability of the inventive sensor, the Hammett structure is designed to fit only a single-size mattress. While the inventive sensor is nominally the width of a hospital mattress, its flexible construction and attachment features allow more flexibility in adapting the sensor to variety of environments. The inventive sensor may readily be manufactured in sizes to optimally function with a variety of mattress widths. In addition, although Hammett discloses a plurality of sensors, the device is incapable of differentiating between movements of the patent within the bed (e.g., rolling over) and movements indicating possible bed egress. In contradistinction, the inventive early warning sensor and alarm system is designed to differentiate such intra-bed movements from bed egress activities. The inventive sensor forms a single strip generally placed across the width of a mattress. This allows easier placement of the sensor under the hips of a reclining patient by a single attendant. Placement of the Hammett sensor requires the equivalent of changing the entire bottom bed sheet.
Another implementation of a bed egress monitor is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,112 for BED PATIENT POSITION MONITOR; issued Feb. 2, 1993 to Ignaty Gusakov. The Gusakov system features a pad with fluid-filled tubes connected to an external fluid source and, selectively, to external pressure sensors. Patient movement causes a pressure change in one or more of the fluid-filled tube which is sensed by the pressure transducers and translated into an alarm signal. Unlike the sensor of the instant invention, the Gusakov pad must be large enough to cover a significant portion of the patients mattress. The fluid-filled tubes are susceptible to damage and relatively expensive to manufacture. Also, the necessary external fluid supply apparatus and pressure sensors are both bulky and expensive. The inventive sensor, on the other hand, comprises a single, narrow band for installation under a patient's hip region atop the mattress with no fluid tubes or external pressure transducers. The inventive sensor is less expensive to manufacture and far less susceptible to damage than the sensor taught by Gusakov.
Yet another bed egress alarm system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,432 for PATIENT EXIT DETECTION MECHANISM FOR HOSPITAL BED; issued Jan. 4, 1994 to Stephen C. Travis. The Travis apparatus uses load cells at the four corners of a mattress-supporting frame to "weigh" the mattress, bedding and patient and to determine a center of gravity. In the event that a patient moves significantly towards the edge of the bed or actually evacuates the bed, the weights sensed by the four load cells change and, if the new calculated center of gravity is outside an acceptable range, an alarm signal is generated. In contradistinction, the inventive sensor system requires no expensive load cells and requires no calibration. No analog-to-digital convertors or microprocessors are required for the proper operation of the inventive system.
Yet another approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,012 for BED POSITION AND ACTIVITY SENSING APPARATUS; issued Oct. 4, 1994 to Russel Barham, et al. Barham, et al. utilize an elongated, pressure-sensitive variable resistor deployed along one axis of a mattress. Patient motion causes a resistance change which causes a current change which is sensed and compared. An excessive current change generates an alarm signal. Unlike the inventive system, the Barham, et al. apparatus is capable of generating the same current flow change from a wide variety of patient activities. Consequently, if the comparison threshold is sensitive enough to detect bed egress, it is probable that other non-egress patient motions could also generate an alarm. The early warning sensor and monitoring system of the present invention is specifically designed to reliably detect bed egress in progress so that an attendant may reach the patient before he or she has actually exited the bed. Barham, et al. can not accomplish this early warning function of the inventive sensor/monitor system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,996 for PATIENT MONITORING SHEETS; issued Sep. 12, 1995 to Howard T. Bellin discloses a multi-purpose, plural sensor sheet for deployment under a patient. A piezo-electric film is bonded within a sheet for generating a variety of signals from such diverse sources as heart beats, respiration, as well as patient movement. Buffer and summing amplifiers and filters perform analog signal conditioning before the generated signals are applied to an analog signal processing system. The Bellin system requires an expensive and relatively fragile sensor structure. In addition, sophisticated signal processing equipment is required to acquire and identify the signals originating from the patient. The system must have high sensitivity to detect respiration and heart beat signals. Such a sensitive system is susceptible to both mechanical and electrical interference and well as being relatively expensive to manufacture. In contradistinction, the inventive system is a single-purpose system designed for low-cost, effective, detection of pre-egress patient movements. It is easy to install and is unaffected by ambient electrical or magnetic fields. Neither does it require any electrical calibration or adjustment, thereby making it easily installed and operated by non-technical personnel.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,380 for PERSONAL MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD; issued May 21, 1996 to Donald A. Edwards teaches a bed-evacuation alarm system relying on a radio frequency (rf) field encompassing a designated volume in the vicinity of the bed. The monitored patient is required to wear an ankle bracelet or some similar article which may be detected by the rf monitoring system. Unlike the Edwards system, the inventive bed egress alarm system requires no rf transmitters or receivers. Nor does it require the attachment of any article or device to a patient's body. The low cost of the inventive system and its ease of installation and use readily differentiate it from the Edwards system. Most particularly, Edwards has no way to provide early warning of impending bed egress as does the inventive, early warning sensor and system.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a low-cost, easy to install patient monitoring sensor.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sensor capable of providing an early warning signal as a patient prepares to evacuate a bed, e.g., sits near the side of the bed or puts a leg out between the bed rails.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a patient monitoring system requiring no set-up, calibration or tuning which could require a skilled technician.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a sensor that is essentially unaffected by ambient electrical or magnetic fields.
It is another object of the invention to provide an early-warning sensor readily adapted for use with existing fall prevention monitors while maintaining the unique, early warning edge sensing feature.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a sensor easily installed atop a patients mattress, under the hips of a reclining patient, by one attendant without unduly disturbing the patient.
It is another object of the invention to provide a sensor structure easily anchored to the bed frame using self-contained fasteners.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a self-contained monitoring system specifically adapted for use with the inventive edge sensing sensor.
It is another object of the invention to provide a monitoring system with a single-button control for alternately arming and disabling the bed egress monitoring function.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a monitoring system with both visual and audible alerts to indicate operational status and to provide warning that a patient is about to leave his bed.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a monitoring system with selectable modes of operation allowing universal attachment to existing fall prevention monitors/patient alarm system regardless of the switching requirement of a particular fall prevention monitor.
It is a final object of the invention to provide a sensor system adaptable to monitoring the presence of a seated patient in a chair.
The present invention features a narrow, pressure-sensitive sensor pad for installation on top of and across the width of a mattress proximate the midsection of a reclining patient. A central pressure sensitive switch region indicates the presence of a patient in the center of the bed. Patient movement toward either edge of the bed activates a second sensor at each end of the pad which generates an early warning signal to attending personnel that a patient has moved from the center of the bed to an edge. This early warning signal provides time for an attendant to reach the patient before he or she has actually evacuated the bed. The system should prevent falls of dizzy or disoriented patients attempting to exit the bed without assistance. Converter/adapter circuitry is provided to adapt the inventive sensor to conventional hospital fall prevention monitoring systems. In addition, a sophisticated, self-contained monitor system specifically adapted for use with the inventive sensor is provided. Visual and audible alerts indicate change of operational status or provide an alarm indication. Relay contacts having selectable output closure modes are also provided allowing easy attachment of the monitor to a typical nurse call system. The monitoring system features two built-in time delay circuits. The first time delay allows a patient to briefly (i.e., one to five seconds) leave the sensor without generating an alarm. This time delay is adjustable by the attendant and may be adjusted to be responsive to the behavior characteristics of individual patients. A pre-set, backup setting of approximately eight seconds provides fault-sensitive fail-safe function in the event that the selectable time delay fails to properly function. A second time delay circuit is used to override the alarm system while either putting a patient into the bed or getting the patient out of bed. This also prevents false alarms during these patient transition times.
A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when taken in conjunction with the detail description thereof and in which:
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the sensor switch portion of the inventive alarm system;
FIG. 2a detailed view of the attachment of rubber bands to the inventive sensor;
FIG. 2b is a detailed view of an attachment clip;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the top and bottom layers of the sensor before assembly;
FIG. 4 is detailed drawing of the conductive ink pattern employed in the inventive sensor;
FIG. 5 is a detailed edge view of the printed conductive layer of the inventive sensor;
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the sensor assembly showing the openings in the insulating layer through which the conductive ink may make contact;
FIG. 7 is an end view of the converter/adapter showing the input connector and output cable and connector;
FIG. 8a as a exploded pictorial view of the convertor/adapter;
FIG. 8b is an electrical schematic diagram of the convertor/adapter; and
FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram on the inventive monitor system.
Generally speaking this invention relates to a bed occupancy monitoring and, more particularly to an early-warning bed egress alarm designed to summon nursing staff before a patient can actually leave the bed.
Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a top plan view of the sensor switch of the invention, reference number 10. Sensor switch assembly 10 a is soft, flexible assembly designed for easy installation across the width the mattress of a patient's bed. In the preferred embodiment, the overall length "1" of the sensor switch assembly 10 is between 30 and 32 inches, and the width "w" is approximately 3.5 inches. It should be obvious to those of skill in the art that the assembly could be built in a variety of widths and/or lengths to accommodate other operating environments or circumstances. Sensor switch assembly 10 is constructed using a polyester substrate 11. A central pressure-sensitive switch area 12 is designed to monitor the presence or absence of a patient at the center of a bed. In the preferred embodiment, central switch area 12 has a width of approximately 22 inches. Plural end pressure-sensitive switch areas 14a, 14b located at each end of sensor switch assembly 10 are designed to indicate the presence or absence of a patient at either edge of the mattress. An attachment cord 16 provides electrical interconnection between switch areas 12, 14a, 14b and a remote monitoring system (not shown). A pair of holes 18 allow for attaching anchoring ties to sensor switch assembly 10. Referring now also to FIGS. 2a and 2b, there are shown detailed drawings of the attachment mechanism of the inventive sensor assembly. In the preferred embodiment, rubber bands 20, each approximately 8-10 inches in length are looped through holes 18 in substrate 11. The other end of rubber bands 20 is attached to a spring clip 22. Clip 22 allows for securing the distal end of each rubber band 20 to the bed frame (not shown) or other suitable fastening point. The length of rubber bands 20 has been chosen to provide adequate tension in a typical hospital bed installation. It should also be obvious to those of skill in the art that different rubber band lengths, mounting hole numbers or locations, or fasteners other than those chosen for purposes of disclosure could be selected to function in a particular operating environment without departing from the true scope of the invention.
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a schematic view of sensor switch assembly 10 before assembly. Two substrates 24, 26 constructed from sheets of polyester or other suitable polymer film 24, 26, each nominally 0.007 inch thick and each also having the overall dimensions of sensor switch assembly 10. Films of between 0.005 and 0.010 inch thickness have been found suitable for use as substrates if suitable compensation is made in the size of the holes 36 (FIG. 6). Each film substrate 24, 26 is screen printed with conductive silver or silver/carbon ink 28 to form three distinct conductive areas 12, 14a, 14b, 12', 14a', 14b' on each substrate 24, 26, respectively. A suitable ink is catalog number E82-05 as supplied by Colonial, Inc. Switch areas 12', 14a', 14b' on polyester sheet 26 are printed as mirror images of switch areas 12, 14a, 14b on polyester sheet 24 respectively. The specific pattern of silver ink 28 deposited on sheets 24, 26 is shown in FIG. 4. It should be obvious that many other inking patterns could be employed to accomplish the function of the inventive switch sensor assembly 10. The pattern chosen for disclosure purposes has been optimized to provide maximum functionality and switch contact reliability for a minimum amount of silver ink 28. Silver ink 28 is also used to form electrical interconnections between switch areas 12, 14a, 14b and an electrical connector 30, 301 at one end of sensor switch assembly 10. DuPont part number 65801-004 has been found to be a suitable connector for this application. Switch areas 12', 14a', 14b' are all connected together also using silver ink 28. Electrical cable 16 is attached to connector 30, 301. A wide variety of connector devices and/or interfacing techniques well known in the art could also be used. The interface between connector 30, 301 and cord 16 is designed to be permanent i.e., cord 16 is not designed for removal from connector 30, 301 on switch sensor assembly 10 once the unit is assembled. Heat shrinkable tubing (not shown) surrounding the connector 30, 301 to cable 16 interface provides both mechanical strength and hermetic sealing for the electrical connection interface.
Referring now also to FIG. 5, there is shown a partial cross-sectional view of sensor switch assembly 10. Insulating layers 34, and optional insulating layer 34' are screen printed over switch areas 12, 14a, 14b and 12', 14a' 14b' respectively. Referring now also to FIG. 6, insulating layers 34, 34', are printed in a pattern having a series of openings 36 which will allow selective electrical contact through openings 36 between switch areas 12, 14a, 14b with corresponding switch areas 12', 14a', 14b' when sensor switch assembly 10 is compressed as is accomplished in typical use by the weight of a patient. FIG. 6 shows the patterns chosen for purposes of disclosure. It has been found that by controlling the size, number, and arrangement of the holes in both the end switching areas 14a, 14b that optimal sensor switch performance i.e., accurate closure as a patient moves from a central region of his or her bed to either edge of the bed, may be obtained. Suitable materials for printing insulating layers 34, 34' are screen-printable foam spacer materials such as catalog number Switchmark 2-7-2 supplied by Flexcon. The thickness of insulating layers 34, 34' and the geometry of the openings in the layer are used to adjust the sensitivity of the sensor. It has been found that for the edge sensing areas 14a, 14b to be actuated by a patient moving to the edge of the bed, these areas 14a, 14b must be less sensitive than the central sensing region 12 to minimize unwanted contact closure (i.e., false alarms) due to the more concentrated weight of an upright patient. Without the decreased sensitivity in regions 14a, 14b, the weight of a patients arm could possibly trigger the alarm.
Necessary electrical connections are made to connector 30, 301 and then polyester sheets 24, 26 and are sandwiched to form switch sensor assembly 10, the edges of sheets 24, 26 being sealed at their peripheries with an adhesive such as Switchmark 2-0-0-S supplied by Flexcon. The are many suitable screen-print adhesives well known to those of skill in the art which could be substituted. It has been found that by limiting adhesive penetration to only within approximately 0.070 inches of the conductive areas 12, 14a, 14b and avoiding placing adhesive between conductive switching areas 14a-12 and 12-14b respectively improves performance of sensor switch assembly 10. Air passages (not shown) are naturally formed in the interior regions of sensor assembly 10. It should also be noted that open areas 32 and 36 also function as air passages. It has been found that leaving openings (not shown) in the periphery of sensor assembly 10 in communication with these interior air passages provided a means for air to readily enter the sensor assembly after prolonged periods of storage or use. Certain operating environments or requirements may require a sealed sensor assembly 10. In these cases, all openings allowing are into or out of the interior of sensor assembly 10 may be sealed.
Sensor switch assembly 10 is designed to function as part of a novel bed-egress alarm system adapted to function with existing hospital patient monitoring/fall prevention systems. Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a side end view of one implementaion of a converter/adapter 40 showing the input connector 42 and output cable 48 and output connector 50. Cable 48 is typically terminated by an RJ11 crimp connector 50 well known in the telephony art. Other connectors may be used to meet a particular operating requirement. Cable 48 generally comprises four conductors, only three of which must be used. The forth conductor may be use as an optional ground connection when required. The inside sensing area 12 (FIG. 1) will appear at pin "1" of connector 42. The outside end-sensing switching areas 14a, 14b (FIG. 1) are provided with a common interface connection appearing at pin "2" of connector 42. There may be no connection to pin "3" of connector 42. When required, a forth conductor serving as a ground may appear at pin "3" of connector 42. Pin "4" of connector 42 is a common or ground connection.
Referring now to FIGS. 8a and 8b, there is shown an exploded, perspective view and an electrical schematic diagram respectively of an optional converter box 40 designed to easily interface the inventive sensor switch assembly 10 (FIG. 1) to a typical fall prevention alarm system (not shown). An input connector 42 designed to receive the RJ11 plug from sensor assembly 10. A field-effect transistor (FET) 44 is used to perform buffering and isolation function and to provide adequate drive current to the alarm or monitor system to which the inventive sensor 10 is to be attached. An output cable 48 is terminated with another RJ11 phone-style connector 50.
The inventive sensor switch assembly 10 (FIG. 1) is adapted to work cooperatively with a dedicated monitor interface and control unit 100, shown schematically in FIG. 9. Central switch contact 102 and edge switch contacts 104a, 104b are connected to monitor 100 by lines 106 and 108 respectively. An operator-accessible push button switch 110 is used to toggle edge sense select circuit 112, a divide-by-two flip-flop, between one of two output states. In the first output state, monitor 100 is adapted to operate with the inventive sensor 10 fully utilizing its bed edge sensing capability. In the second output state, monitor 100 is configured to work as a conventional, single-output monitor. This single-output mode could be selected when a very active patient has a history of false alarms. Two output signals 114, 116 from edge sense select circuit 112 are each connected to a solid state switch 118, 120, respectively. Switches 118, 120 may be electromagnetic relays, (such as a reed relays), solid-state switches, or any variety of electrically isolated electronic switches well known to those of skill in the circuit design art. When edge sense select circuit 112 is in its first (turn-on) output state (i.e., edge sensing is activated), output 114 is low (inactive) while output 116 is high (active). This causes switch 118 to be open and switch 120 to be closed thereby routing sensor output signal 108 to a first input of edge sense override circuit 122. Sensor output signal 106 is always connected to a second input of edge sense override circuit 122. Note that when push button switch 110 is depressed once to toggle the output of edge sense select circuit 112, the levels of output signals 114 and 116 are reversed. In this mode, switch 118 is closed and sensor output signals 106, 108 are connected together and applied to an input of edge sense override circuit 122. Switch 120 is opened thus removing any signal from the other input to edge sense override circuit 122. An LED 124 is connected to output 114 and indicates when the edge sense mode is selected.
Regardless of the mode of operation selected by edge sense select push button 110, when switch contact 102, 104a, 104b is opened (i.e., a patient removes his or her weight from the central region of sensor 10), an output signal 125 is generated by edge sense override circuit 122. Signal 125 is applied to one input of an "OR" circuit 126 and to the input of time delay circuit 128. Time delay circuit 128 will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow. The output of the "OR" circuit 126 is applied to the input of a second time delay circuit 130--the TIME DELAY BEFORE ALARM circuit. Time delay circuit 130 is equipped with a slide switch (not shown) by which one of three different resistors (not shown) may be selected as the "R" element of an "RC" timing circuit. In the preferred embodiment time delays of approximately 1, 3, or 5 seconds are selectable. It should be obvious that other numbers of selectable times or time values could be provided to meet a particular operating requirement without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Time delay circuit 128 is provided to prevent false alarms caused by a patient momentarily shifting his or her weight off the central region of sensor 10. The required time delay may be selected on a patient-by-patient basis to insure that for any given patient's behavior that monitor 100 will perform optimally.
Assuming that a sensor contact 102 remains open or that contacts 104a, 104b close longer than the time delay select for time delay circuit 130, an output signal is then generated after the time delay 130 which is provided to one side of three normally open switches 132, 134, 136. Switches 132, 134, 136 function as output mode selection switches which provide compatibility with differing requirements of various nurse call systems. Assuming that only switch 132 is closed, the output signal from time delay 130 is provided directly to the input of relay driver 138. Absent an input signal, relay driver 138 normally provides drive to the coil of relay 140. This is a fail-safe mode of operation wherein the loss of voltage or power to monitor 100 will result in an alarm signal being generated. Upon application of an input signal, relay driver 138 removes voltage from the coil of relay 140. The contacts of relay 134 are connected in an appropriate manner to an external nurse call/patient alarm system (not shown). It should be obvious to those having skill in the art that a variety of devices could be used to implement the functions of relay 140 and that relay 140 could have any contact arrangement necessary to properly interface with an existing alarm or nurse call system.
An alternate output mode may be selected by opening switch 132 and closing switch 134. In this mode, the output signal of time delay circuit 130 is applied to a free-running oscillator circuit 142 which provides a pulsing signal to the input of relay driver 138. In this manner, the contacts of relay 140 continuously open and close when an alarm condition has been sensed by monitor 100.
A third output mode may be selected by opening both switches 132, 134 and closing switch 136. In this mode, the output signal from time delay circuit 130 is applied to the input of a one-shot circuit 144. The single-pulse output of one-shot 144 is applied to the input of relay driver 138 resulting in a single, momentary transition of the contacts of relay 140.
An "ALARM" LED 146 is connected to the output of "NAND" circuit 148. One input to "NAND" circuit 148 is connected to the output of time delay 130. Consequently, absent a signal at the second input of "NAND" 148, LED will be off. The second input to "NAND" 148 is, however, connected to the output of free-running oscillator 142. During an alarm state, LED 146 will blink in synchronism with the intermittent closure of relay 140.
As well as the relay output interface to a nurse call-type system and the visual indicator described hereinabove, monitor 100 is equipped with an audible alarm. An audible alert device 150 is connected to the output of "OR" circuit 152. A first input to "OR" circuit 152 is connected to the output of time delay 130 so that a local, audible alert is sounded whenever an alarm condition is generated. A second input to "OR" circuit 152 is connected to the output of a monostable timer circuit, 154. In the preferred embodiment, timer 154 is adjusted to produce a 0.1 second signal which results in a short "beep" from audible alert 150. The input to timer 150 is connected to the output of event detector circuit 156. Event detector circuit 156 monitors several conditions within monitor 100 and provides a short (0.1 second) sonic burst from sonic alert 150 to signal several important conditions occurring during the setting or resetting of monitor 100 as will be described in detail hereinbelow.
Several of the innovative features of monitor 100 are found in its setting and resetting circuitry. When a patient is first entering the bed, it is important that spurious alarm signal not be generated. This is accomplished in the inventive monitor through the use of a multi-purpose push button switch 158, the "HOLD" switch. Hold switch 158 is connected between the output of time delay 128 and divide-by-two circuit 160 which allows to operate as a toggle, i.e., the output changes from high (active) to low (inactive) and vice versa upon alternate depressions of switch 158. While time delay 128 is "active" i.e., is performing its timing cycle, switch HOLD 158 is inoperable (i.e., no action results from depressing the switch). The means that the bed egress alarm can not be armed during the approximately fifteen seconds after the patient has first entered the bed and switch 102, 104a, or 104b are first closed or opened, respectively. If, as the patient enters the bed and the 15-second time delay starts, and the patient rises from the bed, even momentarily, the 15-second timeout is reset to zero and the timing cycle restarted. This is one way in which spurious, false alarms are prevented. Both divide-by-two circuit 160 and edge sense select flip-flop 112 are provided with a power on reset signal (not shown) which forces both circuits to a predetermined state upon the application of power to monitor 100.
When power is first applied to monitor 100, divide-by-two circuit 160 is forced into a state where its output, line 164 is low. When line 164 is low, "HOLD" LED 162 connected to the output of divide-by-two circuit 160, is illuminated. "HOLD" LED 162 serves to indicate to an attendant that the bed egress alarm system is disarmed. Line 164 from flip-flop 160 is connected to a first input of NAND 166. The second input to NAND 166 is connected to the output of edge sense override circuit 122. "MONITORING" LED 168 which is connected to the output of NAND 166, indicates to an attendant that the bed egress alarm system is armed and in its normal monitoring state. The output of NAND 166 is also connected to the second input of OR 126. This insures that an alarm signal can not be generate by time delay 130 in cooperation with the other circuitry described hereinabove until the system is armed and in the monitoring mode of operation. Finally, the output of NAND 166 is also connected to the input of divide-by-two circuit 160 to automatically arm the monitoring systems after the 15-second timeout of time delay 128. The output of divide-by-two circuit 160 is provided as a third input to event monitor 156. A change of the output state of flip-flip 160 generates an approximately 0.1 second audible sound to let an attendant know that the monitoring system is being either armed or disarmed, even if the "HOLD" and "MONITORING" LEDS are out of view of the attendant.
Once monitoring system 100 is armed and monitoring, one of two things may happen. First, as a patient moves towards the edge of the bed, he or she will close contact 104a or 104b and, after the selected time delay set by time delay 130, the alarm will be sounded. Second, an attendant will come to help the patient out of bed after first depressing HOLD switch 158. The system will be disarmed and no additional alarm signals will be generated.
In alternate embodiments, the sensor 10 (FIG. 1) may be reconfigured and adapted to work in a chair seat. While the weight of a seated patient is centered towards the rear of the chair, a primary sensing region contact similar to central region 12 (FIG. 1) will remain closed. As the seated patient shifts his or her weight towards the front of the chair in preparation for standing, a secondary switch area similar to edge-sense regions 14a, 14b (FIG. 1) is closed. The early egress feature of alarm system 100 will then function identically as when connected to the bed sensor 10 described in detail hereinabove.
Since other modifications and changes varied to fit a particular operating requirements and environment will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure, and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute a departure from the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequent appended claims.
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|Wcr Company
|System and method for monitoring frequency and intensity of movement by a recumbent subject
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|Integral, flexible, electronic patient sensing and monitoring system
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|Devices and methods for passive patient monitoring
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|Cherubini Julian H.
|Chair back monitoring device
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|Tekare Investments Inc.
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|Oct 7, 2004
|Shih-Yang Lee
|Health chair
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|Feb 17, 2005
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|Nov 25, 2003
|May 26, 2005
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|Nov 23, 2004
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|Apparatus for non-intrusively measuring health parameters of a subject and method of use thereof
|Mar 24, 2005
|Aug 4, 2005
|Dixon Stephen A.
|Romovable footboard for a hospital bed
|Feb 18, 2005
|Sep 1, 2005
|Gentry Jason M.
|Method and system for integrating a passive sensor array with a mattress for patient monitoring
|Nov 30, 2005
|Apr 20, 2006
|Reed William C
|System and method for medical information mining and delivery
|Jul 17, 2003
|Jul 13, 2006
|Tactex Controls Inc
|Bed occupant monitoring system
|Aug 21, 2006
|Feb 22, 2007
|Bed-Check Corporation
|Method and apparatus for temporarily disabling a patient monitor
|Jan 8, 2007
|Jul 12, 2007
|Arthur Koblasz
|Using RFID to prevent or detect falls, wandering, bed egress and medication errors
|Dec 7, 2006
|Jul 12, 2007
|Valence Broadband, Inc.
|Methods and systems for monitoring quality and performance at a healthcare facility
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|Dixon Stephen A
|Electrical Connector Assembly Suitable for a Bed Footboard
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|Jan 17, 2008
|Valence Broadband, Inc.
|Methods for refining patient, staff and visitor profiles used in monitoring quality and performance at a healthcare facility
|Jul 17, 2007
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|Valence Broadband, Inc.
|Methods and systems for monitoring patient support exiting and initiating response
|Jul 6, 2007
|Feb 7, 2008
|Valence Broadband, Inc.
|Methods and systems for monitoring staff/patient contacts and ratios
|Oct 10, 2005
|May 29, 2008
|Denso Corporation
|Collision Detection Device and Method of Manufacturing the Same
|Jan 22, 2008
|Jun 5, 2008
|Lokhorst David M
|Bed occupant monitoring system
|Dec 29, 2006
|Jul 3, 2008
|Nokia Corporation
|Method for the monitoring of sleep using an electronic device
|Jan 17, 2007
|Jul 17, 2008
|Hoana Medical, Inc.
|Bed exit and patient detection system
|Dec 11, 2007
|Feb 19, 2009
|Valence Broadband, Inc.
|Height adjustable patient support platforms
|Apr 11, 2008
|Feb 19, 2009
|Valence Broadband, Inc.
|Automatically adjusting patient platform support height in response to patient related events
|Mar 21, 2008
|Sep 24, 2009
|Inventec Corporation
|Computer apparatus and the function activating method thereof
|Apr 25, 2008
|Oct 29, 2009
|Kap Medical
|Patient position apparatus and method
|May 31, 2006
|Nov 26, 2009
|Ole Hansen
|Device for a bed alarm
|Apr 10, 2009
|Feb 4, 2010
|Richard Roussy
|Signaling device for detecting the presence of an object
|Mar 2, 2009
|Feb 25, 2010
|Heather-Marie Callanan Knight
|Wheelchair Alarm System and Method
|Oct 26, 2009
|Jul 1, 2010
|Rachel Dunford York
|Bed monitoring pad
|Feb 25, 2011
|Jun 16, 2011
|Bam Labs, Inc.
|Systems and methods for monitoring a subject at rest
|Jun 3, 2010
|Jun 30, 2011
|Clinkscales William L
|Paging interface adapter
|Jul 14, 2011
|Jan 19, 2012
|Healthsense, Inc.
|Occupancy sensor
|Mar 4, 2011
|Dec 27, 2012
|Keimyung University Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation
|Functional table for transferring patient
|Aug 30, 2012
|Mar 6, 2014
|Ronald B. Jalbert
|Interface pressure sensing mattress
|Sep 27, 2013
|Apr 3, 2014
|Careview Communications, Inc.
|System and method for monitoring a fall state of a patient while minimizing false alarms
|Nov 8, 2013
|May 8, 2014
|Rondish Co., Ltd.
|Bed monitoring pad
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|Nov 13, 2014
|Masimo Corporation
|Patient safety system with automatically adjusting bed
|Oct 14, 2014
|Apr 16, 2015
|Genetrainer Limited
|Weight sensing
|Dec 5, 2014
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|Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
|Patient monitoring system
|Feb 21, 2002
|Sep 6, 2002
|Trustees Of Boston University
|Patient monitoring system employing array of force sensors on a bedsheet or similar substrate
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|Oct 24, 2002
|Univ Boston
|Patient monitoring system employing array of force sensors on a bedsheet or similar substrate
|Jul 17, 2003
|Jan 22, 2004
|Tactex Controls Inc.
|Bed occupant monitoring system
|Aug 23, 2015
|Mar 2, 2017
|Paul Newham
|Modular systems for monitoring the presence of a person using a variety of sensing and connection devices
|U.S. Classification
|340/573.4, 340/575, 340/686.1, 340/666, 340/286.07
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Oct 23, 2000
Owner name: ULTIMATE SAFETY, INC., TEXAS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:MUSICK, JEFF L.;REEL/FRAME:011213/0349
Effective date: 19990322
|Jun 3, 2002
|Surcharge for late payment
|Jun 18, 2002
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Jul 9, 2002
|Patent reinstated due to the acceptance of a late maintenance fee
Effective date: 20020603
|Dec 2, 2002
|Surcharge for late payment
|Dec 2, 2002
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Year of fee payment: 4
|Feb 1, 2006
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|Apr 2, 2010
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12


text: Home Gallery Video American Tourister Gorilla Go Ahead, Beat Me Up Gorilla puts American Tourister to the test in DDB's classic ad Published on Apr 03, 2013 Editor's Pick A love letter to luggage abusers turns out to be a very convincing product demo, for American Tourister, out of DDB. Rate this Ad You must be registered to rate the ad. Please Login or Register Now About CreditsDateApr 03, 2013Agency:DDB Client:American Tourister CategoryTVC GenreMonkeys Latest Creativity News on Ad Age Patrick Dempsey Signs With Independent, Phang and Alicajic Join Committee L.A. It's 'Food, Not Boobs' in Carl's Jr. and Hardees' Brand Refresh WeChat Made Addicted Users Go Cold Turkey For 12 Hours and Filmed Everything Related work American Tourister: the kick-bag journey CJ WORX Bangkok DDB: International Women's Day DDB McDonald's: Website Redesign DDB


text:
Matt Fernandez - Death Mix 28/03/13
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Daniel Wang, Cybotron, Twlight 22 , Inner City, Phernic and more.
Matt Fernandez - Death Of A Disco Dancer
'Death Mix 28_03_13'
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text:
I've been doing some cataloguing lately, trying to organize my books and movies and make some kind of plan for how I'm going to attack the Chinese Cinema over the next year or so. Three and a half years ago, I started a chronological Johnnie To project that, by design, immediately ballooned into a comprehensive exploration of Chinese-language film. In that time, I've made it seven films into To's career and 327 films into China in general. It's increasingly absurd to consider it To-specific, and I'd love to rename it (I never liked the name anyway) but the prospect of renaming and tagging all those old posts is daunting. Anyway, I'm hoping to spend this year taking a long look at Shanghai cinema of the 1920s-40s (at least as much as is available) and Hong Kong films of the 1950s. As well I'd like to catch up with the rest of the films I haven't seen from Filipe Furtado's letterboxd list of Favorite Hong Kong Films, which has served as an essential guide for me since the Summer of Sammo. And as I was thinking about where to go next, I thought it might be useful to sum up where I've been, and so here's a list of 150 great Chinese films. The list is ordered chronologically.
The 50 Best Chinese Language Films of the 21st Century
When Film4 published a list of their "100 Must-See Films of the 21st Century" and only bothered to include two Chinese films (Yi yi and In the Mood for Love, of course), I countered with this list on letterboxd of 100 Must-See Chinese Language Films of the 21st Century. Almost two years have passed since then, and I've been wanting to update that list, since honestly I was kind of stretching the limits of what I'd recommend when I got into the nineties. Well, yesterday came The Playlist's list of The 50 Best Foreign Language Films of the 21st Century. Five of the films on their list are Chinese Language (the same obvious Edward Yang and Wong Kar-wai picks, along with Hou Hsiao-hsien's Millennium Mambo, Tsai Ming-liang's What Time is It There? and Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That's right: no Johnnie To.), and while they're somewhat hampered by their self-imposed one-film-per-director rules, that, to me, is still an unacceptably low number for what has been and continues to be the most vibrant and fascinating film culture in the world. And today, Richard Brody's response in the New Yorker, while an improvement in making room for Jia Zhangke and Wang Bing (and Korean director Hong Sangsoo), still has only seven Chinese titles.
So here are my 50 Best Chinese Language Films of the 21st Century. I'm limited in making this list by the movies I've seen, and there are still many, many Chinese films I haven't watched yet. I'm also sticking with The Playlist's rule and limiting myself to one film per director (in the case of collaborations, I'm counting them as separate directors: Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai together is a different director from either Johnnie To or Wai Ka-fai individually. This is arbitrary of course). The movies are ranked in order of my current preference, with links to where I've written about or discussed them, along with, in some cases, no more than five other recommended films by the director.
Chinese Cinema Today
A couple months ago I was asked to write this brief overview of the state of contemporary Chinese language cinema for the Estonian arts magazine Sirp. You can read this essay in Estonian on their website, and here, with their kind permission, is the original English language version.
Long one of the most vibrant and diverse film cultures in the world, the landscape of Chinese-language film has shifted dramatically over the last few years. Beginning with the handover of Hong Kong to Mainland China in 1997, the previously separate industries in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong have become increasingly enmeshed, and with the rapid expansion of theatrical exhibition on the mainland and an economic boom that has opened up a massive potential audience, China is set to overtake the United States as the largest movie market in the world. Chinese companies have begun investing heavily in Hollywood productions, while American companies are seeking closer ties with their Chinese counterparts. A Chinese company (Wanda) now owns the largest chain of exhibitors in the US (AMC Theatres), as well as an American production company (in January of 2016 they purchased Legendary Entertainment, producers or co-producers of Jurassic World, Blackhat, Pacific Rim and Christopher Nolan's Batman films, among other blockbusters). Warner Brothers recently launched a new production house in cooperation with Chinese company CMC to remake Warners properties like Miss Congeniality, and release original films from veteran Hong Kong filmmakers Peter Chan and Stephen Fung along with Jackie Chan and Brett Ratner. CMC also has a joint venture with Dreamworks Animation, Oriental Dreamworks, which released Kung Fu Panda 3 this past January. Complicating this vast influx of cash into film production is China's oft-arcane system of censorship and import quotas, which limit the kinds of films that can be shown in the nation's theatres, as well as a tradition of gaming the system, if not outright corruption, in box office accounting. In the past few weeks, widespread fraud in the reporting of the grosses of Donnie Yen's Ip Man 3 was discovered, leading to punitive action against the film's local distributor and participating exhibitors.
With this dynamic and rapidly developing film culture, trying to predict what Chinese-language cinema is going to be like in five or ten years is a fool's game. Instead, by taking a snapshot look at a few examples from the past year, we can get a sense of where the culture is at right now. From The Mermaid's astounding box office success, to Go Away Mr. Tumor's unique disregard for generic expectations; from Jia Zhangke's idiosyncratic move toward the mainstream of the international art house with Mountains May Depart, to Bi Gan's microbudgeted, experimental and defiantly local debut Kaili Blues, Chinese cinema is one of the most financially lucrative and aesthetically innovative cinemas in the world.
30 Essential Wuxia Films
With the highly-anticipated release of two King Hu masterpieces on home video by the Masters of Cinema organization, as well as the critical success of Hou Hsiao-hsien's The Assassin last year, it seems like the wuxia film is making some inroads into the Western critical consciousness. So I thought I'd put together a guide to some of the essential films of the genre. The Chinese martial arts movie is generally split into two primary subgeneres: the kung fu film and the wuxia film. The kung fu film is newer and focuses primarily on hand-to-hand combat, it's steeped in traditional fighting forms and there's a general emphasis on the physical skill of the performer: special effects are generally disdained. Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are its most famous practitioners and Lau Kar-leung its most important director.
Wuxia is a much older form, based ultimately in the long tradition of Chinese adventure literature, in classic novels such as The Water Margin or Journey to the West, or more contemporary works by authors like Louis Cha and Gu Long. Its heroes follow a very specific code of honor as they navigate the jianghu, an underworld of outlaws and bandits outside the normal streams of civilization. Wuxia films often incorporate fantasy elements, using special effects to allow their heroes to fly, shoot concentrated chi energy out of their hands (or eyes) and in other ways violate the laws of physics. Strictly speaking, wuxia should probably be confined to stories of code-following traveling knights-errant, but genres are a fluid and conventional thing, especially in Hong Kong, where films regularly mash together comedy, action, romance, melodrama and horror elements into a single impure whole, and as such, stark lines are difficult to draw. King Hu and Tsui Hark are the essential wuxia directors, and Jet Li, Ti Lung and Jimmy Wang Yu the genre's greatest stars. The following is a list of 30 of the genre's highlights, taking a reasonably expansive view of generic boundaries and arranged in chronological order:
Running Out of Karma: John Woo's The Crossing
Here are reviews of the two separately released parts of The Crossing. We talked about John Woo's career in general on They Shot Pictures a few months ago.
The Crossing – reviewed August 13, 2015
The first part of John Woo's latest epic (the second part was recently released in China to little fanfare, but isn't available here yet) is a romantic war movie in the style of The Big Parade or Doctor Zhivago, with a half dozen characters caught up in the Chinese civil war following the defeat of the Japanese in 1945. The most direct connection is probably Cai Chusheng and Zheng Junli's 1947 film The Spring River Flows East which follows the ups and downs of a family awash in the same history, and was also released separately in two parts.
Leaving the nautical disaster that's led the project to be dubbed "John Woo's Titanic" for the second half, this first part follows the three major stars and their satellite characters through the civil war: Zhang Ziyi as an illiterate nurse trying to get by while searching for the man she loves (a soldier), Takeshi Kaneshiro as a Taiwanese doctor who has lost the woman he loves (a Japanese girl), and Huang Xiaoming as a Nationalist general who falls in love with and marries a young woman before shipping her to safety in Taiwan (where she lives in Kaneshiro's girlfriend's old house). It's lush and romantic (a quite pretty score by Taro Iwashiro, who also did the stirring and lovely music for Woo's Red Cliff), with golden hues, wind blowing through grasslands, pointed freeze frames and slow motion (yes, and doves), balanced by the horrors of war: starving children, students and dancing girls beaten in the streets, freezing trenches and explosive heroism. Nobody mixes action and melodrama with more seriousness than John Woo.
One person's old fashioned and sappy is another person's classical and heartfelt. And I am nothing if not a sucker.
The Crossing II – reviewed December 2, 2015
Such a strange movie, less a continuation of the story of Part One than a partial remake of it (pointedly perhaps its title is "The Crossing II" and not "The Crossing Part II"), as the first half hour not only recapitulates what went before, but completely replays whole scenes with slightly different editing and a few extra scenes added in. The next hour or so continues the rhythm of the first film, intercutting between the various leads as they all slowly make their way to the doomed boat (a title card at the opening gives us all the details of the impending disaster, with some of this information to be repeated verbatim at the end of the film). The emphasis is on Takeshi Kaneshiro's doctor, first in his friendship with Song Hye-kyo (the wife of Nationalist general Huang Xiaoming), then with his family (ostensibly his younger brother who wants to run off from Taiwan to Shanghai to become a prostitute, but as it plays the relationship is more with his mother and sister-in-law (his older brother's widow), who is played by Woo's daughter Angeles), and finally, on the boat, with Zhang Ziyi, the idealistic young woman willing to do anything up to and including prostitution in her quest to survive long enough to find the army man she loves ("When I believe someone, I believe him whole-heartedly. Shouldn't it be that way?" she says, in a line that does much to summarize Woo's entire career).
Recentering the film in this manner makes it less an ensemble piece about love in a time of war, as the first one is, than a film about the endurance of women in the face of tragedy. Perhaps this is the influence of Tsui Hark, brought in at the last minute to help assemble the final cut of this film. The whole thing feels like it was hastily assembled in response to the box office failure of the first film. I'm very curious how the second half was to play out in its initial conception, as I quite liked Part One, it had the sweep and loveliness of a great historical melodrama, like Woo's version of the great 1947 Shanghai film The Spring River Flows East. The second part though would probably play better, or at least just as well, as a single film, in isolation from the first. The jumbling repetitions of the first film irreparably break the rhythm, we're left wondering why we're seeing these scenes again, and why the new scenes were deleted from the first film, rather than being caught up in the emotions on-screen.
For all its billing, this is not "John Woo's Titanic". In its loveliness, deep anxiety about the past and the horrors of history (one of the many fascinating things about it's look at the Civil War is that both sides are pretty much equally terrible, while good people populate the ranks of both armies), breathtaking romanticism and flights of digital expressionism, this is nothing less (and nothing more) than John Woo's War Horse.
VIFF 2010: Day Four
607 – Before getting to Day Four's films, I wanted to mention this short by Liu Jiayin that played before Day Three's showing of Thomas Mao. Liu made my favorite film from last year's festival, Oxhide II, which also happens to be the highest rated film directed by a woman on my recent Top 600 Films of All-Time list. This 17 minute short consists mostly of one shot of a bathtub in a hotel room (the hotel apparently commissioned the film). A plastic fish, manipulated by Liu's father, with only his hands visible, swims in the water and encounters some mushrooms, a cloudy sky and a fish hook. The mushrooms are played by Liu's mother and Liu herself is the sky and hook. It's a marvelous bit of silliness that conveys all the warmth of a family at play.
Hahaha – The first of two films directed by Hong Sangsoo at this year's festival, it begins, unsurprisingly for Hong, with two old friends drinking and telling stories about women. The film proper is comprised of these two stories, which end up being about the same woman, though neither knows it, while the frame is played in black and white stills with voiceover (and lots of "Cheers!" as the two drink quite a lot). The Hong films I've seen all have a split structure, with the second half of the film telling a new story with some of the same characters in a way that mirrors and comments upon the events of the first story. This film has that same structure, but the stories are intercut instead of segregated. This makes the film a lot easier to watch, and this is definitely the film I'd recommend to anyone who hasn't seen a Hong Sangsoo film yet. As for the stories themselves, they're Hong's traditional terrain of romantic misadventures and misunderstandings and lots and lots of drinking. Again there's a character who's a film director, this time he falls for a tour guide who's dating a poet who is best friends with a guy who's on vacation from his wife with his girlfriend. It's this last guy and the director who are the two narrators of the film. It's as funny as Like You Know It All, one of my favorites at last year's festival, if not quite as weird and certainly not as insidery about film festival life.
The Fourth Portrait – This Taiwanese film is about a precocious young boy named Xiang whose father dies, sending him first into the helpful hands of the school janitor, and then back to his mom, a prostitute (naturally) and step-father (who's pretty much pure evil). Director Chung Mong-hong keeps this dire material much lighter than one would expect. Though the kid's situation is rough and potentially terrifying, there's enough humor and visual style (there are traces of both the Taiwanese New Wave and Wong Kar-wai, the latter especially in the scenes at the mom's "lounge") that things never get as horribly depressing as they might in a lesser film. There's even a musical bit that sounds like a Chinese version of the Carl Orff song used in Badlands and True Romance). Xiang is surrounded by helpful adults, from the elderly janitor to a small time hustler to a concerned teacher. Even his mom is a decent sort. We never get the sense that Xiang's situation is hopeless, instead, we can be sure that he'll survive and thrive. The title comes from a series of drawings Xiang makes throughout the film: the first is his father, the second his friend the hustler, the third his older brother who may be haunting him and the fourth, more than a little cheesily, is the film itself.
I Wish I Knew – After last year's excellent 24 City, I wasn't quite prepared for this latest film from Jia Zhangke. While that film was a documentary that mixed scripted and acted interviews with real-life talking heads in a way that made one question the nature of documentary realism, this film is pretty much a straight and conventional film. It's an epic collection of stories about Shanghai, told by the people who lived there and the children of the people who lived there. Shanghai was the epicenter for the most important developments in China over the 20th Century, from the European occupations to the Japanese invasion to the Civil War between the Communists and Chaing Kai-Shek's KMT to the Cultural Revolution to the embrace of capitalism in the late 1980s. Even the Chinese film industry was based there for much of the century. Jia's 18 interviews tell these stories in detail, with communists and KMT generals and movie stars and directors. Wei Wei appears, which marks two days in a row that we saw a film featuring this 88 year old actress, after The Drunkard. Also interviewed are Hou Hsiao-hsein (who's actually the only person who doesn't share a personal anecdote, he just talks about his film Flowers of Shanghai, though like many people in the film, his parents came to Taiwan from Shanghai ahead of the Communist victory). The film is very loosely structured, with the interviews coming not in chronological order of their stories, but rather the geographical order of where they have spread out. The Shanghai diaspora mainly went to Taiwan and Hong Kong, and so Jia goes to each of those places to seek out their stories. But these interviews are interspersed with scenes of present-day Shanghai, where frequent Jia star Zhao Tao wanders mutely around the sites of the old stories, neatly tying the old and new, the diasporic and the homeland together. It's a beautiful film, about as good as a straight documentary can be.
Short Celebrity Addendum: Jia was there last night for a Q & A (he's serving on the jury at the festival this year for the award for new Asian filmmakers that they've given out for 17 years or so, having previously won the award for his own first film Xiao Wu). I don't know that I've ever been so giddy in a movie theatre. And then this morning, waiting in line for Catherine Breillat's Sleeping Beauty, I'm pretty sure we were standing behind a very confused Wallace Shawn (the screening was delayed for projection reasons and the staff were giving confusing directions to the old people). I attempted to help the maybe-Shawn through the line, but he either couldn't hear me or was too confused to pay attention to a much taller man.


text:
The endless conversation
about that one friend of my brother that messed up in 6th grade
keeps everyone awake.
With my brother gradually getting defensive,
I watch the city skyline
turn into corn fields with sad-faced cattle.
I like looking into other people's cars to see what they are doing.
It's a game
to guess why they are traveling through central Indiana.
Can anyone guess why we drive on these roads 3 times a year?
Roads that go through towns
that are barely large enough to have a name.
I don't even know how we end up here year after year.
301 Miles
The endless conversation
Join the DiscussionThis article has 1 comment. Post your own now!
HereSheIs said...
Apr. 8 at 12:20 pm
Apr. 8 at 12:20 pm
I love your details about the drive. They make it feel real and relatable to the readers.