shaft unchanged in axial disposition relative to the site of stenting in the body of the patient, while pulling back on the outer tube of the shaft to release the stent. This pulling back of the outer tube requires relative movement of the outer tube in the bodily lumen (or guide catheter) in which it has been advanced to the site of stenting. Any friction or resistance to axial movement of the outer tube in the lumen in which it is located hinders the objective of maintaining the stopper in a precise disposition relative to the target stenting site. In practice, it is customary to compensate for axial strain in known systems by positioning the stent slightly distal of the desired end position before commencing stent deployment bymedia coverage for security reasons because other products are made at the same plant, he said.

In an undated handout photo, a demonstration of a Cartrivision video tape player, which was made available in retail stores in 1973 and sold for approximately $700. (NYT)

Funai began making videotape players in 1983, and videotape recorders in 1985. The company says they were among its all-time hit products.

Last year, Funai made 750,000 VHS machines that played or recorded cassette tapes. In 2000, it made 15 million of them, 70% for the US market, according to the company, based in Osaka, central Japan.

Other products have also grown outdated with the advance of digital and other technology. That includes film cameras and floppy disks once used to store computer content, which were displaced by