Patent Applications published on Dec 10, 2009

Explore the 7,006 U.S. Patent Applications published on the 50th week of 2009, including 4,425 applications that subsequently received a Patent Grant.

Featured patent applications from Dec 10, 2009

Published: 2009-12-10 Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP.
US20090302090A1
Human necessities
Application 20090302090, fig. 01

Knife lockout mechanisms for surgical instrument

A cartridge assembly for use with a surgical stapling instrument is disclosed. The cartridge assembly includes a channel, a cover, a staple cartridge and a knife. The channel includes a protrusion thereon. The cover is configured for mechanical engagement with the channel and includes a blocking member and a surface defining a plane. At least a portion of the blocking member is configured to move away from the plane upon contact with the protrusion. The staple cartridge is configured for mechanical engagement with the cover. The blocking member is configured to substantially prevent distal translation of the knife after the knife has been translated proximally past a predetermined position.

Published: 2009-12-10 Assignee: Covidien LP.
US20090306708A1
Human necessities
Application 20090306708, fig. 01

Mechanically pivoting cartridge channel for surgical instrument

A surgical instrument including a frame, an elongate portion, a drive beam and an end effector is disclosed. The elongate portion extends distally from the frame. The drive beam is disposed at least partially within the elongate portion and is translatable with respect to the elongate portion. The end effector is disposed adjacent a distal end of the elongate portion and includes first and second jaw members. The first jaw member is movable with respect to the second jaw member. The first jaw member includes a proximal camming surface and a distal camming surface thereon. A surgical fastener cartridge is disposed in the first jaw member. an actuation portion of the drive beam has an upper member arranged to contact the distal camming surface causing approximation of the jaw members. Proximal translation of the drive beam causes the actuation portion of the drive beam to contact the proximal camming surface effecting opening of the jaw members.

Published: 2009-12-10 Assignee: TYCO HEALTHCARE GROUP LP.
US20090302092A1
Human necessities
Application 20090302092, fig. 01

Surgical stapling instrument with independent sequential firing

An end effector for a surgical fastener applying instrument including a first jaw member and a second jaw member. The second jaw member includes first and second cartridges each containing a plurality of surgical fasteners, wherein each of the first and second cartridges is configured to move independently with respect to the first jaw member between a proximal position and a distal.

Published: 2009-12-10 Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP.
US20090302091A1
Human necessities
Application 20090302091, fig. 01

Knife/firing rod connection for surgical instrument

A surgical instrument including a frame, an elongate portion, a firing rod and an end effector is disclosed. The elongate portion extends distally from the frame and defines a longitudinal axis. The firing rod is disposed at least partially with the elongate portion and is proximally and distally translatable with respect to the elongate portion. The end effector includes a knife and is disposed at a distal portion of the elongate portion. Distal movement of the firing rod causes a distal end of the firing rod to link with the knife. Proximal movement of the firing rod moves the linked knife proximally to a first predetermined position. The knife is unlinked from the firing rod when the firing rod has been translated proximally to a second predetermined position.

Published: 2009-12-10 Assignee: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC..
US20090306658A1
Human necessities
Application 20090306658, fig. 01

Manually articulating devices

The device includes an elongate shaft having a distal end coupled to a proximal end of an articulation joint, and an actuation wire extending through the elongate shaft and the articulation joint. The device includes an end effector having a distal tip coupled to a distal end of the articulation joint and receiving therethrough a distal end of the actuation wire. The end effector includes a hook knife disposed adjacent the distal tip and having a proximal end connected to the distal end of the actuation wire. The actuation wire is translatable along a longitudinal axis of the elongate shaft to extend and retract the distal end of the hook knife relative to the distal tip of the end effector, and the articulation joint is laterally articulatable relative to the longitudinal axis of the elongate shaft to allow the end effector to be angularly oriented relative to the elongate shaft.

Published: 2009-12-10 Assignee: GALIL MEDICAL LTD..
US20090306639A1
Human necessities
Application 20090306639, fig. 01

Cryoprobe incorporating electronic module, and system utilizing same

A cryotherapy system comprises a cryoprobe comprising, for example, either an electronic module including a memory or a response module operable to respond to a query signal with a response signal. A communications interface uses these modules to establish a unique identification of the cryoprobe, and a control module regulates delivery of cryogen to the cryoprobe according to calculations at least partially based on stored data associated with that unique cryoprobe identification.

Published: 2009-12-10 Assignee: COVIDIEN AG.
US20090306660A1
Human necessities
Application 20090306660, fig. 01

Vessel sealing instrument

A bipolar electrosurgical instrument for clamping, grasping, manipulating, and sealing tissue includes first and second shafts each having a jaw member extending from a distal end thereof and a handle disposed at a proximal end thereof. The handle being operable to effect movement of the jaw members relative to one another from a first position wherein the jaw members are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to a second position wherein the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween. The bipolar instrument is connectable to a source of electrical energy having a first electrical potential connected to one of the jaw members and a second electrical potential connected to the other of the jaw members such that the jaw members are capable of selectively conducting energy through tissue held therebetween to effect a seal. Both the first and second electrical potentials are transmitted to the jaw members through the first shaft.

Published: 2009-12-10 Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd..
US20090305461A1
Electricity
Application 20090305461, fig. 01

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.

Published: 2009-12-10 Assignee: MICROSOFT CORPORATION.
US20090303880A1
Electricity
Application 20090303880, fig. 01

Data center interconnect and traffic engineering

A system for commoditizing data center networking is disclosed. The system includes an interconnection topology for a data center having a plurality of servers and a plurality of nodes of a network in the data center through which data packets may be routed. The system uses a routing scheme where the routing is oblivious to the traffic pattern between nodes in the network, and wherein the interconnection topology contains a plurality of paths between one or more servers. The multipath routing may be Valiant load balancing. It disaggregates the function of load balancing into a group of regular servers, with the result that load balancing server hardware can be distributed amongst racks in the data center leading to greater agility and less fragmentation. The architecture creates a huge, flexible switching domain, supporting any server/any service, full mesh agility, and unregimented server capacity at low cost.

Published: 2009-12-10 Assignee: MASIMO CORPORATION.
US20090306488A1
Human necessities
Application 20090306488, fig. 01

Portable patient monitor

Embodiments of the present disclosure includes a portable pulse oximeter, such as a handheld pulse oximeter, that provides a user with intuitive key navigation for device operation, which reduces an amount of visual concentration needed to handle and operate the oximeter. In various embodiments, the portable pulse oximeter includes one or more of user input keys disposed along curve, an alignment edge providing guidance by feel of a user's digits to the input keys, raised convex keys also providing navigation by feel, a protective boot disposed around various portions of the oximeter housing to protect against impacts, a table-top stand, combinations of the same, or the like.