Patent Applications published on Jan 17, 2013

Explore the 5,060 U.S. Patent Applications published on the 03rd week of 2013, including 3,468 applications that subsequently received a Patent Grant.

Featured patent applications from Jan 17, 2013

Published: 2013-01-17 Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP, Covidien LP.
US20130018361A1
Human necessities
Application 20130018361, fig. 01

Adapter for powered surgical devices

An adapter assembly for selectively interconnecting a surgical end effector including at least one axially translatable drive member and a powered actuator device including at least one rotatable drive shaft is provided. The adapter assembly includes an actuation shaft configured to convert rotation of a first drive shaft of the powered actuator device into an axial translation of a first drive member of the surgical end effector. The adapter assembly further includes an elongate tube configured to convert rotation of a second drive shaft of the powered actuator device into an axial translation of a second drive member of the surgical end effector. The actuation shaft is disposed within the elongate tube, and the actuation shaft and the elongate tube translate axially independent of each other.

Published: 2013-01-17 Assignee: Covidien LP.
US20130015231A1
Human necessities
Application 20130015231, fig. 01

Loose staples removal system

A staple cartridge is provided for retaining fully formed staples not clenched through body tissue. The staple cartridge generally includes staple pockets containing surgical staples having a backspan and first and second legs projecting from the backspan and staple pushers positioned within the staple pockets beneath the surgical staples. The staple pushers include body portions having first and second flexible fingers extending from the body portions and removably engagable with the backspan of the surgical staples. The flexible fingers include flexible stems extending from the body portions and head portions extending from the flexible stems. Each head portion includes a rounded distal tip positioned offset from and outward of a central axis of the stem and an inwardly projecting grasping portion for engaging the backspan of the surgical staple. Distal ends of sidewalls of the staple pockets are flared outwardly to accommodate movement of the head portions of the flexible fingers.

Published: 2013-01-17 Assignee: Cook Medical Technologies LLC.
US20130018229A1
Human necessities
Application 20130018229, fig. 01

Foldable surgical retractor

A foldable retractor is provided. The retractor includes an arcuate deformable frame that is defined from a first arm extending through a first portion of an outer circumference of the frame, and a second arm that defines a remaining portion of the outer circumference. The first and second arms each include opposite first and second end portions, wherein the respective first end portions and the respective second end portions are hingedly connected together. The first and second arms of the frame are biased toward a first configuration wherein the combined first and second arms are aligned substantially continuously through the combined first and second end portions and the frame extends through substantially a single plane.

Published: 2013-01-17 Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP, Covidien LP.
US20130015233A1
Human necessities
Application 20130015233, fig. 01

Tool assembly for surgical stapling device

A surgical device with a body portion defining a longitudinal axis, a tool assembly including an anvil, a cartridge assembly housing a plurality of staples, a dynamic clamping member movable relative to the tool assembly to eject the staples, and an articulation and firing actuator extending at least partially through the body portion and the tool assembly. The articulation and firing actuator and is movable in relation thereto to selectively pivot the tool assembly relative to the body portion and move the dynamic clamping member relative to the tool assembly to eject the staples.

Published: 2013-01-17
US20130018400A1
Human necessities
Application 20130018400, fig. 01

STATUS CONTROL FOR ELECTRICALLY POWERED SURGICAL TOOL SYSTEMS

The present invention relates to a method for determining a utilization level (UL; ULtot) indicating a degree of utilization of a re-usable cutting accessory (4) for endoscopic surgery, such as an arthroscopic shaver blade, removably connectable to a handpiece (2) comprising a motor (21) driving the cutting accessory (4) during surgical procedures. The method provides a reliable measure of the utilization level of the cutting accessory (4) by determining the utilization level (UL) of the cutting accessory (4) through calculation of at least one utilization factor (UF1, UF2) that is calculated based on a torque (40) measured when said cutting accessory (4) is driven by said motor (21).

Published: 2013-01-17 Assignee: Cook Medical Technologies LLC.
US20130018228A1
Human necessities
Application 20130018228, fig. 01

Surgical retractor device

Systems, devices, and methods capable of retracting organs are disclosed. In one embodiment, a retractor body comprises a deformable resilient frame defining a central opening and a deformable membrane extending across a portion of the central opening wherein the deformable resilient frame is arranged for complete disposal within the body of a patient and for varying the size of the central opening. In some exemplary embodiments, the retractor is arranged to form a helically coiled arrangement for insertion into the body of a patient. Delivery devices for delivering a deformable resilient retractor and methods of delivery are also disclosed.

Published: 2013-01-17 Assignee: Edwards Lifesciences Corporation.
US20130018458A1
Human necessities
Application 20130018458, fig. 01

Perivalvular sealing for transcatheter heart valve

The present disclosure is directed to embodiments of catheter-based prosthetic heart valves, and in particular, prosthetic heart valves having sealing devices configured to seal the interface between the prosthetic valve and the surrounding tissue of the native annulus in which the prosthetic valve is implanted. In one embodiment, a prosthetic heart valve includes an annular sealing member that can be placed in a delivery orientation extending axially away from one end of the valve when the valve is in a radially compressed state. When the valve is expanded, the expansion of the frame causes the sealing member to be pulled to an operative orientation covering a portion of the frame. The present disclosure also discloses new mechanisms and techniques for mounting valve leaflets to a frame of a prosthetic heart valve.

Published: 2013-01-17 Assignee: ASM JAPAN K.K., ASM IP Holding B.V..
US20130014896A1
Electricity
Application 20130014896, fig. 01

Wafer-supporting device and method for producing same

A wafer-supporting device for supporting a wafer thereon adapted to be installed in a semiconductor-processing apparatus includes: a base surface; and protrusions protruding from the base surface and having rounded tips for supporting a wafer thereon. The rounded tips are such that a reverse side of a wafer is supported entirely by the rounded tips by point contact. The protrusions are disposed substantially uniformly on an area of the base surface over which a wafer is placed, wherein the number (N) and the height (H [μm]) of the protrusions as determined in use satisfy the following inequities per area for a 300-mm wafer: (−0.5N+40)≤H≤53;5≤N≤100.

Published: 2013-01-17 Assignee: ASM JAPAN K.K..
US20130014697A1
Chemistry; metallurgy
Application 20130014697, fig. 01

Container Having Multiple Compartments Containing Liquid Material for Multiple Wafer-Processing Chambers

A container for containing a liquid material for processing a wafer includes: a container body; a divider dividing the interior of the container body and defining compartments fluid-tightly sealed off from each other except for bottom portions of the compartments; gas inlet ports for introducing gas to the respective compartments and gas outlet ports for discharging gas from the respective compartments; and a liquid level sensor provided in one of the compartments for keeping a liquid surface of a liquid material above the bottom portions when the container is in use conditions.

Published: 2013-01-17 Assignee: ASM International N.V..
US20130017503A1
Electricity
Application 20130017503, fig. 01

Wafer processing apparatus with heated, rotating substrate support

A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus (1), comprising a substrate support assembly (30), including a substrate support (32) defining an outer support surface (34) for supporting a substrate or substrate carrier (24) thereon, and a heater (50) comprising a heat dissipating portion (54) that is disposed within the substrate support (32) and that extends underneath and substantially parallel to the support surface (34), said substrate support (32) being rotatably mounted around a rotation axis (L) that extends through said support surface (34), such that the support surface (34) is rotatable relative to the heat dissipating portion (54) of the heater (50).