Patent Applications published on Jul 18, 2013

Explore the 5,816 U.S. Patent Applications published on the 29th week of 2013, including 4,050 applications that subsequently received a Patent Grant.

Featured patent applications from Jul 18, 2013

Published: 2013-07-18 Assignee: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC., Ethicon Endo-Surgery, LLC.
US20130184719A1
Human necessities
Application 20130184719, fig. 01

Surgical instrument

A surgical fastening instrument is disclosed. The instrument comprises an end effector cartridge assembly, a handle, and a firing member, wherein an electric motor is configured to impart a firing motion to the firing member to eject fasteners from a fastener cartridge of the end effector cartridge assembly. The instrument further comprises an electronic lockout system configured to ascertain whether the fastener cartridge is present in the end effector, permit the motor to apply the firing motion to the firing member when the presence of the fastener cartridge has been ascertained, and prevent the motor from applying the firing motion to the firing member when the presence of the fastener cartridge has not been ascertained.

Published: 2013-07-18 Assignee: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC., Ethicon Endo-Surgery, LLC.
US20130184718A1
Human necessities
Application 20130184718, fig. 01

Powered surgical cutting and stapling apparatus with manually retractable firing system

In one general aspect, various embodiments of the present invention can include a motorized surgical cutting and fastening instrument having a drive shaft, a motor selectively engageable with the drive shaft, and a manual return mechanism configured to operably disengage the motor from the drive shaft and retract the drive shaft. In at least one embodiment, a surgeon, or other operator of the surgical instrument, can utilize the manual return mechanism to retract the drive shaft after it has been advanced, especially when the motor, or a power source supplying the motor, has failed or is otherwise unable to provide a force sufficient to retract the drive shaft.

Published: 2013-07-18 Assignee: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC..
US20130181030A1
Human necessities
Application 20130181030, fig. 01

End effector for use with a surgical fastening instrument

An end effector for use with a surgical fastening instrument comprising a first jaw, a second jaw, and a firing member is disclosed. The firing member, in various embodiments, further includes a cutting surface, a first portion configured to engage the first jaw, and a second portion configured to engage the second jaw. The first portion can be comprised of a first material wherein the firing member can further include an insert engaged with the first portion comprised of an insert material which is different than the first material. In various instances, the first portion and the second portion are configured to co-operatively set a tissue gap distance between the first jaw and the second jaw.

Published: 2013-07-18 Assignee: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC., Ethicon LLC.
US20130181033A1
Human necessities
Application 20130181033, fig. 01

Surgical instrument

A surgical stapling instrument comprising a shaft, a firing member, a closure member, a manually-actuatable closure trigger, and a motor is disclosed. The shaft is configured to support a stapling assembly. The firing member is configured to transmit a firing motion to the stapling assembly. The closure member is configured to transmit a closing motion to the stapling assembly. The manually-actuatable closure trigger is operable to impart the closing motion to the closure member. The manually-actuatable closure trigger is mechanically coupled to a jaw of the stapling assembly such that a load can be transmitted between the jaw and the manually-actuatable closure trigger. The motor is operably coupled to the firing member to impart the firing motion to the firing member.

Published: 2013-07-18 Assignee: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC., Ethicon LLC.
US20130181034A1
Human necessities
Application 20130181034, fig. 01

Surgical instrument

A surgical stapling instrument comprising a stapling assembly, a shaft, a firing member, a closure member, a manually-actuatable closure trigger, and a motor is disclosed. The stapling assembly comprises a first jaw and a second jaw. The first jaw is movably coupled to the second jaw. The shaft is configured to support the stapling assembly. The firing member is configured to transmit a firing motion to the stapling assembly. The firing member comprises a cutting member, a first camming member configured to engage the first jaw, and a second camming member configured to engage the second jaw. The closure member is configured to transmit a push-to-close motion to the stapling assembly. The manually-actuatable closure trigger is operable to impart the push-to-close motion to the closure member. The motor is operably coupled to the firing member to impart the firing motion to the firing member.

Published: 2013-07-18 Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP, Covidien LP.
US20130181035A1
Human necessities
Application 20130181035, fig. 01

Circular stapling instruments

A circular stapling instrument including a stapling forming assembly that is actuated independently from actuation of the cutting assembly is provided. The instrument includes a handle assembly, an elongate body extending from the handle assembly, a cartridge assembly mounted on a distal end of the elongate body. The cartridge assembly includes a pusher assembly and a knife assembly. The knife assembly is selectively fixed relative to the pusher assembly.

Published: 2013-07-18 Assignee: Covidien LP.
US20130184730A1
Human necessities
Application 20130184730, fig. 01

System and method for performing surgical procedures with a reusable instrument module

A surgical instrument is provided including an outer housing shell defining a cavity, the outer housing shell defining an upper outer housing half and a lower outer housing half, wherein the upper outer housing half defines a longitudinal axis and an instrument module selectively insertable into the cavity of the outer housing shell. The instrument module includes an inner housing shell, at least one motor disposed within the inner housing shell, a control board being in electrical communication with the at least one motor and an energy source being in electrical communication with the at least one motor and the control board. The instrument module is inserted into the cavity of the outer housing shell in such a manner that the operative axis of the at least one motor is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the upper outer housing half.

Published: 2013-07-18 Assignee: Saigh and Son, LLC.
US20130183924A1
Electricity
Application 20130183924, fig. 01

Personal safety mobile notification system

In described embodiments, a system establishes a perimeter around an area, and mobile devices within the established perimeter communicate with a server that provides and collects personal and asset safety information. The provided information might enable users associated with the mobile devices to plan actions or take routes based on a given criteria, such as a safest route, through display on the mobile device. The collected information from the mobile device might be location, emergency event, environmental factors, sensor information and the like, which might then be communicated to users and/or administrators of the system. Location information, such as through global positioning system (GPS), might provide tracking of mobile devices and users or assets associated with each mobile device. GPS functionality associates latitude, longitude and elevation (X-Y-Z coordinate axis) data with the collected and provided information.

Published: 2013-07-18 Assignee: Sensory, Incorporated.
US20130183944A1
Electricity
Application 20130183944, fig. 01

Information access and device control using mobile phones and audio in the home environment

Embodiments of the present invention are directed toward systems, methods and devices for improving information access to and device control in a home automation environment. Functionality of multiple household device, such as lights, sound, entertainment, HVAC, and communication devices can be activated via voice commands. The voice commands are detected by a nearby control device and relayed via a network communication medium to another control device to which the desired device or system that the user wants to operate is connected. Each control device, disposed throughout the home, can detect a voice command intended for another control box and household device and relay the voice command to the intended control box. In such systems, a user can initiate a telephone call by saying a voice command to a local control box that will forward on the control signal to a mobile phone connected to another control box.

Published: 2013-07-18 Assignee: UNIVERSAL BIO RESEARCH CO., LTD..
US20130183769A1
Physics
Application 20130183769, fig. 01

CARTRIDGE AND AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS DEVICE

Provided is a reagent accommodating/measuring cartridge for mixing and reacting a test specimen with a reagent and for measuring the reaction state thereof with the transmitted light, the cartridge comprising a plurality of transmitted-light measurement chambers having different optical path lengths.