Patent Applications published on Mar 23, 2017

Explore the 7,155 U.S. Patent Applications published on the 12th week of 2017, including 5,402 applications that subsequently received a Patent Grant.

Featured patent applications from Mar 23, 2017

Published: 2017-03-23 Assignee: Ethicon LLC.
US20170079650A1
Human necessities
Application 20170079650, fig. 01

Surgical stapler having current mirror-based motor control

A surgical stapler. The surgical stapler includes a drive system, an electric motor, a battery and a control system. The electric motor is mechanically coupled to the drive system. The battery is electrically couplable to the electric motor. The control system is electrically connected to the electric motor and includes an H-bridge circuit and a current mirror circuit. The H-bridge circuit includes a plurality of switching devices. The current mirror circuit is electrically connected to the H-bridge circuit. The control system is configured to control a force applied to the drive system based on a current measured at a node of the current mirror circuit. The node is electrically connected in parallel with the H-bridge circuit.

Published: 2017-03-23
US20170079642A1
Human necessities
Application 20170079642, fig. 01

SURGICAL STAPLER HAVING MAGNETIC FIELD-BASED MOTOR CONTROL

A surgical stapler. The surgical stapler includes a drive system, an electric motor, a battery and a control system. The electric motor is mechanically coupled to the drive system. The battery is electrically couplable to the electric motor. The control system is electrically connected to the electric motor and is configured to control the electric motor based on a magnetic field measured proximate the electric motor.

Published: 2017-03-23 Assignee: Ethicon LLC.
US20170079640A1
Human necessities
Application 20170079640, fig. 01

Surgical stapler having motor control based on a drive system component

A surgical stapler. The surgical stapler includes a drive system, an electric motor, a battery and a control system. The drive system includes a movable drive member. The electric motor is mechanically coupled to the drive system. The battery is electrically couplable to the electric motor. The control system is electrically connected to the electric motor and includes an accelerometer. The control system is configured to control a force applied to the drive system based on an acceleration of the movable drive member.

Published: 2017-03-23 Assignee: Ethicon LLC.
US20170079641A1
Human necessities
Application 20170079641, fig. 01

Surgical stapler having temperature-based motor control

A surgical stapler. The surgical stapler includes a drive system, an electric motor, a battery and a control system. The electric motor is mechanically coupled to the drive system. The battery is electrically couplable to the electric motor. The control system is electrically connected to the electric motor and includes an H-bridge circuit and a temperature sensing device. The H-bridge circuit includes a high side and a low side. The low side of the H-bridge circuit includes first and second switching devices, and a resistive heating element electrically connected in series with the first switching device. The temperature sensing device is positioned proximate the resistive heating element. The control system is configured to control a force applied to the drive system based on a temperature associated with the resistive heating element and sensed by the temperature sensing device.

Published: 2017-03-23 Assignee: Ethicon LLC.
US20170079644A1
Human necessities
Application 20170079644, fig. 01

Surgical stapler having motor control based on an electrical parameter related to a motor current

A surgical stapler. The surgical stapler includes a drive system, an electric motor, a battery and a control system. The electric motor is mechanically coupled to the drive system. The battery is electrically couplable to the electric motor. The control system is electrically connected to the electric motor and includes an H-bridge circuit, an electrically resistive element and an electrically inductive element. The H-bridge circuit includes a high side and a low side. The low side of the H-bridge circuit includes first and second switching devices. The electrically resistive element is electrically connected in series with the first switching device. The electrically inductive element is electrically connected to the electrically resistive element. The control system is configured to control a force applied to the drive system based on a current downstream of the electrically resistive element.

Published: 2017-03-23 Assignee: Ethicon LLC.
US20170079647A1
Human necessities
Application 20170079647, fig. 01

Surgical stapler having downstream current-based motor control

A surgical stapler. The surgical stapler includes a drive system, an electric motor, a battery and a control system. The electric motor is mechanically coupled to the drive system. The battery is electrically couplable to the electric motor. The control system is electrically connected to the electric motor and includes an H-bridge circuit and an electrically resistive element. The H-bridge circuit includes a high side and a low side. The low side of the H-bridge circuit includes a plurality of switching devices. The electrically resistive element is electrically connected in parallel with one of the plurality of switching devices. The control system is configured to control a force applied to the drive system based on a current measured downstream of the electrically resistive element.

Published: 2017-03-23 Assignee: Ethicon LLC.
US20170079643A1
Human necessities
Application 20170079643, fig. 01

Surgical stapler having force-based motor control

A surgical stapler. The surgical stapler includes a drive system, a handle assembly, an electric motor, a battery and a control system. The drive system includes a movable drive member. The handle assembly includes a frame configured to support the movable drive member. The electric motor is mechanically coupled to the drive system. The battery is electrically couplable to the electric motor. The control system is electrically connected to the electric motor and includes a sensor positioned on the frame. The control system is configured to control the electric motor based on a force applied to the frame by the movable drive member.

Published: 2017-03-23 Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION.
US20170079645A1
Human necessities
Application 20170079645, fig. 01

Surgical instrument and tissue dissecting unit

A surgical instrument includes an insertion section, a first jaw and a second jaw provided at a distal end portion of the insertion section, having predetermined curved shapes and configured to grasp tissue; a guide section formed along the predetermined curved shape and disposed in at least one of the first jaw and the second jaw; an actuation section which is movable by being guided by the guide section; a shaft body provided at the actuation section and configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to a center line of the shaft body; and a blade section connected to the shaft body at a position apart from the rotation axis in a direction across to the shaft body and configured to be directed to the shaft body, the blade section being rotatable about the rotation axis.

Published: 2017-03-23 Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc..
US20170079651A1
Human necessities
Application 20170079651, fig. 01

Surgical staple cartridge with enhanced knife clearance

A surgical instrument having an elongated shaft having a shaft distal end and a shaft proximal end. An end effector is coupled to the shaft distal end and includes opposed jaws. A housing is included in one of the jaws, the housing having a housing proximal end, a housing distal end, an upper surface, a distal garage having lateral surfaces that extend above the upper surface, and a plurality of staple openings extending through the upper surface. A knife member is supported within the housing for movement distally. The knife member is moveable into a predetermined parked position such that a first portion of the cutting blade displaces below the upper surface and a second portion remains displaced above the upper surface. There is enough lateral clearance in the predetermined parked position between the lateral faces and the second portion to accommodate a dislodged staple.

Published: 2017-03-23
US20170080346A1
Human necessities
Application 20170080346, fig. 01

METHODS AND SYSTEMS RELATING TO PERSONALIZED EVOLVING AVATARS

Graphical user interfaces can exploit avatars to provide represent the user or their alter ego or character. It would be beneficial to provide users with an avatar not defined by the software provide but one that represents their quantified self so that their virtual world avatar evolved, adjusted, and behaved based upon the real world individual. It would also be beneficial that such a dynamically adaptive avatar provides the individual with an evolving and adjusting graphical interface to access personal information, establish adjustments in lifestyle, and monitor their health etc. within the real world but also define the characteristics, behaviour, skills, etc. that they possess within virtual worlds. Accordingly, such an avatar established in dependence upon the user's specific characteristics can then be exploited to provide data for a wide range of additional aspects of the user's life from filtering content through to controlling devices within their environment.