Patent US5922003A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5922003A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Angled rotary tissue cutting instrument and method of fabricating the same
Assignee: Medtronic Xomed LLC
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Filing: 1998-05-08
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Granted: 1999-07-13
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Expires: 2018-05-08
Abstract
Abstract The present invention is generally characterized in an angled rotary tissue cutting instrument including an outer blade assembly, having a rigid tubular member with proximal and distal portions connected by a bend, and an inner blade assembly rotatably disposed within the outer blade assembly and including a tubular drive shaft at a proximal end, a cutting tip at a distal end, and a flexible coupling disposed between the drive shaft and the cutting tip. The drive shaft and cutting tip include neck portions which are disposed telescopically within proximal and distal ends of the coupling. The flexible coupling is formed of a flexible polymeric material, and each of the neck portions includes a lateral opening defining a predetermined flow path for the polymeric material during fabrication so that the flexible polymeric coupling includes flow portions extending into the openings in the neck portions of the drive shaft and the cutting tip to form permanent, interlocking mechanical joints therewith capable of receiving and transmitting torque.
Inventors
- 👤 Stephanie B. Anctil
- 👤 Gary Peters
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 15:17
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/32; A61B17/320016; A61B17/32002; A61B2017/00477; A61B17/28; A61B17/29; A61B2017/2901; A61B2017/2904; A61B2017/2905; A61B2017/320032; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S285/00; Y10S285/908; Y10S464/00; Y10S464/902; Y10S464/903; Y10T; Y10T403/00; Y10T403/47; Y10T403/477; Y10T403/48
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
177 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument comprising an outer blade assembly including a rigid tubular member having proximal and distal portions connected by a bend; and an inner blade assembly rotatably disposed within said outer blade assembly and including a tubular drive shaft at a proximal end, a cutting tip at a distal end, and a flexible coupling disposed between said drive shaft and said cutting tip within said bend in said outer blade assembly; said flexible coupling including a hollow tubular member formed of a flexible polymeric material and having proximal and distal ends; said drive shaft and cutting tip including neck portions disposed telescopically within said respective proximal and distal ends of said flexible polymeric coupling, each of said neck portions including a lateral opening defining a predetermined flow path for said polymeric material during fabrication; and said flexible polymeric coupling including inwardly protruding portions molded in place within said openings in said neck portions of said drive shaft and said cutting tip to form permanent, interlocking mechanical joints capable of receiving and transmitting torque.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
177 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument comprising an outer blade assembly including a rigid tubular member having proximal and distal portions connected by a bend; and an inner blade assembly rotatably disposed within said outer blade assembly and including a tubular drive shaft at a proximal end, a cutting tip at a distal end, and a flexible coupling disposed between said drive shaft and said cutting tip within said bend in said outer blade assembly; said flexible coupling including a hollow tubular member formed of a flexible polymeric material and having proximal and distal ends; said drive shaft and cutting tip including neck portions disposed telescopically within said respective proximal and distal ends of said flexible polymeric coupling, each of said neck portions including a lateral opening defining a predetermined flow path for said polymeric material during fabrication; and said flexible polymeric coupling including inwardly protruding portions molded in place within said openings in said neck portions of said drive shaft and said cutting tip to form permanent, interlocking mechanical joints capable of receiving and transmitting torque.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
74 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 1 and further comprising a pair of bands formed of shrink wrap tubing disposed around said flexible polymeric coupling adjacent said respective proximal and distal ends of said coupling to provide compression directing the flow of polymeric material into said openings in said neck portions during fabrication and to provide a pair of lubricious bearing surfaces at opposite ends of said bend during operation.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 1 wherein said opening in at least one of said neck portions includes a slot.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 3 wherein said slot is defined by laterally opposed edges angled away from one another in the direction of a curved edge connecting terminal ends of said angled edges.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 3 wherein said slot is defined by laterally opposed edges angled away from one another in the direction of a straight edge transversely connecting terminal ends of said angled edges.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
46 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 1 wherein said opening in at least one of said neck portions includes a first slot oriented parallel to a longitudinal axis of said neck portion and a second slot oriented transverse to said first slot.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 1 wherein said opening in at least one of said neck portions includes a pair of spaced through-holes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 1 wherein said flexible coupling further includes a plurality of wires embedded within said polymeric tubular member therein as reinforcement.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 8 wherein said wires are arranged in a plurality of layers wound in opposite directions to define a mesh-like reinforcing structure within said polymeric coupling.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 9 wherein each layer includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced, helically intertwined wires oriented at acute angles relative to the longitudinal axis of said polymeric coupling.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 10 wherein said wires are oriented at angles of about 45° relative to said longitudinal axis of said polymeric coupling to transmit torque without substantial preloading.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
52 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 1 wherein said distal portion of said outer blade assembly is oriented at an angle of between about 35° and about 60° relative to the longitudinal axis of said proximal portion with a bend radius of no more than about 1.5 inches.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 12 wherein said bend is located adjacent a distal end of said outer blade.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 12 wherein said bend is located adjacent a proximal end of said outer blade.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
33 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 12 wherein said distal portion of said outer blade defines a cutting window facing outwardly of a center of curvature of said bend.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 1 wherein said outer tubular member includes a plurality of bends.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
36 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 16 wherein said outer tubular member includes a pair of longitudinally spaced bends and an intermediate portion of straight configuration extending between said longitudinally spaced bends.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
38 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 17 wherein said inner blade assembly includes a pair of flexible couplings disposed in said longitudinally spaced bends and a rigid connecting tube disposed between said flexible couplings.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
70 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 18 wherein said intermediate portion is oriented at an angle of between about 40° and about 50° in a first direction relative to a longitudinal axis of said proximal portion and said distal portion is oriented at an angle of between about 10° and about 20° in a second, opposite direction relative to a longitudinal axis of said intermediate portion.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
54 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 19 wherein said said straight portion is oriented at an angle of about 45° relative to a longitudinal axis of said proximal portion and said distal portion is oriented at an angle of about 15° relative to a longitudinal axis of said straight portion.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
52 words
An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 18 wherein said connecting tube includes a neck portion at each end disposed telescopically within respective ends of said flexible couplings, each of said neck portions including a lateral opening defining a predetermined flow path for said polymeric coupling material during fabrication.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
187 words
A method of fabricating an angled rotary tissue cutting instrument comprising the steps of positioning a neck portion at the proximal end of a cutting tip in the distal end of a flexible polymeric coupling of tubular configuration; positioning a neck portion at the distal end of a drive shaft in the proximal end of the flexible polymeric coupling; placing a first band of shrink tubing over a proximal end of the flexible polymeric coupling; placing a second band of shrink tubing over a distal end of the flexible polymeric coupling; heating the shrink tubing and the flexible polymeric coupling to cause the polymeric coupling to flow and the shrink tubing to contract around the polymeric coupling such that the polymeric material flows along predetermined flow paths defined by lateral openings in the neck portions of the drive shaft and cutting tip; and cooling the shrink tubing and the flexible polymeric coupling so that flowed portions of the polymeric coupling harden within the openings in the neck portions to form permanent, interlocking mechanical joints therewith capable of receiving and transmitting torque as an integral inner blade assembly.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
187 words
A method of fabricating an angled rotary tissue cutting instrument comprising the steps of positioning a neck portion at the proximal end of a cutting tip in the distal end of a flexible polymeric coupling of tubular configuration; positioning a neck portion at the distal end of a drive shaft in the proximal end of the flexible polymeric coupling; placing a first band of shrink tubing over a proximal end of the flexible polymeric coupling; placing a second band of shrink tubing over a distal end of the flexible polymeric coupling; heating the shrink tubing and the flexible polymeric coupling to cause the polymeric coupling to flow and the shrink tubing to contract around the polymeric coupling such that the polymeric material flows along predetermined flow paths defined by lateral openings in the neck portions of the drive shaft and cutting tip; and cooling the shrink tubing and the flexible polymeric coupling so that flowed portions of the polymeric coupling harden within the openings in the neck portions to form permanent, interlocking mechanical joints therewith capable of receiving and transmitting torque as an integral inner blade assembly.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
60 words
A method of fabricating an angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 22 and further comprising, prior to said heating step, the step of placing a mandrel within the drive shaft and the cutting tip to prevent the polymeric material of the flexible coupling from flowing into the lumen defined by the drive shaft and the cutting tip.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method of fabricating an angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 22 and further comprising, after said heating step, the step of removing the shrink tubing from the polymeric coupling.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method of fabricating an angled rotary tissue cutting instrument as recited in claim 22 and further comprising, after said cooling step, the step of inserting the inner blade assembly within an outer blade assembly including a rigid tubular member having proximal and distal portions connected by a bend.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-07-12 | 2003-01-11 | 2003-07-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-07-12 | 2007-01-11 | 2007-07-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-07-12 | 2011-01-11 | 2011-07-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |