Patents by Inventor Bruce L. Nickerson

Bruce L. Nickerson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5295831
    Abstract: A torque wrench particularly suited for applying a selected maximum torque to a dental implant component is constructed of a single shaft of predetermined material and dimension with an undercut or relieved portion therein such that application of a predetermined torque to the dental component through the shaft produces a deformity in the shaft at the relief. The shaft is designed with one end to engage the implant component or device coupled thereto. Where the shaft is straight, the other end of the shaft is designed to engage a driver. Alternatively, the shaft is bent by ninety degrees so that the other end of the shaft acts as an integral lever arm. Preferably, the undercut in the shaft is diamond shaped such that it increases in width as it increases in depth and then decreases in width as it decreases in depth. The diamond shaped undercut reduces the likelihood that upon deformation the shaft will break and produce jagged edges and metal fragments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 22, 1994
    Assignee: Impla-Med, Inc.
    Inventors: Chad J. Patterson, Richard A. Smolowitz, Bruce L. Nickerson
  • Patent number: 5292252
    Abstract: A stimulator healing cap is disclosed for enhancing and speeding the growth of bone cells and bone tissue surrounding a dental implant. The stimulator healing cap includes a threaded portion which is engagable with an interior threaded portion of the implant and a top portion containing a current source. In one embodiment, the top portion and the threaded portion are conductive and are connected by a middle insulated portion; the threaded portion being coupled to one pole of the current source and the top portion being coupled to the other pole of the current source. In another embodiment, the current source is coupled to a coil wound around a longitudinal core inside the threaded portion. The healing cap provides a current path or electromagnetic field in the vicinity of bone tissue surrounding the implant which stimulates the growth of the bone tissue and speeds up the primary healing phase after the implant is surgically inserted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 8, 1994
    Assignee: Impla-Med, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce L. Nickerson, Chad J. Patterson, Richard A. Smolowitz
  • Patent number: 5209659
    Abstract: Dental implants for supporting and positioning artificial teeth or prosthetic devices are provided. The dental implant is adapted to be installed and ultimately oseointegrated into a predrilled osteotomy site of either the maxilla or mandible. The dental implant has a generally cylindrical body with an apical threaded portion which is screwed and secured into the bone. The cylindrical body also includes an internal threaded bore extending from the second end into the cylindrical body along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body. An integral hexagonal shaped protrusion, when viewed along the bore of the cylinder, is preferably provided and extends from the end of the implant proximal the gingiva of the patient. The internal bore of the cylinder extends concentrically through both the annular base and the hexagonal protrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1993
    Assignee: Impla-Med Incorporated
    Inventors: Kurt E. Friedman, James E. Davis, Bruce L. Nickerson, Richard A. Smolowitz