Patents by Inventor Matthew Roy Johnson

Matthew Roy Johnson 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).

  • CLEARING AN ENDOSCOPIC SURGICAL FIELD
    Publication number: 20200305690
    Abstract: A sheath at the end of an endoscope may be elastically expanded to clear an area within a body cavity during a medical procedure and retracted to within an envelope of the endoscope when not in use. In the expanded state, the sheath may provide sufficient mechanical strength to clear space for a camera or surgical tool, while also having sufficient pliability to mitigate impact on surrounding, sensitive tissue. In an example embodiment, the sheath may be an elastomeric sheath or the like coupled between portions of coaxial shafts of an endoscope, and the coaxial shafts can move relative to one another to deploy or retract the sheath by relatively tensioning and relaxing opposing ends of the sheath. In this manner, the sheath may be selectively expanded and retracted without exposed moving parts or sharp edges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Matthew Roy Johnson, Ian Thomas Hill
  • Steering techniques for surgical instruments
    Patent number: 10688284
    Abstract: A steerable endoscopic tool uses concentric sleeves of varying curvature to steer a tool tip toward or in the direction of a location of surgical interest. By rotating and/or axially displacing such sleeves relative to one another the tool tip may be maneuvered within a current field of view with several degrees of freedom without any physical movement of an endoscope, thus facilitating improved surgical access and control without complex mechanical systems in the endoscope or at the surgical site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignees: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The General Hospital Corporation
    Inventors: Westin Michael Hill, Matthew Roy Johnson, Tara Lee Schmidt Boettcher, Patrick James Codd
  • INSTRUMENTS FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGICAL PROCEDURES
    Publication number: 20180256015
    Abstract: A variety of tools and techniques are provided to support removal of ligamentum flavum in a spinal canal and other, similar tissue removal procedures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Publication date: September 13, 2018
    Inventors: Matthew Roy Johnson, Westin Michael Hill, Patrick James Codd
  • INSTRUMENTS FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGICAL PROCEDURES
    Publication number: 20160095505
    Abstract: A variety of tools and techniques are provided to support removal of ligamentum flavum in a spinal canal and other, similar tissue removal procedures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Matthew Roy Johnson, Westin Michael Hill, Patrick James Codd
  • STEERING TECHNIQUES FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS
    Publication number: 20150148602
    Abstract: A steerable endoscopic tool uses concentric sleeves of varying curvature to steer a tool tip toward or in the direction of a location of surgical interest. By rotating and/or axially displacing such sleeves relative to one another the tool tip may be maneuvered within a current field of view with several degrees of freedom without any physical movement of an endoscope, thus facilitating improved surgical access and control without complex mechanical systems in the endoscope or at the surgical site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventors: Westin Michael Hill, Matthew Roy Johnson, Tara Lee Schmidt Boettcher, Patrick James Codd