Patents by Inventor Reto Lerf

Reto Lerf 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: 11589993
    Abstract: A hemi-prosthesis implant comprises a replacement-joint part with an articulation surface for tribological pairing with a joint surface of a natural joint counterpart. The articulation surface is embodied with a coating applied on a substrate. The substrate provides a relief for the adhesion of the coating. The relief may comprise one or more of a plurality of grooves, a plurality of teeth, a ribbing, and a roughened surface. The relief may be embodied entirely or partially outside the articulation surface. The replacement joint part may optionally comprise a ventilation feature, and the articulation surface may be formed by injection molding on the substrate. The hemi-prosthesis implant may be part of an implant set that includes both a hemi-prosthesis implant and a total prosthesis implant, either of which can be chosen intraoperatively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Mathys AG Bettlach
    Inventors: Reto Lerf, Stefan Scheurer
  • Patent number: 10918491
    Abstract: The invention relates to a femoral component (1) of a knee replacement assembly. The knee replacement assembly is arranged to articulate about an articulation axis (X). The femoral component comprises an outer surface (100), wherein the outer surface is arranged to define a replacement condyle; and an inner surface (200), opposed to the outer surface, wherein the inner surface is adapted for attachment to a prepared distal femur. The inner surface comprises portions (210, 220, 230, 240) provided with mutually-parallel ridges (201) and grooves (202). The ridges and grooves are arranged to provide an increased or reduced stiffness of the femoral component when cantilevered about the articulation axis compared with a stiffness of the femoral component when cantilevered about a transverse axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: INVIBIO KNEES LIMITED
    Inventors: Stephen Bonham, Adam Briscoe, Ian Revie, Irene Sinz, Reto Lerf, Daniel Delfosse
  • Publication number: 20200246151
    Abstract: The invention relates to a femoral component (1) of a knee replacement assembly. The knee replacement assembly is arranged to articulate about an articulation axis (X). The femoral component comprises an outer surface (100), wherein the outer surface is arranged to define a replacement condyle; and an inner surface (200), opposed to the outer surface, wherein the inner surface is adapted for attachment to a prepared distal femur. The inner surface comprises portions (210, 220, 230, 240) provided with mutually-parallel ridges (201) and grooves (202). The ridges and grooves are arranged to provide an increased or reduced stiffness of the femoral component when cantilevered about the articulation axis compared with a stiffness of the femoral component when cantilevered about a transverse axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Stephen Bonham, Adam Briscoe, Ian Revie, Irene Sinz, Reto Lerf, Daniel Delfosse
  • Patent number: 10350071
    Abstract: A hemi-prosthesis implant comprises a replacement-joint part with an articulation surface for tribological pairing with a joint surface of a natural joint counterpart. The articulation surface is embodied with a coating applied on a substrate. The substrate provides a relief for the adhesion of the coating. The relief may comprise one or more of a plurality of grooves, a plurality of teeth, a ribbing, and a roughened surface. The relief may be embodied entirely or partially outside the articulation surface. The replacement joint part may optionally comprise a ventilation feature, and the articulation surface may be formed by injection molding on the substrate. The hemi-prosthesis implant may be part of an implant set that includes both a hemi-prosthesis implant and a total prosthesis implant, either of which can be chosen intraoperatively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Mathys AG Bettlach
    Inventors: Reto Lerf, Stefan Scheurer
  • Publication number: 20190151097
    Abstract: A hemi-prosthesis implant comprises a replacement-joint part with an articulation surface for tribological pairing with a joint surface of a natural joint counterpart. The articulation surface is embodied with a coating applied on a substrate. The substrate provides a relief for the adhesion of the coating. The relief may comprise one or more of a plurality of grooves, a plurality of teeth, a ribbing, and a roughened surface. The relief may be embodied entirely or partially outside the articulation surface. The replacement joint part may optionally comprise a ventilation feature, and the articulation surface may be formed by injection molding on the substrate. The hemi-prosthesis implant may be part of an implant set that includes both a hemi-prosthesis implant and a total prosthesis implant, either of which can be chosen intraoperatively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Applicant: Mathys AG Bettlach
    Inventors: Reto Lerf, Stefan Scheurer
  • Publication number: 20170000613
    Abstract: A hemi-prosthesis implant comprises a replacement-joint part with an articulation surface for tribological pairing with a joint surface of a natural joint counterpart. The articulation surface is embodied with a coating applied on a substrate. The substrate provides a relief for the adhesion of the coating. The relief may comprise one or more of a plurality of grooves, a plurality of teeth, a ribbing, and a roughened surface. The relief may be embodied entirely or partially outside the articulation surface. The replacement joint part may optionally comprise a ventilation feature, and the articulation surface may be formed by injection molding on the substrate. The hemi-prosthesis implant may be part of an implant set that includes both a hemi-prosthesis implant and a total prosthesis implant, either of which can be chosen intraoperatively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Applicant: Mathys AG Bettlach
    Inventors: Reto LERF, Stefan SCHEURER
  • Patent number: 7998523
    Abstract: The invention relates to open-pore biocompatible surface layers for implants, which layers are arranged over virgin surfaces of the implants, wherein pores of the open-pore surface layers are connected to form coherent pore networks and the surface layers have a specific internal surface area of ?0.06 ?m/?m2, preferably ?0.035 ?m/?m2 and especially ?0.025 ?m/?m2, measured by image analysis as a 2D-boundary line per unit of surface area in a metallographic microsection at 100× magnification. The invention further relates to methods of producing such surface layers, to implants coated therewith and to possible uses of the surface layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Smith and Nephew Orthopaedics AG
    Inventors: Reto Lerf, Hans Schmotzer, Stephan Siegmann
  • Publication number: 20110166664
    Abstract: The invention relates to a joint socket (1) for a hip-joint endoprosthesis (2), wherein the joint socket (1) comprises ageing-resistant materials and forms a low-abrasion sliding pair together with a joint head (3). The joint socket (1) provides an implant surface (4), which is formed from a material with a porous surface, wherein the isoelastic structure of the joint socket (1) according to the invention and the joint head (3) achieves a physiological load transfer by means of specially designed materials, of which the modulus of elasticity is adapted to the values of a spongy bone material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2009
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: Mathys AG Bettlach
    Inventors: Daniel Delfosse, Reto Lerf
  • Publication number: 20100004753
    Abstract: The invention relates to an open-pore biocompatible surface layer for an implant, which layer is arranged over a virgin surface of the implant, wherein pores of the open-pore surface layer are connected to form a coherent pore network and the surface layer has an internal surface area of ?0.06 ?m/?m2, preferably ?0.035 ?m/?m2 and especially ?0.025 ?m/?m2, measured by image analysis as a 2D-boundary line per unit of surface area in a metallographic microsection at 100× magnification. The invention further relates to methods of producing such a surface layer, to an implant coated therewith and to possible uses of the surface layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2006
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Inventors: Reto Lerf, Hans Schmotzer, Stephan Siegmann
  • Publication number: 20060100716
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of producing an open-pored coated joint replacement implant, wherein at least one layer of a biocompatible metal or an alloy thereof is applied to a virgin surface of the implant, to produce an implant surface. A surface micro-structure is then produced on the implant surface. That is carried out by means of etching of the implant surface, for example by means of an acid bath or by means of plasma etching, or by the application of fine biocompatible particles to the implant surface. The layer thickness of the open-pored surface layer is in the range from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, the porosity being at least 40%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2002
    Publication date: May 11, 2006
    Inventor: Reto Lerf