Patents by Inventor Tom Hopkins

Tom Hopkins 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: 11980413
    Abstract: An interface joint with one or both of a needle actuation mechanism or an integrated shaft rotation mechanism. The interface joint comprises a flexible shaft between a housing and an electrosurgical instrument, e.g. for conveying power and/or fluid therebetween. The needle actuation mechanism comprises an actuation rod extending out of the housing and an actuator movably mounted on the housing. The shaft rotation mechanism comprises a rotation actuator rotatably mounted on the housing and operably coupled to the flexible shaft. Providing an integrated shaft rotation mechanism may obviate the need for a separate torque transmission unit. The improved needle actuation mechanism may use a pivoting connection to enable longer needle extension distances to be achieved for a given actuation distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: CREO MEDICAL LIMITED
    Inventors: Christopher Paul Hancock, Rohan Monico, Huw Hopkins, Tom Craven, Steve Morris
  • Patent number: 7494703
    Abstract: A thermally printable commercially functional cash register tape produced from a thin machine direction oriented, heat stabilized, multi-layer, coextruded thermoplastic film is described. This thermoplastic tape replaces the currently used paper cash register tape. It will accept printing, has sufficient machine direction stiffness and sufficiently reduced surface electrical charges to function in conventional commercial cash register printers. The thermoplastic tape is much thinner than the conventional paper tape so a roll of the plastic register tape contains about 4.7 times the paper length of a typical cash register roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Inventor: Tom Hopkins
  • Publication number: 20050124491
    Abstract: A thermally printable commercially functional cash register tape produced from a thin machine direction oriented, heat stabilized, multi-layer, coextruded thermoplastic film is described. This thermoplastic tape replaces the currently used paper cash register tape. It will accept printing, has sufficient machine direction stiffness and sufficiently reduced surface electrical charges to function in conventional commercial cash register printers. The thermoplastic tape is much thinner than the conventional paper tape so a roll of the plastic register tape contains about 4.7 times the paper length of a typical cash register roll.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Publication date: June 9, 2005
    Inventor: Tom Hopkins