Patents Represented by Law Firm Gerstman & Ellis
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Patent number: 6148222Abstract: A method and a catheter for passing a therapeutic electric current to, or sensing electric signals from, the body of a patient. The catheter is inserted into the esophagus of the patient, temporarily sealing a space surrounding a portion of the catheter containing one or more electrodes within the esophagus wall. The space is filled with an electrically conductive liquid (electrolyte). Then, an electric current is passed through electrodes to the conductive liquid between the esophagus wall and an electrode carried on the catheter in spaced relation from the esophagus wall or to other electrodes in the heart or body surface.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 1998Date of Patent: November 14, 2000Assignee: CardioCommand, Inc.Inventor: Maynard Ramsey, III
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Patent number: 6134212Abstract: A optical disc changer assembly comprising an optical disc player and a magazine for holding discs is provided. A disc transporter for transporting discs comprises a carrier to carry a particular disc from the magazine to the disc player for play, and return the disc to its original position after the disc has been played. The disc is seated in the carrier by gravity and makes contact with the carrier only at its rim.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 1999Date of Patent: October 17, 2000Assignee: P&P Marketing, Inc.Inventors: Andrew J. Pines, Edward E. Pellegrini
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Patent number: 6126638Abstract: An implantable rotary blood pump including a rotor mounted for rotation within a pump housing. The rotor has a shaft portion and an impeller carried by the shaft portion. A rotor motor is provided, with the motor including a plurality of permanent magnets carried by the impeller and motor stators on opposite sides of the impeller. The motor is operable to transmit torque and also to provide an axial magnetic force that acts as an axial bearing.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 1998Date of Patent: October 3, 2000Assignee: Kriton Medical, Inc.Inventors: Richard K. Wampler, David M. Lancisi
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Patent number: 6123708Abstract: A nail (or rod) for axial insertion into a large bone for support thereof, which comprises an elongated nail body having a central bore extending through the nail body from the proximal end along a proximal portion of the nail, and typically terminating at point spaced between the ends. The nail may also define a transversely flattened distal portion extending proximally from the distal end. In the embodiment shown, an open slot may extend centrally and longitudinally from the distal end along the distal portion to an inner slot end which is spaced between the ends of the nail. The nail body defines a plurality of transverse holes extending therethrough for receiving bone screws for supporting securance of the nail to a bone while the nail occupies the intramedullar space of the bone.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 1999Date of Patent: September 26, 2000Assignee: Pioneer Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Thomas N. Kilpela, Clayton R. Perry, Kenneth A. Davenport, Matthew N. Songer
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Patent number: 6120537Abstract: A blood pump comprising: a pump housing, and a rotor mounted for rotation within the housing. The rotor has a rotational axis and an attached impeller. The blood pump has a blood flow path that passes about the rotor, with the rotor having a peripheral edge surrounding an end face. The end face has a profiled surface that augments blood flow radially outwardly from a central portion of the end face toward the peripheral edge as the rotor rotates when compared with a flat end face.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 1997Date of Patent: September 19, 2000Assignee: Kriton Medical, Inc.Inventor: Richard K. Wampler
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Patent number: 6106265Abstract: A molding apparatus comprises a first mold plate positioned between a pair of second mold plates for opening and closing pairs of mold halves. The mold plates carry leader pins which are connected with each other in both the open and the closed position of the molding apparatus, for lateral support of the central first mold plate. Also or alternatively, a mold plate centering system is provided, comprising threaded rods carried by the first, central mold plate and pointing toward the second plates. Internally threaded sleeves are carried by the second plates, with at least a portion of each threaded rod occupying at least a portion of the bore of the internally threaded sleeve and screw threaded relation. Specifically, the threaded rods are joined together and freely rotatable, with the result that the position of the first, central plate is controlled as the respective plates are opened and closed by a moving platen of an injection mold.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 1998Date of Patent: August 22, 2000Inventor: John W. Von Holdt
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Patent number: 6089527Abstract: A molded squeeze clamp for tubing which comprises a strip of plastic having first and second ends, the strip being bent back on itself so that the ends are adjacent to each other in the manner of a Halkey-Roberts clamp. The first strip end defines a first latch, for engagement and releasable locking with the second end, and the second end defines a second latch for locking with the first latch. The first end also defines a first projection extending towards the second end to reduce or eliminate a gap between the first and second ends when the clamp is in its unstressed, as-molded, open configuration. The second end defines a second projection to facilitate manual opening of the clamp, the second projection extending in substantially longitudinal relation to the axis of tubing carried in the squeeze clamp.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 1997Date of Patent: July 18, 2000Assignee: Medisystems Technology CorporationInventor: David S. Utterberg
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Patent number: 6080133Abstract: An implantable rotary sealless blood pump is provided. The pump includes a housing having an inlet tube on one end and an impeller casing on the other end. A rotor is mounted for rotation within the housing, with the rotor having an elongated shaft portion and an impeller attached to the shaft portion. The impeller is located within the impeller casing. Radial magnetic bearings are carried by the shaft portion and radial magnetic bearings are carried by the housing for maintaining the shaft portion of the rotor within the inlet tube of the housing. A rotor motor includes a plurality of permanent magnets carried by the impeller and a motor stator including an electrically conductive coil located within the housing. A ring of back iron is carried by the impeller to aid in completing a flux return path for the permanent magnets. A plurality of hydrodynamic thrust bearings are located outside of the axis of rotation of the rotor.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 1998Date of Patent: June 27, 2000Assignee: Kriton Medical, Inc.Inventor: Richard K. Wampler
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Patent number: 6071269Abstract: A combined arterial-venous blood flow set comprises connected lengths of flexible tubing for receiving blood from a patient, for conveying the blood to a blood processing device such as a dialyzer or an LDL filter, and for returning the blood to the patient. An optional first bubble trap chamber is connected in series flow between two of the lengths of tubing at a flow position downstream from the patient and upstream from the blood processing device. A second bubble trap chamber is connected in series flow between two of the lengths of tubing at a flow position downstream from the blood processing device and upstream from the patient. A first portion of the tubing which is in a flow position upstream from the blood processing device extends by the second bubble trap chamber, and is physically, laterally connected to it without direct flow connection. This helps to stabilize the positioning of components of the flow set and to reduce confusion in set-up and priming.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 1998Date of Patent: June 6, 2000Assignee: Medisystems Technology CorporationInventors: William J. Schnell, David S. Utterberg
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Patent number: 6063080Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) ablation catheter system utilizes a flexible, tubular electrode that is selectively extendable from a distal end of a catheter body. The flexible, tubular electrode creates a continuous linear lesion when a longitudinal side of the electrode is arcuately positioned against an interior wall of the human body and the electrode is energized while a cooling fluid passes through the electrode. The catheter system also includes mechanisms for remotely manipulating and extending the electrode. Preferably, the catheter body include a catheter shaft and a flexible tip section such that the distal end of the catheter is steerable. The invention also includes a method of operating the RF catheter ablation system so as to create arcuate linear lesions.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 1998Date of Patent: May 16, 2000Assignee: Cordis Webster, Inc.Inventors: Dale K. Nelson, Steven D. Savage, Brad D. Pedersen, Whitney A. McFarlin
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Patent number: 6058681Abstract: A method is provided for bagging produce in sealed bags in an automated manner. The method comprises the following steps. A pair of thermoplastic sheets are advanced along a process line with the sheets being in parallel, abutting relation. A longitudinal seal line is formed between the sheets near to but spaced from the lower edges thereof to define a bag header. Transverse slits are formed in both of the sheets together, with the edges of the slits being heat sealed, as with a hot knife, to form separate bags between the slits. The slits extend across the lower edges of the sheets, but are spaced from the upper edges. Thus, the sheets remain integral despite the formation of multiple bags therein. Produce is dropped between the thermoplastic sheet upper edges into the bag. The bags then may be horizontally slit to substantially intersect the transverse slits and to separate a horizontal strip of the sheets including the upper edges, while bottom-supporting the bags.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 1997Date of Patent: May 9, 2000Assignee: Tagit Enterprises CorporationInventor: Michael J. Recchia, Jr.
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Patent number: 6058878Abstract: A method for the establishment and maintenance of colonies of Lepidoptera which are free of contamination with protozoa is provided. The colonies consists of individuals capable of breeding and producing viable, noncontaminated butterflies.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 1998Date of Patent: May 9, 2000Assignee: California Polytechnic State University FoundationInventor: Kingston L. H. Leong
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Patent number: 6051134Abstract: A flow through bubble trap comprises a chamber-defining wall having a flow inlet/outlet tube extending through the chamber and open at opposed tube ends. The tube has its bore closed with a partition, with ports in the side wall communicating with the chamber interior on opposite sides of the partition and adjacent to the bottom wall of the chamber.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 1999Date of Patent: April 18, 2000Assignee: Medisystems Technology CorporationInventors: William J. Schnell, David S. Utterberg
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Patent number: 6042570Abstract: A needle point protection sheath comprises a protector tube having a bore for receiving a hollow needle plus a needle hub within the bore. The protector tube has a closure cap at one end thereof and has a retention member at the other end to engage an end of the hub, to prevent the hub from passing out of the other tube end. The cap may carry a sleeve having a needle-pierceable wall at its inner end, or a mass of resilient material which is capable of being penetrated by the needle as the cap is closed, to seal the needle tip and thus prevent the spilling of blood residue when a blood collection needle is being enclosed for protection.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 1999Date of Patent: March 28, 2000Assignee: DSU Medical CorporationInventors: David Bell, William J. Schnell
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Patent number: 6019824Abstract: A tubular set for the conveyance of blood includes flexible set tubing and a bubble trap chamber connected to the tubing for any desired extracorporeal blood transport process. The bubble trap chamber includes a housing defining an outer wall, a flow inlet to the interior of the housing, and a flow outlet at or near the bottom of the housing. The housing also includes an inner wall adjacent to its top. The inner wall is radially inwardly spaced from the outer wall within the chamber, extending circumferentially and generally parallel to the outer wall for at least about 90.degree. of the circumference of the outer wall and preferably at least 180.degree., to define a circumferential passageway between the inner and outer walls. The flow inlet communicates with the circumferential passageway, so that blood can be directed to flow from the inlet horizontally and circumferentially through the passageway to a pair of passageway outlets.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 1998Date of Patent: February 1, 2000Assignee: Medisystems Technology CorporationInventor: William J. Schnell
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Patent number: 6010623Abstract: A flow through bubble trap for fluid flow lines comprises a chamber having a substantially flat, lateral side, a first port tube, and a second, opposed port tube. A flow directing baffle system is positioned in the chamber to direct incoming fluid from one of the port tubes into a first, lateral flow direction to allow substantially horizontal fluid flow circulation in the chamber. Fluid flow from the circulating fluid in the chamber enters into the other of the port tubes in a lateral flow direction that is generally the same as the first lateral flow direction, while the baffle system prevents direct flow between the first and second port tubes. The chamber is adaptable to fit with a large variety of conventional dialysis machines and the like, having multi-purpose supplemental access ports, for a simplification of the number of codes necessary for product distribution.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 1998Date of Patent: January 4, 2000Assignee: Medisystems Technology CorporationInventors: William J. Schnell, David S. Utterberg
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Patent number: 5997570Abstract: A method is disclosed for introducing a stent inside the body of a patient. The stent is made of a material that cures due to the action of light. A catheter having an inflatable balloon adjacent its distal end is provided. Also provided is a light conductor comprising a transparent, elongated member, the elongated member having a smooth, outer wall along most of its length with a portion of the light conductor within the balloon having a rougher outer wall to allow light to project laterally outwardly through the wall. The balloon carries on substantially its entire surface a partially reflective layer to permit the light to be partly reflected and partly transmitted through the same portions of the wall of the balloon. The stent is cured by providing light to the light conductor.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 1997Date of Patent: December 7, 1999Assignee: Cordis CorporationInventors: Hendrikus Cornelis Geert Ligtenberg, Marcel Gerhard Haan, James Ernest Leone
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Patent number: 5997918Abstract: Food coating compositions are disclosed which are based on a high percentage of corn starch. The compositions preferably contain lower percentages of tapioca starch. The compositions may also contain potato starch, tapioca dextrin, rice flour, leavening agent, xanthan gum, whey or nonfat milk, colorants and flavorants. The coatings may be advantageously used to coat vegetable products, including potato, to enhance flavor and other characteristics.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 1998Date of Patent: December 7, 1999Assignee: Bunge Foods CorporationInventor: Henning S. Melvej
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Patent number: 5999499Abstract: A jukebox system to prioritize the playing of a selected recording is provided. A microprocessor-controlled jukebox allows a user to move a selected recording to next on a list to be played, by paying an additional fee.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 1993Date of Patent: December 7, 1999Assignee: P & P Marketing, Inc.Inventors: Andrew J. Pines, Don G. Marshall
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Patent number: 5983947Abstract: A medical fluid set comprises tubing sections interconnected with at least one tubing connector component which connects the tubing sections together to form the set. The set further comprises external connectors carried on ends of at least some tubing sections of the set. At least one of the tubing connector components or external connectors carry, as an integral part thereof, a retaining-sealing member for removable, sealing connection with at least one of the external connectors. The retaining-sealing member is free of fluid flow connection with the set flow path. Thus, separate or tethered closure caps for external connectors can be dispensed with.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 1997Date of Patent: November 16, 1999Assignee: Medisystems Technology CorporationInventor: David S. Utterberg