Patents by Inventor Ben Shappley

Ben Shappley 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).

  • Publication number: 20050177237
    Abstract: A spinal cage insert for a spinal cage is provided. The spinal cage insert has a shape suitable to be inserted into and fit closely in an interior of the spinal cage. The insert may comprise a member of the calcium phosphate family. The spinal cage insert may be made to a desired shape of porous ceramic, and it may include channels and/or surface features. Various shapes of filler pieces are also provided, wherein the filler pieces may be suitable to augment external regions of vertebrae which have been fused to each other so as to promote build-up of bone. The spinal cage insert and/or the filler pieces may be osteoconductive and may also contain osteoinductive substances or material. The articles may also contain cavities suitable for containing particles of demineralized bone matrix (DBM). Methods of use and methods of manufacturing the spinal cage insert and filler pieces are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2004
    Publication date: August 11, 2005
    Inventors: Ben Shappley, Timothy Pryor, John Blum, Thomas Bradbury, Peter Materna, Jonathan McGlohorn, Thomas West, Sunil Saini, Thomas Hatcher, Ali Recber
  • Publication number: 20050085922
    Abstract: The invention is directed to shaped bone void filler pieces having defined porosity. In embodiments of the invention, the shaped bone void filler pieces are presented substantially as wedges, wafers, and axisymmetric bone void filler pieces. The bone void filler pieces further comprise surface and internal features such as recesses, channels, and/or voids. The bone void filler pieces optionally comprise demineralized bone matrix. The invention further is directed to methods of making and methods of using the bone void filler pieces. In another embodiment of the invention, the bone void filler pieces are produced using three dimensional printing methods. In yet another embodiment of the invention, the bone void filler pieces are manufactured with selected porogens integrated therein, which optionally are decomposed following production through a heat-mediated decomposition process, resulting in voids in the bone void filler spaces previously occupied by the porogen(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2004
    Publication date: April 21, 2005
    Inventors: Ben Shappley, Thomas Bradbury, Peter Materna, Timothy Pryor, John Blum, Ali Recber