Patents by Inventor Bernard M. Willis

Bernard M. Willis 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).

  • Process for manufacturing drilled taper point surgical needles
    Patent number: 6018860
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing wire or needles having a taper point and mechanically drilled suture mounting holes in the proximal ends. Needle or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of forming and trimming and grinding stations. The blanks are coined in a coining die to produce lateral wings of constant thickness. The blanks are preferably rotated in the strip while being ground. The strip and needle blanks are then moved to a bank of at least two drills wherein the proximal suture mounting ends of the needles are drilled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2000
    Assignee: Ethicon, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel J. Smith, Bernard M. Willis, Paul K. Marschke
  • Process for manufacturing surgical needles
    Patent number: 5776268
    Abstract: A process for progressively manufacturing cutting edge needles or wire members. Needle blanks or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of coining dies and at least one trimming die, wherein the first coining die is an open coining die and the one or more successive coining dies are closed coining dies. The needle blanks or wire members are optionally curved, heat treated and electrochemically treated resulting in cutting edge needles or wire members formed without a grinding step and without adversely affecting point ductility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Ethicon, Inc.
    Inventors: William McJames, Bernard M. Willis, Daniel Smith, Eugene Reynolds, Carl Gucker, Michael Nordmeyer
  • Process for manufacturing taper point surgical needles
    Patent number: 5701656
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing wire or needles having a taper point. Needle or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of forming and trimming and grinding stations. The blanks are preferably rotated in the strip while being ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1997
    Assignee: Ethicon, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Smith, Bernard M. Willis, Kenneth P. Marschke, Jr., Barry Littlewood, Vulgens Schoen, Carl Gucker, Michael Nordmeyer, Thaddeus Miklewicz
  • Process for manufacturing taper point surgical needles
    Patent number: 5661893
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing wire or needles having a taper point. Needle or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of forming and trimming and grinding stations. The blanks are preferably rotated in the strip while being ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1997
    Assignee: Ethicon, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Smith, Bernard M. Willis, Kenneth P. Marschke, Jr., Barry Littlewood, Vulgens Schoen, Carl Gucker, Michael Nordmeyer, Thaddeus Miklewicz
  • Process for manufacturing taper point surgical needles
    Patent number: 5644834
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing wire or needles having a taper point. Needle or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of forming and trimming and grinding stations. The blanks are preferably rotated in the strip while being ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1997
    Assignee: Ethicon, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Smith, Bernard M. Willis, Kenneth P. Marschke, Jr., Barry Littlewood, Vulgens Schoen, Carl Gucker, Michael Nordmeyer, Thaddeus Miklewicz
  • Process for manufacturing taper point surgical needles
    Patent number: 5630268
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing surgical needles from solid, cylindrical needle blanks. A plurality of needle blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a flat carrier strip. The carrier strip then indexes each needle blank to a grinding station where an orbital grinding means grinds the distal end of each needle blank into a taper point while the needle blanks are held fixed in the carrier strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1997
    Assignee: Ethicon, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Smith, Bernard M. Willis, Kenneth P. Marschke, Jr., Barry Littlewood, Vulgens Schoen, Carl Gucker, Michael Nordmeyer, Thaddeus Miklewicz
  • Process for manufacturing taper point surgical needles
    Patent number: 5539973
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing wire or needles having a taper point. Needle or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of forming and trimming and grinding stations. The blanks are preferably rotated in the strip while being ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Ethicon, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Smith, Bernard M. Willis, Kenneth P. Marschke, Jr., Barry Littlewood, Vulgens Schoen, Carl Gucker, Michael Nordmeyer, Thaddeus Miklewicz
  • Process for manufacturing taper point surgical needles
    Patent number: 5477604
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing wire or needles having a taper point. Needle or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of forming and trimming and grinding stations. The blanks are preferably rotated in the strip while being ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1995
    Inventors: Daniel Smith, Bernard M. Willis, Kenneth P. Marschke, Jr., Barry Littlewood, Vulgens Schoen, Carl Gucker, Michael Nordmeyer, Thaddeus Miklewicz