Patents by Inventor Brian Keith Heston

Brian Keith Heston 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).

  • Surgical power tool with critical error handler
    Patent number: 10693412
    Abstract: In a surgical power tool that includes an electric motor positioned in a housing and a movable element extending from the housing and operatively actuated by the electric motor, a controller can repeatedly interrogate for faults a plurality of components in or on the housing, such as the electric motor, the controller, a battery, a trigger, and a mode switch. Upon finding a component in a fault condition, the controller can engage a critical error handler that disengages the electric motor, disables at least some of the plurality of components, and directs a microprocessor in the controller into a safe software state. Upon engaging the critical error handler, the controller can further write to a memory an error code corresponding to which of the plurality of components is in the fault condition. The error code can be accessible via a wired or wireless connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Zimmer, Inc.
    Inventor: Brian Keith Heston
  • SURGICAL POWER TOOL WITH CRITICAL ERROR HANDLER
    Publication number: 20190097566
    Abstract: In a surgical power tool that includes an electric motor positioned in a housing and a movable element extending from the housing and operatively actuated by the electric motor, a controller can repeatedly interrogate for faults a plurality of components in or on the housing, such as the electric motor, the controller, a battery, a trigger, and a mode switch. Upon finding a component in a fault condition, the controller can engage a critical error handler that disengages the electric motor, disables at least some of the plurality of components, and directs a microprocessor in the controller into a safe software state. Upon engaging the critical error handler, the controller can further write to a memory an error code corresponding to which of the plurality of components is in the fault condition. The error code can be accessible via a wired or wireless connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventor: Brian Keith Heston
  • Surgical power tool with critical error handler
    Patent number: 10177700
    Abstract: In a surgical power tool that includes an electric motor positioned in a housing and a movable element extending from the housing and operatively actuated by the electric motor, a controller can repeatedly interrogate for faults a plurality of components in or on the housing, such as the electric motor, the controller, a battery, a trigger, and a mode switch. Upon finding a component in a fault condition, the controller can engage a critical error handler that disengages the electric motor, disables at least some of the plurality of components, and directs a microprocessor in the controller into a safe software state. Upon engaging the critical error handler, the controller can further write to a memory an error code corresponding to which of the plurality of components is in the fault condition. The error code can be accessible via a wired or wireless connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Zimmer, Inc.
    Inventor: Brian Keith Heston
  • SURGICAL POWER TOOL WITH CRITICAL ERROR HANDLER
    Publication number: 20180123500
    Abstract: In a surgical power tool that includes an electric motor positioned in a housing and a movable element extending from the housing and operatively actuated by the electric motor, a controller can repeatedly interrogate for faults a plurality of components in or on the housing, such as the electric motor, the controller, a battery, a trigger, and a mode switch. Upon finding a component in a fault condition, the controller can engage a critical error handler that disengages the electric motor, disables at least some of the plurality of components, and directs a microprocessor in the controller into a safe software state. Upon engaging the critical error handler, the controller can further write to a memory an error code corresponding to which of the plurality of components is in the fault condition. The error code can be accessible via a wired or wireless connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Inventor: Brian Keith Heston