Patents by Inventor Christof Merckle

Christof Merckle 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: 11246652
    Abstract: Surgical tissue fusion instrument and support structure having two gripping structures which are movable relative to each other and which are designed to bring together biological tissue sections that are to be connected to each other, with heat-generating means which are assigned to the gripping structures and, during tissue fusion, cause heat to be introduced in the area of a connection site of the biological tissue sections, and also with a support structure which is held between the gripping structures and, during tissue fusion, is operatively connected to the tissue sections. The support structure has at least one additional physical functional structure for aiding or promoting the tissue fusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: AESCULAP AG
    Inventors: Rainer Bargon, Bernd Blender, Stefan Eick, Nikolaus Hafner, Patrick Heizmann, Eugen Herner, Christian Huber, Christof Merckle, Erich Odermatt, Christoph Rothweiler
  • Patent number: 10779844
    Abstract: Surgical tissue fusion instrument having two gripping structures which are movable relative to each other, are designed for gripping and bringing together biological tissue sections, and are assigned heat-generating means designed in such a way that tissue fusion takes place between the biological tissue sections by heat being supplied in the area of the gripping structures. At least one gripping structure is assigned a fluid-conducting system, which is designed to supply at least one liquid or flowable additive to the tissue sections during a tissue fusion process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: AESCULAP AG
    Inventors: Rainer Bargon, Bernd Blender, Stefan Eick, Nikolaus Hafner, Patrick Heizmann, Eugen Herner, Christian Huber, Christof Merckle, Erich Odermatt, Christoph Rothweiler
  • Patent number: 10463761
    Abstract: A tissue fusion agent includes a particulate and/or fibrous flock material, wherein the fibrous flock material includes monofilament flock fibers and has a fiber length of 100 ?m to 3 mm. A discharge device can contain the tissue fusion agent and a surgical system can includes the tissue fusion agent or the discharge device and a tissue fusion instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: Aesculap AG
    Inventors: Christof Merckle, Erich Odermatt
  • Patent number: 10456507
    Abstract: A tissue fusion agent includes a supporting element and a flock material. A surgical system includes the tissue fusion agent and a tissue fusion instrument. A method of producing the tissue fusion agent includes a) coating a supporting element with an adhesive, and b) flocking the adhesive-coated supporting element with a flock material while the adhesive is moist, adhesive or tacky, or after activation of the adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Aesculap AG
    Inventors: Christof Merckle, Erich Odermatt
  • Publication number: 20190150964
    Abstract: Surgical tissue fusion instrument having two gripping structures which are movable relative to each other, are designed for gripping and bringing together biological tissue sections, and are assigned heat-generating means designed in such a way that tissue fusion takes place between the biological tissue sections by heat being supplied in the area of the gripping structures. At least one gripping structure is assigned a fluid-conducting system, which is designed to supply at least one liquid or flowable additive to the tissue sections during a tissue fusion process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Inventors: Rainer Bargon, Bernd Blender, Stefan Eick, Nikolaus Hafner, Patrick Heizmann, Eugen Herner, Christian Huber, Christof Merckle, Erich Odermatt, Christoph Rothweiler
  • Publication number: 20180214201
    Abstract: Surgical tissue fusion instrument and support structure having two gripping structures which are movable relative to each other and which are designed to bring together biological tissue sections that are to be connected to each other, with heat-generating means which are assigned to the gripping structures and, during tissue fusion, cause heat to be introduced in the area of a connection site of the biological tissue sections, and also with a support structure which is held between the gripping structures and, during tissue fusion, is operatively connected to the tissue sections. The support structure has at least one additional physical functional structure for aiding or promoting the tissue fusion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Rainer Bargon, Bernd Blender, Stefan Eick, Nikolaus Hafner, Patrick Heizmann, Eugen Herner, Christian Huber, Christof Merckle, Erich Odermatt, Christoph Rothweiler
  • Publication number: 20150367026
    Abstract: A tissue fusion agent includes a particulate and/or fibrous flock material, wherein the fibrous flock material includes monofilament flock fibers and has a fiber length of 100 ?m to 3 mm. A discharge device can contain the tissue fusion agent and a surgical system can includes the tissue fusion agent or the discharge device and a tissue fusion instrument.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Inventors: Christof MERCKLE, Erich ODERMATT
  • Publication number: 20150367042
    Abstract: A tissue fusion agent includes a supporting element and a flock material. A surgical system includes the tissue fusion agent and a tissue fusion instrument. A method of producing the tissue fusion agent includes a) coating a supporting element with an adhesive, and b) flocking the adhesive-coated supporting element with a flock material while the adhesive is moist, adhesive or tacky, or after activation of the adhesive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Applicant: Aesculap AG,
    Inventors: Christof Merckle, Erich Odermatt
  • Publication number: 20150367025
    Abstract: A medical product is in the form of a particulate and/or fibrous flock material or of a suspension or paste containing a particulate and/or fibrous flock material. A discharge device contains the medical product. A medical kit includes the medical product and at least one further component selected from the group including a suture material, a stapler, a discharge device, more particularly a spray device, for the medical product and combinations thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Inventors: Christof Merckle, Erich Odermatt
  • Patent number: 8728152
    Abstract: A woven aortic sinus prosthesis has a first substantially cylindrical section position away from a patient's heart, which optionally passes into an aortic arch of the patient, a second section having a greater diameter than the first section and forming a bulb, which second section is connected to the first section, and optionally a third substantially cylindrical section close to the heart, which is connected to the bulb section, wherein the prosthesis is continuously woven and has a constant number of warp yarns over its axial length, whereby there is a greater distance between the warp yarns in a region of the bulb section than in the first and third cylindrical sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Aesculap AG
    Inventors: Helmut Goldmann, Christof Merckle, Hans-Hinrich Sievers
  • Patent number: 8728151
    Abstract: A woven textile vascular prosthesis including a tubular trunk and at least one fork, each fork having an apex located between outgoing tubular branches with a small diameter, wherein at least a portion of a wall of the prosthesis in a zone of the apex is woven more densely than in other zones having an original weave construction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Aesculap AG
    Inventors: Helmut Goldmann, Christof Merckle
  • Patent number: 8299205
    Abstract: High-purity, acetone-soluble, absorbable components of medical devices are designed for optimum interfacing with human blood or the cell lining of a body cavity, and are formed of a crystalline, segmented l-lactide polyaxial copolymer structurally tailored to have certain molecular dimensions, thermal and physicomechanical properties, and solubility characteristics to allow their uses, optimally, as parts of vascular, urological, and post-surgical adhesion prevention devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Poly-Med, Inc.
    Inventors: Shalaby W. Shalaby, James M Lindsey, Christof Merckle, Helmut Goldmann
  • Publication number: 20120130483
    Abstract: A tubular implant that replaces natural blood vessels includes a prefabricated vascular prosthesis with an internal surface, an external surface and a wall, wherein the internal and/or external surface of the prefabricated vascular prosthesis has a polyurethane coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: AESCULAP AG
    Inventors: Helmut Goldmann, Christof Merckle, Dietmar Probst, Dennis Langanke
  • Patent number: 8128683
    Abstract: The invention relates to a textile vascular prosthesis (1) with a circulatory pleating formed by folds (4), and with an arch-shaped longitudinal flexion (2) extending over at least a partial section and formed by asymmetric shortening gathering of the prosthesis wall by means of at least one longitudinal seam (7) extending along the partial section. The at least one longitudinal seam gathers the prosthesis wall while preserving the accordion-like structure (4) and the compacted state of the pleating (4) in the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignees: Aesculap & Co. KG
    Inventors: Lisa Lippoth, Christof Merckle, Helmut Goldmann, Jürgen Scherberich, Hans-Hinrich Sievers
  • Patent number: 8075612
    Abstract: Textile vascular prostheses having a coating include an absorbable polymer in the form of a three-armed polyester having terminal hydroxyl groups from hydroxy acids polymerized onto a central trifunctional hydroxy compound, the three arms being tetrapolymers of lactide, ?-caprolactone, trimethylene carbonate and glycolide. The polymer is composed of about 30 to about 45 mol % of lactide, about 20 to about 40 mol % of ?-caprolactone, about 10 to about 28 mol % of trimethylene carbonate and about 10 to about 25 mol % of glycolide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignees: Aesculap AG, Poly-Med, Inc.
    Inventors: Helmut Goldmann, Christof Merckle, Shalaby W. Shalaby
  • Publication number: 20100094390
    Abstract: A woven aortic sinus prosthesis has a first substantially cylindrical section position away from a patient's heart, which optionally passes into an aortic arch of the patient, a second section having a greater diameter than the first section and forming a bulb, which second section is connected to the first section, and optionally a third substantially cylindrical section close to the heart, which is connected to the bulb section, wherein the prosthesis is continuously woven and has a constant number of warp yarns over its axial length, whereby there is a greater distance between the warp yarns in a region of the bulb section than in the first and third cylindrical sections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: Aesculap AG, a corporation of Germany
    Inventors: Helmut Goldmann, Christof Merckle, Hans-Hinrich Sievers
  • Publication number: 20090281614
    Abstract: Sinus patches for replacing defective sinuses at the aortic sinus include a flat, flexible, domed piece of wall material which, except for possibly having pleats, has a three-dimensional dome shape, which is determined by the wall material itself.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Applicant: AESCULAP AG, a corporation of Germany
    Inventors: Helmut Goldmann, Christof Merckle, Lisa Lippoth
  • Publication number: 20090236253
    Abstract: A sterilized package includes an inner gas-permeable and germ-proof package which contains at least one sterile article and an outer gas-tight package which surrounds the inner package wherein the package includes, between the inner package and the outer package, a sterile and dry packaging volume.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Inventors: Christof Merckle, Volker Friedrich
  • Publication number: 20090234442
    Abstract: Textile vascular prostheses having a coating include an absorbable polymer in the form of a three-armed polyester having terminal hydroxyl groups from hydroxy acids polymerized onto a central trifunctional hydroxy compound, the three arms being tetrapolymers of lactide, ?-caprolactone, trimethylene carbonate and glycolide. The polymer is composed of about 30 to about 45 mol % of lactide, about 20 to about 40 mol % of ?-caprolactone, about 10 to about 28 mol % of trimethylene carbonate and about 10 to about 25 mol % of glycolide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2007
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Inventors: Helmut Goldmann, Christof Merckle, Shalaby W. Shalaby
  • Publication number: 20090171450
    Abstract: A woven textile vascular prosthesis including a tubular trunk and at least one fork, each fork having an apex located between outgoing tubular branches with a small diameter, wherein at least a portion of a wall of the prosthesis in a zone of the apex is woven more densely than in other zones having an original weave construction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Applicant: Aesculap AG, a corporation of Germany
    Inventors: Helmut Goldmann, Christof Merckle