Patents by Inventor Mackenzie Quantz

Mackenzie Quantz 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 training aids and methods of fabrication thereof
    Patent number: 8870576
    Abstract: The present invention provides surgical training aids formed from hydrogels and adapted to exhibit realistic mechanical properties mimicking those of real organs. Surgical training aids are preferably fabricated by subjecting a concentration of polyvinyl alcohol to freeze-thaw cycles in a mold designed to approximate the shape of an organ, and process parameters are selected to tailor the mechanical properties of the formed hydrogel to those of the organ simulated by the surgical aid. The mechanical properties of the hydrogel forming the surgical training aid may be tailored by incorporating bacterial cellulose and by applying strain during hydrogel formation, thereby producing controlled anisotropy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: The University of Western Ontario
    Inventors: Leonardo Millon, Wankei Wan, Mackenzie Quantz
  • SURGICAL TRAINING AIDS AND METHODS OF FABRICATION THEREOF
    Publication number: 20120282584
    Abstract: The present invention provides surgical training aids formed from hydrogels and adapted to exhibit realistic mechanical properties mimicking those of real organs. Surgical training aids are preferably fabricated by subjecting a concentration of polyvinyl alcohol to freeze-thaw cycles in a mold designed to approximate the shape of an organ, and process parameters are selected to tailor the mechanical properties of the formed hydrogel to those of the organ simulated by the surgical aid. The mechanical properties of the hydrogel forming the surgical training aid may be tailored by incorporating bacterial cellulose and by applying strain during hydrogel formation, thereby producing controlled anisotropy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2010
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO
    Inventors: Leonardo Millon, Wankei Wan, Mackenzie Quantz