Patents by Inventor Niels Abt

Niels Abt 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: 11612317
    Abstract: A system and method for ophthalmic surgery in which a light field camera is used to capture a digital image of the surgical field including the eye. The digital image is used to create image information and directional information, which is then used to from a three dimensional (3D) image with motion parallax.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Niels A. Abt
  • Publication number: 20230061487
    Abstract: Projection of visible, non-treatment light onto an eye to illuminate specific areas of the surgical field is disclosed herein. A surgical system may include a surgical console; a microscope communicatively coupled to the surgical console; a camera communicatively coupled to the surgical console; and a projector operable to project light onto an eye. The projector may be communicatively coupled to the surgical console. A method for light projection may include collecting information from an eye using a camera; determining the light projection based, at least in part, on the collected information; and projecting visible, non-treatment light onto the eye using a projector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventor: Alexander Niels Abt
  • Patent number: 11015030
    Abstract: The present invention generally provides implantable articles and methods of forming implantable articles from a crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (“UHMWPE”) blend stabilized with Vitamin E. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be prepared by combining the UHMWPE material and vitamin E prior to irradiating the UHMWPE blend with electron beam radiation at a sufficient radiation dose rate to induce crosslinking. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be incorporated into a variety of implants, and in particular, into endoprosthetic joint replacements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Zimmer GmbH
    Inventors: Niels A Abt, Werner Schneider-Storrer
  • Patent number: 11001680
    Abstract: The present invention generally provides implantable articles and methods of forming implantable articles from a crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (“UHMWPE”) blend stabilized with Vitamin E. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be prepared by combining the UHMWPE material and vitamin E prior to irradiating the UHMWPE blend with electron beam radiation at a sufficient radiation dose rate to induce crosslinking. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be incorporated into a variety of implants, and in particular, into endoprosthetic joint replacements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: ZIMMER GMBH
    Inventors: Niels A Abt, Werner Schneider-Storrer
  • Publication number: 20200383569
    Abstract: A system and method for ophthalmic surgery in which a light field camera is used to capture a digital image of the surgical field including the eye. The digital image is used to create image information and directional information, which is then used to from a three dimensional (3D) image with motion parallax.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Inventor: Niels A. Abt
  • Patent number: 10779728
    Abstract: A system and method for ophthalmic surgery in which a light field camera is used to capture a digital image of the surgical field including the eye. The digital image is used to create image information and directional information, which is then used to from a three dimensional (3D) image with motion parallax.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Niels A. Abt
  • Patent number: 10201270
    Abstract: A system and method for ophthalmic surgery in which a portion of the light reflected by the eye passes through a lens that inverts the image and a portion of the light reflected by the eye does not pass through the lens. A digital image of both light that passed through the lens (lens image) and light that has not (peripheral image) is created using an image sensor. A processing resource identifies the boundary between the lens image and peripheral image and inverts at least a portion of either the lens image or the peripheral image to produce a corrected image in which no or only a small portion of the image is inverted as compared to the eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Novartis AG
    Inventor: Niels A. Abt
  • Publication number: 20180214019
    Abstract: A system and method for ophthalmic surgery in which a portion of the light reflected by the eye passes through a lens that inverts the image and a portion of the light reflected by the eye does not pass through the lens. A digital image of both light that passed through the lens (lens image) and light that has not (peripheral image) is created using an image sensor. A processing resource identifies the boundary between the lens image and peripheral image and inverts at least a portion of either the lens image or the peripheral image to produce a corrected image in which no or only a small portion of the image is inverted as compared to the eye.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventor: Niels A. Abt
  • Publication number: 20180192871
    Abstract: A system and method for ophthalmic surgery in which a light field camera is used to capture a digital image of the surgical field including the eye. The digital image is used to create image information and directional information, which is then used to from a three dimensional (3D) image with motion parallax.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Publication date: July 12, 2018
    Inventor: Niels A. Abt
  • Publication number: 20170335074
    Abstract: The present invention generally provides implantable articles and methods of forming implantable articles from a crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (“UHMWPE”) blend stabilized with Vitamin E. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be prepared by combining the UHMWPE material and vitamin E prior to irradiating the UHMWPE blend with electron beam radiation at a sufficient radiation dose rate to induce crosslinking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Inventors: Niels A. Abt, Werner Schneider-Storrer
  • Patent number: 9757536
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes numerous example medical instruments that include an elongated portion having a proximal end and a distal end, and a passage defined therethrough and a soft tip coupled to the distal end of the elongated portion. The tip may be formed from a soft material. In some instances, the soft material may have a hardness less than the material forming the elongated portion. The tip may also include a passage that may be of a substantially equivalent size as the passage of the elongated portion. The tip may be coupled to the distal end of the elongated portion at an engagement site having a surface area greater than a cross-sectional area of the elongated portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: NOVARTIS AG
    Inventors: Niels A. Abt, Hans Jürg Wehrli, Heiko Kromer
  • Publication number: 20140135415
    Abstract: The present invention generally provides implantable articles and methods of forming implantable articles from a crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (“UHMWPE”) blend stabilized with Vitamin E. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be prepared by combining the UHMWPE material and vitamin E prior to irradiating the UHMWPE blend with electron beam radiation at a sufficient radiation dose rate to induce crosslinking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: ZIMMER GMBH
    Inventors: Niels A. Abt, Werner Schneider-Storrer
  • Patent number: 8678593
    Abstract: An ophthalmoscopic surgical contact lens for placement on an eye of a patient is disclosed. The surgical contact lens includes an optic surrounded by a rim and at least one flange. The optic includes an aspheric anterior surface and a posterior surface having a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of a human cornea. The rim, comprising an edge surrounding the optic, provides the user with a gripping surface conducive to manual positioning and repositioning of the lens against a human eye. The flange may include a plurality of tabs extending from a periphery of the flange, wherein each tab is shaped and configured to conform to the curvature of a human sclera. Various embodiments of the contact lenses disclosed herein facilitate the visualization of structures within the interior of an eye, such as may be necessary during vitreoretinal surgical procedures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Alcon Research, Ltd.
    Inventor: Niels A. Abt
  • Patent number: 8673202
    Abstract: The present invention generally provides implantable articles and methods of forming implantable articles from a crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (“UHMWPE”) blend stabilized with Vitamin E. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be prepared by combining the UHMWPE material and vitamin E prior to irradiating the UHMWPE blend with electron beam radiation at a sufficient radiation dose rate to induce crosslinking. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be incorporated into a variety of implants, and in particular, into endoprosthetic joint replacements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Zimmer, GmbH
    Inventors: Niels A. Abt, Werner Schneider-Storrer
  • Publication number: 20140025045
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes numerous example medical instruments that include an elongated portion having a proximal end and a distal end, and a passage defined therethrough and a soft tip coupled to the distal end of the elongated portion. The tip may be formed from a soft material. In some instances, the soft material may have a hardness less than the material forming the elongated portion. The tip may also include a passage that may be of a substantially equivalent size as the passage of the elongated portion. The tip may be coupled to the distal end of the elongated portion at an engagement site having a surface area greater than a cross-sectional area of the elongated portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Inventors: Niels A. Abt, Hans Jürg Wehrli, Heiko Kromer
  • Patent number: 8470903
    Abstract: The present invention generally provides implantable articles and methods of forming implantable articles from a crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (“UHMWPE”) blend stabilized with Vitamin E. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be prepared by combining the UHMWPE material and vitamin E prior to irradiating the UHMWPE blend with electron beam radiation at a sufficient radiation dose rate to induce crosslinking. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be incorporated into a variety of implants, and in particular, into endoprosthetic joint replacements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Zimmer GmbH
    Inventors: Niels A. Abt, Werner Schneider-Storrer
  • Publication number: 20120099077
    Abstract: An ophthalmoscopic surgical contact lens for placement on an eye of a patient is disclosed. The surgical contact lens includes an optic surrounded by a rim and at least one flange. The optic includes an aspheric anterior surface and a posterior surface having a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of a human cornea. The rim, comprising an edge surrounding the optic, provides the user with a gripping surface conducive to manual positioning and repositioning of the lens against a human eye. The flange may include a plurality of tabs extending from a periphery of the flange, wherein each tab is shaped and configured to conform to the curvature of a human sclera. Various embodiments of the contact lenses disclosed herein facilitate the visualization of structures within the interior of an eye, such as may be necessary during vitreoretinal surgical procedures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Inventor: Niels A. Abt
  • Patent number: 8034362
    Abstract: The present invention provides a hydrogel composition comprising at least one polymer with functional groups including alcohol groups, acid groups, and amide groups and where the ratio of the functional alcohol groups to functional acid groups in the hydrogel composition ranges from about 16:1 to about 3:2. The present invention also provides a method of repairing an articulating surface in a body using the inventive composition. The inventive hydrogel composition is created by blending two or more polymers to achieve the desired ratio of functional groups, reacting at least one polymer with a reagent that results in the formation of alcohol, acid, and/or amide functional groups of the desired ratio, and/or polymerizing at least one monomer to achieve the desired ratio of functional groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Zimmer, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian H. Thomas, Donald L. Yakimicki, Steven Charlebois, Laura L. Borgstede, Niels Abt, James J. Mason, Oludele Popoola
  • Patent number: 7985781
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods of making covalently crosslinked vinyl polymer hydrogels having advantageous physical properties, and covalently crosslinked vinyl polymer hydrogel compositions made by such methods, as well as articles of manufacture comprising such covalently crosslinked vinyl polymer hydrogel compositions. The physical properties of the produced hydrogels can be adjusted by varying controlled parameters such as the proportion of physical associations, the concentration of polymer and the amount of radiation applied. Such covalently crosslinked vinyl polymer hydrogels can be made translucent, preferably transparent, or opaque depending on the processing conditions. The stability of the physical properties of the produced vinyl polymer hydrogel can be enhanced by controlling the amount of covalent crosslinks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Zimmer GmbH
    Inventors: Orhun K. Muratoglu, Stephen H. Spiegelberg, Jeffrey W. Ruberti, Niels A. Abt
  • Publication number: 20110135917
    Abstract: The present invention generally provides implantable articles and methods of forming implantable articles from a crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (“UHMWPE”) blend stabilized with Vitamin E. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be prepared by combining the UHMWPE material and vitamin E prior to irradiating the UHMWPE blend with electron beam radiation at a sufficient radiation dose rate to induce crosslinking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Applicant: Zimmer GMBH
    Inventors: Niels A. Abt, Werner Schneider-Storrer