Patents by Inventor Steve Hoag

Steve Hoag 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: 5472445
    Abstract: The mixing apparatus and method of this invention combines centrifugation and vacuum mixing to provide a device for the centrifugation of cement under a partial vacuum for the reduction of porosity within bone cement. The results of centrifugation under a vacuum are an improvement over the results achieved in standard centrifugation or standard vacuum mixing techniques. The device includes a receptacle which is spun rapidly about an axis under a partial vacuum. Creating a partial vacuum within the receptacle causes the air bubbles trapped within the cement to grow in size. The centrifugation causes the larger air bubbles to migrate through the cement toward the axis of rotation. Centrifugation works especially well under a partial vacuum due to the increased size of the air bubbles, in that larger bubbles migrate easier and quicker than smaller bubbles. Under centrifugation, the smaller air bubbles are compressed to such a degree that they become insignificant within the cement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1995
    Assignee: Zimmer, Inc.
    Inventors: Don Yakimicki, Kirt Case, Steve Hoag