Patent EP0286438A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0286438A2
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EP
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Tapered I-beam surgical needles
Assignee: Ethicon Inc
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Filing: 1988-04-08
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2008-04-08
Abstract
Abstract Surgical needles are described which exhibit a tapered region (16) intermediate the point (12) and barrel sections (14), over which the needles undergo a gradual transition in shape from a generally rounded circumference to a rectangular I-beam shape. The I-beam shape affords favorable strength characteristics and the gradual transition in shape smoothes the changes in penetration force performance.
Inventors
- 👤 Daniel Joseph Smith
- 👤 Dennis Lee Furman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 20:31
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/04; A61B17/06; A61B17/06066; A61B17/06004; A61B2017/06028
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
88 words
A tapered I-beam surgical needle comprising a point section, a barrel section, and an intermediate body section joining the point and body sections, said point section exhibiting a generally rounded circumference at its terminus at the body section, said body section exhibiting, over a substantial portion of its length, a tapered region over which the shape of the needle undergoes a gradual transition from a generally rounded circumference at one end of said tapered region, to a generally rectangular shape at the other end of said tapered region.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
88 words
A tapered I-beam surgical needle comprising a point section, a barrel section, and an intermediate body section joining the point and body sections, said point section exhibiting a generally rounded circumference at its terminus at the body section, said body section exhibiting, over a substantial portion of its length, a tapered region over which the shape of the needle undergoes a gradual transition from a generally rounded circumference at one end of said tapered region, to a generally rectangular shape at the other end of said tapered region.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
The tapered I-beam surgical needle of Claim 1, wherein said generally rectangular shape is characterized by a needle width dimension w and a greater needle height dimension h, said generally rounded circumference exhibits a needle diameter d, and h is substantially equal d and w is less than d.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
62 words
The tapered I-beam surgical needle of Claim 2, wherein, over the transition of said tapered region, the needle maintains a substantially constant dimension in the direction of the height h of the rectangular shape, and the needle decreases in dimension in the direction of the width w as the transition is made from said generally rounded circumference to said generally rectangular shape.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
51 words
The tapered I-beam surgical needle of Claim 3, wherein said tapered region is substantially equal to the length of said body section, wherein said needle makes a short transition in shape from said generally rectangular shape to the shape of said barrel section in the form of a blend or runout.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The tapered I-beam surgical needle of Claim 2, wherein said body section further exhibits, over a length of said needle extending from the generally rectangular shape of said tapered region, a region of substantially constant rectangular shape.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The tapered I-beam surgical needle of Claim 5, wherein said region of substantially constant rectangular shape exhibits a needle width w and a greater needle height h.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
57 words
The tapered I-beam surgical needle of Claim 6, wherein said region of said body section of substantially constant rectangular shape terminates at said barrel section, at which location said needle makes a short transition in shape from said substantially constant rectangular shape to the shape of said barrel section in the form of a blend or runout.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The tapered I-beam surgical needle of Claim 1, wherein said point section, said barrel section, and said intermediate body section are coaxially curved in a continuous arcuate shape.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
79 words
The tapered I-beam surgical needle of Claim 1, wherein said point and barrel sections exhibit generally rounded circumferences, said tapered region extends from the terminus of said point section toward said barrel section, and further comprising a second tapered region over which the shape of the needle undergoes a gradual transition from the generally rounded circumference of said barrel section to a generally rectangular shape at the other end of said second tapered region remote from said barrel section.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
77 words
The tapered I-beam surgical needle of Claim 9, wherein, over the transition of said second tapered region, the needle maintains a substantially constant dimension h equal to the diameter of said barrel section and the height of said generally rectangular shape of said second tapered region, and the needle decreases in an orthagonal direction of w from the diameter of the barrel section to the width w of said generally rectangular shape of said second tapered region.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
The tapered I-beam surgical needle of Claim 10, further comprising, intermediate said first-named and second tapered regions, a region of substantially constant rectangular shape.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
66 words
The tapered I-beam surgical needle of Claim 11, wherein the heights of the generally rectangular shape of said first-named and second tapered region and the height of said region of substantially constant rectangular shape are all equal; and the width of the generally rectangular shape of said first-named and second tapered region and the width of said region of substantially constant rectangular shape are all equal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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