US4008802A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Surgical needle retaining and inventory pad, and accounting method
Assignee: Acura-Med
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Filing: 1975-05-19
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Granted: 1977-02-22
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Expires: 1995-05-19
Abstract
Abstract A pad of resilient material through which needles can be inserted is provided with consecutively numbered needle receiving zones formed by ridges upstanding from an upper face of the pad, and by transversely extending lines across the ridges. This enables an accurate method of counting the needles used in the surgery because a needle used by the surgeon can be positioned in a zone by insertion through the adjacent ridge enabling an accurate count of the needles by merely glancing at the pad.
Inventors
- 👤 Samuel L. Freitag
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:00
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/04; A61B17/06; A61B17/06161; A61B90/00; A61B90/08; A61B2090/0804
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A surgical needle retaining and inventory pad comprising a base sheet having at least three parallel rows of consecutively numbered needle receiving zones on a face thereof, and at least two spaced apart continuous ridges of resilient flexible material projecting upright from said face adjacent each zone into which a surgical needle can be inserted and retained, said ridges being integral with said base sheet and parallel to each other, the consecutively numbered zones being defined by the ridges and by lines on said face of the base sheet extending transversely with respect to said ridges, said base sheet being permanently bonded to a relatively stiff backing sheet which has a line of weakness along which the pad can be folded.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
121 words
A surgical needle retaining and inventory pad comprising a base sheet having at least three parallel rows of consecutively numbered needle receiving zones on a face thereof, and at least two spaced apart continuous ridges of resilient flexible material projecting upright from said face adjacent each zone into which a surgical needle can be inserted and retained, said ridges being integral with said base sheet and parallel to each other, the consecutively numbered zones being defined by the ridges and by lines on said face of the base sheet extending transversely with respect to said ridges, said base sheet being permanently bonded to a relatively stiff backing sheet which has a line of weakness along which the pad can be folded.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
A surgical needle retaining and inventory pad according to claim 1 wherein said face has a pressure-sensitive strip adjacent one edge of the pad for engaging the opposite edge and retaining the pad in folded condition.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
77 words
The pad of claim 1 wherein the base sheet is of resilient flexible polyurethane foam-like material and has a plurality of side by side rows of such needle receiving zones with the zones consecutively numbered commencing with number one through the number designating the total number of zones, and the ridge of resilient flexible material adjacent each zone is part of a continuous upright ridge between adjacent rows of zones and is integral with said base sheet.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
189 words
A surgical needle retaining and inventory pad comprising a base sheet having at least two side by side ridges of flexible resilient polyurethane foam-like material into which a surgical needle can be inserted and retained, said ridges projecting upright from a face of the pad, and a plurality of lines marked on said face extending transversely across said ridges dividing said face into a plurality of side by side rows of needle receiving zones with each row adjacent a ridge, the zones being marked with consecutive numbers commencing with number one through the number designating the total number of zones, said base sheet having at least three parallel rows of said consecutively numbered needle receiving zones, and at least two spaced apart continuous ridges integral with said base sheet and parallel to each other; the consecutively numbered zones being defined by the ridges and by lines on said face of the base sheet extending transversely with respect to said ridges, the opposite face of said base sheet being permanently bonded to a relatively stiff backing sheet which has a line of weakness along which the pad can be folded.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
189 words
A surgical needle retaining and inventory pad comprising a base sheet having at least two side by side ridges of flexible resilient polyurethane foam-like material into which a surgical needle can be inserted and retained, said ridges projecting upright from a face of the pad, and a plurality of lines marked on said face extending transversely across said ridges dividing said face into a plurality of side by side rows of needle receiving zones with each row adjacent a ridge, the zones being marked with consecutive numbers commencing with number one through the number designating the total number of zones, said base sheet having at least three parallel rows of said consecutively numbered needle receiving zones, and at least two spaced apart continuous ridges integral with said base sheet and parallel to each other; the consecutively numbered zones being defined by the ridges and by lines on said face of the base sheet extending transversely with respect to said ridges, the opposite face of said base sheet being permanently bonded to a relatively stiff backing sheet which has a line of weakness along which the pad can be folded.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The surgical needle pad of claim 4 wherein the pad and ridges are integrally formed, and each of the ridges has a substantially triangular cross sectional shape.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-02-22 | 1980-08-23 | 1981-02-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-02-22 | 1984-08-23 | 1985-02-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-02-22 | 1988-08-23 | 1989-02-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |