Apparatus for providing living beings with absorbable implants

Claim 2

Apparatus for injecting into tissue of a living being at least one composition for affecting the health or appearance of the living being, with the composition being solid at the temperature of the body of the living being while being injectable in a molten condition when elevated to a temperature above the body temperature of the living being, comprising a syringe means having a hollow interior containing at least one of said compositions in solid form, and heating means operatively connected with said syringe means for elevating the temperature of the composition therein sufficiently to place said composition in molten injectable condition in preparation for injecting the composition into the tissue of the living being, said syringe means including a barrel member and a needle member connected therewith and extending from said barrel member, and said heating means being operatively connected at least with said needle member for maintaining said composition in a molten condition as it flows through said needle member while the latter is situated at least in part in tissue of the living being.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 and wherein said heating means is operatively connected with said needle member at the exterior thereof for transmitting heat through said needle member to place said composition in molten injectable form.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2 and wherein said heating means is in the form of a heating coil engaging at least said needle member at the exterior thereof and being coiled around the latter.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 3 and wherein a thermostat means is operatively connected with said coil for regulating the temperature thereof.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 4 and wherein said syringe means includes a plunger for displacing the composition when it is in liquid, molten form out of the barrel member and needle member, and said coil being an electrical coil, said plunger having connected thereto an electrical means for completing a circuit through said coil in response to a given operation of said plunger.

Claim 7

Apparatus for injecting into tissue of a living being at least one composition for affecting the health or appearance of the living being, with the composition being solid at the temperature of the body of the living being while being injectable in a molten condition when elevated to a temperature above the body temperature of the living being, comprising a syringe means having a hollow interior containing at least one of said compositions in solid form, and heating means operatively connected with said syringe means for elevating the temperature of the composition therein sufficiently to place said composition in molten injectable condition in preparation for injecting the composision into the tissue of the living being, said syringe means including a barrel member and a needle member connected with and extending from said barrel member, and said heating means being operatively connected with at least one of said members, said heating means being operatively connected with said one member at the exterior thereof for transmitting heat through said one member to place said composition in molten injectable form, and heating means including a jacket connected to said one member and defining therewith a hollow interior space, said heating means including in said space a heating medium which changes phase while remaining at a constant temperature.

Claim 8

Apparatus for injecting into tissue of a living being at least one composition for affecting the health or appearance of the living being, with the composition being solid at the temperature of the body of the living being while being injectable in a molten condition when elevated to a temperature above the body temperature of the living being, comprising a syringe means having a hollow interior containing at least one of said compositions in solid form, and heating means operatively connected with said syringe means for elevating the temperature of the composition therein sufficiently to place said composition in molten injectable condition in preparation for injecting the composision into the tissue of the living being, said syringe means including a barrel member and a needle member connected with and extending from said barrel member, and said heating means being operatively connected with at least one of said members, said heating means being operatively connected with said one member at the exterior thereof for transmitting heat through said one member to place said composition in molten injectable form, and heating means including a jacket connected to said one member and defining therewith a hollow interior space, said heating means including in said space a heating medium which changes phase while remaining at a constant temperature.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 1 and wherein said heating means is situated at the interior of said needle member directly in engagement with the composition.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 7 and wherein said heating means is in the form of an electrical heating coil situated in the interior of said needle and barrel members.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 8 and wherein an extension of said coil extends along the interior of the needle member.

Claim 12

Apparatus for injecting into tissue of a living being at least one composition for affecting the health or appearance of the living being, with the composition being solid at the temperature of the body of the living being while being injectable in a molten condition when elevated to a temperature above the body temperature of the living being, comprising a syringe means having a hollow interior containing at least one of said compositions in solid form, and heating means operatively connected with said syringe means for elevating the temperature of the composition therein sufficiently to place said composition in molten injectable condition in preparation for injecting the composition into the tissue of the living being, said syringe means including a barrel member and a needle member connected with and extending from said barrel member, and said heating means being operatively connected with at least one of said members, said heating means being operatively connected with said one member at the exterior thereof for transmitting heat through said one member to place said composition in molten injectable form, said heating means including an outer jacket operatively connected with said one member for defining therewith a hollow interior space, and said heating means including in said space reagents which react with each other to generate heat, at least one of said reagents being separated from the other by a barrier capable of being broken, and said jacket being flexible to enable the barrier to be broken by deformation of said jacket.

Claim 13

Apparatus for injecting into tissue of a living being at least one composition for affecting the health or appearance of the living being, with the composition being solid at the temperature of the body of the living being while being injectable in a molten condition when elevated to a temperature above the body temperature of the living being, comprising a syringe means having a hollow interior containing at least one of said compositions in solid form, and heating means operatively connected with said syringe means for elevating the temperature of the composition therein sufficiently to place said composition in molten injectable condition in preparation for injecting the composition into the tissue of the living being, said syringe means including a barrel member and a needle member connected with and extending from said barrel member, and said heating means being operatively connected with at least one of said members, said heating means being operatively connected with said one member at the exterior thereof for transmitting heat through said one member to place said composition in molten injectable form, said heating means including an outer jacket operatively connected with said one member for defining therewith a hollow interior space, and said heating means including in said space reagents which react with each other to generate heat, at least one of said reagents being separated from the other by a barrier capable of being broken, and said jacket being flexible to enable the barrier to be broken by deformation of said jacket.

Claim 14

Apparatus for injecting into tissue of a living being at least one composition for affecting the health or appearance of the living being, with the composition being solid at the temperature of the body of the living being while being injectable in a molten condition when elevated to a temperature above the body temperature of the living being, comprising a syringe means having a hollow interior containing at least one of said compositions in solid form, so that upon transmission of heat to said composition the latter can have its temperature elevated to an extent sufficient to place the composition in molten injectable condition in preparation for injecting the composition into the tissue of the living being, and indicating means carried by said syringe means for indicating the temperature of said composition.

Claim 15

Apparatus for injecting into tissue of a living being at least one composition for affecting the health or appearance of the living being, with the composition being solid at the temperature of the body of the living being while being injectable in a molten condition when elevated to a temperature above the body temperature of the living being, comprising a syringe means having a hollow interior containing at least one of said compositions in solid form, so that upon transmission of heat to said composition the latter can have its temperature elevated to an extent sufficient to place the composition in molten injectable condition in preparation for injecting the composition into the tissue of the living being, and indicating means carried by said syringe means for indicating the temperature of said composition.

Claim 16

The combination of claim 11 and wherein said indicating means is in the form of a heat-sensitive material which changes color and which is carried by said syringe means so as to be visible.

Claim 17

The combination of claim 11 and wherein said indicating means is in the form of a thermometer.

Claim 18

The combination of claim 13 and wherein said syringe means includes a transparent plunger carrying said thermometer in the interior thereof so that said thermometer is visible through said plunger and said thermometer having a temperature-sensitive end engaging the composition.

Claim 19

The combination of claim 11 and wherein said indicating means is in the form of an external temperature-sensitive element carried by said syringe means and operatively connected to a readout.

Claim 20

The combination of claim 11 and wherein said indicating means is in the form of a temperature-sensitive element situated in the interior of said syringe means and extending from the interior to the exterior thereof for providing a readout of the temperature of the composition.

Claim 21

Apparatus for injecting into tissue of a living being at least one composition for affecting the health or appearance of the living being, with the composition being solid at the temperature of the body of the living being while being injectable in a molten condition when elevated to a temperature above the body temperature of the living being, comprising a syringe means having a hollow interior containing at least one of said compositions in solid form, and heating means operatively connected with said syringe means for elevating the temperature of the composition therein sufficiently to place said composition in molten injectable condition in preparation for injecting the composition into the tissue of the living being, said syringe means including a barrel of thermally insulating material, said barrel carrying in its interior adjacent a needle of said syringe means a material of high thermal conductivity capable of heated by a molten composition in the barrel.

Claim 22

Apparatus for injecting into tissue of a living being at least one composition for affecting the health or appearance of the living being, with the composition being solid at the temperature of the body of the living being while being injectable in a molten condition when elevated to a temperature above the body temperature of the living being, comprising a syringe means having a hollow interior containing at least one of said compositions in solid form, and heating means operatively connected with said syringe means for elevating the temperature of the composition therein sufficiently to place said composition in molten injectable condition in preparation for injecting the composition into the tissue of the living being, said syringe means including a barrel of thermally insulating material, said barrel carrying in its interior adjacent a needle of said syringe means a material of high thermal conductivity capable of heated by a molten composition in the barrel.

Claim 23

The combination of claim 17 and wherein both the barrel and needle are of a thermal insulating material.

Claim 24

The combination of claim 17 and wherein said material of high thermal conductivity is copper.

Claim 25

The combination of claim 17 and wherein said material of high thermal conductivity is formed with vanes.

Claim 26

The combination of claim 18 and wherein said needle and barrel include a pair of walls separated from each other by an insulating air space.

Claim 27

The combination of claim 1 and wherein said syringe means contains a plurality of said compositions.

Claim 28

The combination of claim 10 and wherein said barrier is in the form of frangible capsule containing said one reagent.

Claim 29

The combination of claim 1 and wherein an indicating means is carried by said syringe means for indicating the temperature of said composition.