Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
180 words
A penile prosthesis comprising: an elongated flexible rod, having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion having a greater length and a smaller diameter than the proximal portion said distal and proximal portions meeting in a sloping shoulder; an elongated, omni-directionally elastic balloon when in the quiescent state having an inner diameter that is at least as large as the diameter of distal portion of the rod, said balloon extending beyond the end of and surrounding the distal portion of the rod to form a cavity therebetween and having its open end sealed to said proximal portion at the shoulder; a reservoir means for containing a fluid and for pressurizing a fluid within the cavity within the balloon; fluid transfer means for transporting a fluid between the balloon and the reservoir means; and valve means for controlling the flow of fluid between the balloon and the reservoir; said rod and balloon combination disposed to be installed between the two corpora cavernosum extending from the pubis to the proximal glans with the distal portion oriented toward the glans.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
180 words
A penile prosthesis comprising: an elongated flexible rod, having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion having a greater length and a smaller diameter than the proximal portion said distal and proximal portions meeting in a sloping shoulder; an elongated, omni-directionally elastic balloon when in the quiescent state having an inner diameter that is at least as large as the diameter of distal portion of the rod, said balloon extending beyond the end of and surrounding the distal portion of the rod to form a cavity therebetween and having its open end sealed to said proximal portion at the shoulder; a reservoir means for containing a fluid and for pressurizing a fluid within the cavity within the balloon; fluid transfer means for transporting a fluid between the balloon and the reservoir means; and valve means for controlling the flow of fluid between the balloon and the reservoir; said rod and balloon combination disposed to be installed between the two corpora cavernosum extending from the pubis to the proximal glans with the distal portion oriented toward the glans.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
A penile prosthesis as in claim 1 wherein said valve means includes a pinch valve which permits the flow of fluid therethrough only while being pinched.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
A penile prosthesis as in claim 1 wherein the rod, the balloon, the reservoir means and the transfer means are each made of silicone rubber.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
A penile prosthesis as in claim 3 wherein the rod has a Shore A hardness of about 75 throughout both its proximal and distal portions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
A penile prosthesis as in claim 3 wherein the balloon has a Shore A hardness of about 30.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
A penile prosthesis as in claim 1 wherein the portion of the fluid transfer means adjacent to its interconnection with the balloon is connected to the proximal portion of the rod to prevent tearing during implantation of the prosthesis and to minimize injury to delicate penile tissues.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
A penile prosthesis as in claim 1 wherein the rod has sufficient stiffness to achieve vaginal penetration without pressurization of the balloon and flexible enough to prevent embarrassment of the patient under normal circumstances.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
47 words
A penile prosthesis as in claim 1 wherein the size of the unpressurized cavity within the balloon is minimized by maximizing the diameter of the distal end of the rod to minimize the volume of fluid necessary to pressurize the balloon and cause the desired penile erection.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
A penile prosthesis as in claim 1 wherein the proximal portion of the rod may be cut and shaped for the actual penile length of a patient.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
A penile prosthesis as in claim 1 wherein the length of the distal portion is at least twice the length of the proximal portion of the rod.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
A penile prosthesis as in claim 1 wherein the diameter of the proximal portion of the rod is approximately one and a half times the diameter of its distal portion.