Smith & Nephew Richards Inc.

Smith + Nephew

Community Power Corporation

Afognak Native Corporation

John K Steele

Thomas Andrew Carls

Chris E Johnson

Leo A Whiteside

Tim Vendrely

Michael C Walker

James P Diebold

Arthur W Lilley

Robb Ray Walt

Khosrow Naraghian

Michael Fields

Dustin Duncan

Kingsbury Browne, Iii

Trevor D Smith

David Lee Evans

Philippe J Cartier

William Kennedy

Kingsbury Iii Browne

James Andrews

Carol D Taylor

Method and apparatus for generating a low tar, renewable fuel gas from biomass and using it in other energy conversion devices, many of which were designed for use with gaseous and liquid fossil fuels. An automated, downdraft gasifier incorporates extensive air injection into the char bed to maintain the conditions that promote the destruction of residual tars. The resulting fuel gas and entrained char and ash are cooled in a special heat exchanger, and then continuously cleaned in a filter prior to usage in standalone as well as networked power systems.

Method and apparatus for automated, modular, biomass power generation

A method and apparatus for removing fine particulate matter from a fluid stream without interrupting the overall process or flow. The flowing fluid inflates and expands the flexible filter, and particulate is deposited on the filter media while clean fluid is permitted to pass through the filter. This filter is cleaned when the fluid flow is stopped, the filter collapses, and a force is applied to distort the flexible filter media to dislodge the built-up filter cake. The dislodged filter cake falls to a location that allows undisrupted flow of the fluid after flow is restored. The shed particulate is removed to a bin for periodic collection. A plurality of filter cells can operate independently or in concert, in parallel, or in series to permit cleaning the filters without shutting off the overall fluid flow. The self-cleaning filter is low cost, has low power consumption, and exhibits low differential pressures.

Method and apparatus for a self-cleaning filter

The method of implanting a femoral and a tibial knee prosthesis and instruments for surgically implanting the femoral and tibial prosthesis component as disclosed. The method includes the formation of a plurality of surgical cuts on the patient's distal femur. A trial tibial prosthesis is then fitted to the surgically prepared distal femur. The trial prosthesis has a femoral articulating surface and a non-articulating surface that fits the patient's distal femur at the surgical cuts. A surgeon then forms a transverse cut on the patient's proximal tibia. The surgeon places a tibial trial prosthesis on the patient's proximal tibia, the trial prosthesis including a tibial trial stem that fits the patient's intramedullary canal, a tibial trial metallic tray or plate, and a plastic trial insert that fits the tibial tray or plate. The plastic insert includes a tibial articulating surface that can articulate with the femoral articulating surface. The respective articulating surfaces are placed in contact and the surgeon then moves the patient's knee through a full range of motion. During this movement of patient's knee through a full range of motion, the surgeon uses a lever that is attached to the trial tibial prosthesis to rotate the trial tibial prosthesis about its stem. The surgeon can try different rotational positions of the tibial trial prosthesis each time moving the knee through a full range of motion to ensure proper orientation and an accurate fit.

Tibial trial prosthesis and bone preparation system

A distal femoral cutting block apparatus for use in knee surgery includes an instrument body that has generally flat opposing parallel surfaces and a plurality flat peripheral surfaces to form a generally rectangular body. The body provides anterior and posterior surfaces and medial and lateral surfaces. The transverse slot carries a valgus module that is movably disposed in the slot. The valgus module includes a tubular sleeve member having a pair of opposed sides that abut the body at the slot. A portion of the tubular sleeve member is threaded and the threaded portion extends away from the body. An open ended bore extends through the tubular member. The open ended bore of the tubular sleeve member of the module accommodates an intramedullary rod that fits the patient s intramedullary canal. A lock nut engages the threaded section of the module for locking the module in a desired position on the cutting block body by engaging the threaded portion and the instrument body to rigidly affix them together.

Distal femoral cutting guide apparatus for use in knee joint replacement

A method of preparing a patient's proximal tibia with a surgical saw and cutting instrumentation is disclosed. The method of the present invention prepares the patient's proximal tibial to receive a tibial implant. The patient's intramedullary canal is first reamed and then an intramedullary rod is placed in the intramedullary canal as a reference. A first cutting instrument is bound on the rod above the patient's proximal tibia. The first cutting instrument includes a stylus that is used to set the depth of cut by referencing the top of the proximal tibia. The proximal tibia is then transversely cut with the saw by tracking the first cutting guide surfaces with the saw. The first cutting instrument is removed together with its stylus. A secondary cutting instrument is then placed on the rod above the proximal tibia. The second cutting instrument has a cutter at its center for cutting longitudinally into the proximal tibia. A secondary cut is made on the proximal tibia by tracking the secondary cutting instrument and a guide surface provided on the upper end of the cutters that engage the center of the proximal tibia.

Tibial resection instrumentation and surgical method

A surgical instrument for shaping the distal femur of a patient to receive a unicondylar prosthetic component includes a cutting guide body that carries a pair of cylindrically shaped openings in the guide body, each of the openings having a central longitudinal axis and the respective axes of the openings forming an acute angle. An annular bushing is removably received in a selected one of the cylindrical openings during a cutting of the distal femur. A bone cutting reamer registers with a central cylindrical opening in the bushing. The bone cutting reamer has an annular shoulder that abuts the top of the bushing to define the depth of cut. During use, the surgeon positions the cutting guide body over a diseased condyle of the patient's distal femur. The surgeon then sequentially places the bushing and its associated bone cutting reamer into one of the selected openings of the cutting guide body. After placing the bone cutting reamer in the second opening of the guide body, the surgeon has formed two overlapping circular cuts which form an elongated oval shaped and three-dimensionally convex surface for receiving the unicondylar prosthesis.

Uni-compartmental femoral knee instruments and prosthesis

An ankle clamp apparatus for use with tibial cutting instruments has a frame with pivoting arms attached for gripping a patient's ankle during use. The arms can be held open with latches prior to placement and quickly released to grip the patient's leg by depressing the latches. The device can be operated by a surgeon using only one hand to depress the latches.

Ankle clamp

Growing community of inventors

Memphis, TN, United States of America

John K Steele