Towertech Research Group

Stryker Corporation

Matthew P LaConte

Roger A De La Torre

Matthew A Hanlon

Matthew Allen Adam

Bipolar electrosurgical forceps are provided with dual irrigating tubes that deliver irrigating liquid to the opposed surfaces of the tips of the forceps to prevent the sticking of body tissue to the tips. To reduce the manufacturing costs of the forceps and enable the forceps to be single use, disposable forceps, each tube of the dual irrigating tools is a plastic tube adhered along one of the opposing surfaces of the pair of forceps arms. Each tube also has a flat nozzle at the distal end of the tube that disburses irrigating liquid across the opposed surfaces of the forceps arm distal and tips.

Dual irrigating bipolar forceps

A surgical fastener apparatus is provided with a reinforcement material holder, where the holder positions a sheet of reinforcement material adjacent body tissue that is sutured by a plurality of surgical staples dispensed by the apparatus.

Surgical fastener apparatus and reinforcing material

A method of repairing a patient's ventral hernia involves the steps of joining the patient's left and right rectus sheaths on opposite sides of the hernia, thereby closing the hernia, and cutting through the joined sheaths thereby forming one sheath interior containing the left and right rectus muscles. Next, a piece of surgical mesh is positioned in the joined rectus sheath interior and is sutured over the area of the closed hernia to further reinforce the closure. Additionally, sutures joining the left and right rectus sheaths are reinforced with reinforcing material.

Ventral hernia repair method

An engine drive electric generator apparatus converts the reciprocating movements of a pushrod of an internal combustion engine to electricity. Each generator apparatus has an electric coil surrounding a combustion engine pushrod, and a magnet on the pushrod that reciprocates with the pushrod through the coil. The relative reciprocating movement between the magnet and coil generates an electric current in the coil that is communicated with a battery of the vehicle to charge the battery.

Combustion engine driven electric generator apparatus

An apparatus and its method of operation convert relative movements between a vehicle wheel and a body of the vehicle to electricity that is used to recharge a battery of the vehicle. The apparatus includes a generator provided on the vehicle and a linear motion to rotary motion converter that is connected between a wheel of the vehicle and an armature of the generator. Reciprocating movements of the wheel relative to the vehicle body are converted by the motion converter to rotations of the armature in the generator which produces electricity for recharging the battery of the vehicle.

Growing community of inventors

Maryland Heights, MO, United States of America

Matthew P LaConte