Mattel, Inc.

Other

Peter Kit Fan

Steed Sun

Binh Luong

Chun Wing Wong

Kin Fai Chang

Brandon C Sopinsky

Him Fung Hau

Ruben Leonard Martinez

Henry Miller

Michael L Strauss

This is a laparoscopic instrument for facilitating intra-corporeal tying of knots. The shafts of two small diameter laparoscopic graspers are combined within a common external sheath. One grasper has a regular scissors handle, is stationary, and acts as a recipient grasper, while the other has no handle, but is rotatable and slidable, and acts as a donor grasper. It enables the head end of a suture to be actively passed from the jaws of the donor grasper to the jaws of the adjacent recipient grasper, after passing behind and around the tail strand, thus forming a knot. The current version of this instrument introduces two additional features, one being the passive production of the rotation by the straight sliding mechanism, the other being the use of free-wheeling levers allowing rotation of the shaft of the donor grasper, without rotating the attached levers in the slots.

Push-twist suture-passing laparoscopic knot tying instrument

This is a laparoscopic instrument intended to facilitate intra-corporeal tying of knots in a free strand of suture. The shafts of two small diameter laparoscopic graspers are combined within a common external sheath, and both are joined to a common handle to be used by one hand. One grasper has a regular scissors type of handle, is stationary, and acts as a recipient grasper, while the other grasper has no handle, but is able to rotate and to slide, and acts as a donor grasper. The instrument enables the head end of a suture to be actively passed from the donor grasper to the adjacent recipient grasper, passing behind and around the tail strand, forming a knot, in the same manner as in the tying of shoes-laces. The current instrument introduces a new mechanism, whereby the required rotational movements are automatically produced by the sliding motion.

A toy projectile and method of making the toy projectile is provided herein. The toy projectile having: an elongated dart body secured to a tip assembly, the tip assembly comprising: a tip insert secured to a forward end of the elongated dart body and a tip secured to the tip insert, wherein the tip comprises a styrene ethylene butylene styrene copolymer (SEBS rubber) tip.

Toy projectile and method of making

There are many methods of tying a knot in a surgical suture. One method is to form a loop in the suture and then pull the other end of the suture through the loop. To do this laparoscopically is the object of the present invention. The finger loop handles of two small diameter laparoscopic graspers are sacrificed, and their shafts are then placed within a single common sheath, using also a single common in-line handle. The jaws of the graspers are operated by spring loaded push knobs on the handle. A loop is formed by grasping the same suture at two points a short distance apart simultaneously with the two graspers, and then bringing them together. The present invention is capable of doing this by virtue of one of the two graspers being slide-able, extendable and retractable.

Laparoscopic suture loop maker

In laparoscopic surgery, tying of knots is not easy, as it involves the use of long handled graspers and the necessity to pass one end of the suture ligature around the opposite half of the suture, with release and re-grab of the passing end of the suture. The present invention avoids the 'passing with the release and re-grab', and makes the tying easier, faster and automatic. It conforms to the general size and shape of a standard laparoscopic instrument. The handle is pistol shaped with two control triggers, one for grasping and the other for rotating. The sheath is elongated and tubular, containing two control rods. The tip is bullet shaped, containing three operating mechanisms, one for grasping the leading end of a suture, a second for trapping the opposite half of the same suture, a third for rotating the grasped end of the suture 360 degrees around the trapped portion, thus forming a knot. The trapping mechanism uses an axle with a hollow center and an open-ended side slot. The other members of the rotating and trapping mechanisms have these same features, which allow the suture to enter and exit the hollow center. Grasping is performed by a miniature grasper, which has no handle or shaft, with its entire body contained within a part that rotates, called the rotator. Rotation is generated by a slider-crank mechanism which converts linear motion to rotary motion, and avoids the dead centers with a patented L-shaped connecting rod and deflecting pillars (U.S. Pat. No. 9,194,468). The rotation is then transmitted through two modified spur gears to the rotator, and hence also to the miniature grasper. The rotator represents a short sagittal segment removed from the tip, modified to rotate and to contain the miniature grasper, and then replaced in position. To enable the grasper to rotate, there is an intentional discontinuity in its controlling rod, but control from the handle is maintained by the interposition of a semi-open ball and socket joint in the rod.

Automatic laparoscopic knot tying instrument

This invention is a device and method for avoiding dead centers in an in-line slider-crank mechanism when it is used to convert linear to rotary motion. The usual straight connecting rod is replaced by an L-shaped connecting rod operating in conjunction with two deflecting pillars. The side-arm of the L-shaped connecting rod travels between the two pillars which are strategically sized and placed, and intended to deflect the side-arm. As a consequence, the crankpin end of the connecting rod is automatically deflected away from the dead center positions, thus avoiding them, and enabling the rotation to become continuous and un-interrupted.

Slider-crank mechanism with L-shaped connecting rod

A toy including a housing and at least one view port disposed within the housing and adapted to permit a user to view objects through the at least one view port.

Toys with view ports

This invention refers to a costume apparatus for enabling a user to engage in role play activities or action play adventures. The costume apparatus may be mounted on a user's back, and comprises deployable arm assemblies which are controlled by a pull cord system. In one embodiment, the costume apparatus takes the form of expandable wings. The arm assembly of the costume apparatus may include two arm pieces connected by a pivoting joint, and may further include a hinged joint within one of the arm pieces. The hinged joint provides a safety feature for the deployed costume apparatus by allowing the arm assemblies to fold rearward when obstacles are encountered.

Costume apparatus

The present invention is a toy projectile launcher in the form of a role play accessory such as a belt. The belt assembly includes a strap, a launcher housing, and projectiles stored on the belt strap. The belt strap feeds through the launcher housing so that projectiles may be launched from the strap. In one embodiment the launcher is hand-held, and includes a handle which serves both as a means for holding the launcher during operation and as a power switch for the launcher. Projectiles may be discharged singly from the launcher or continuously in a rapid-fire mode.

Toy projectile launcher

This invention sets forth a vehicle launcher assembly comprising an inner vehicle carried within an outer vehicle. The outer vehicle has movable panel components which allow an inner vehicle to be released from the outer vehicle when the panel components are opened. Operation of the toy assembly involves one actuation step to open the panels of the outer vehicle, and second actuation step to launch the inner vehicle. In one embodiment, the outer vehicle is in the form of a car and the inner vehicle is in the form of a motorcycle. The vehicle launcher assembly may also include projectile launchers.

Vehicle launcher assembly

The present invention is a toy projectile launcher in the form of a role play accessory such as a belt. The belt assembly includes a strap, a launcher housing, and projectiles stored on the belt strap. The belt strap feeds through the launcher housing so that projectiles may be launched from the strap. In one embodiment the launcher is hand-held, and includes a handle which serves both for holding the launcher during operation and as a power switch for the launcher. Projectiles may be discharged singly from the launcher or continuously in a rapid-fire mode.

The present disclosure is directed to an accessory for a toy figure having at least one receptacle and to a play kit. The accessory includes a housing configured to be selectively attached to the at least one receptacle of the toy figure. In some embodiments, the accessory includes an audio input mechanism; an audio processing mechanism; and an audio output mechanism. In some embodiments, the accessory includes a motion detector mechanism and an audio output mechanism. In some embodiments, the accessory includes an optical assembly. In some embodiments, the play kit includes a toy figure having at least one receptacle; a key; a first accessory; and a second accessory.

Growing community of inventors

Torrance, CA, United States of America

Peter Kit Fan