The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.

The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.

Date of Patent:
Mar. 28, 2023

Filed:

Aug. 04, 2022
Applicant:

Little Engine, Llc, Belmont, NC (US);

Inventors:

J. Dean Cole, Orlando, FL (US);

Franz W. Kellar, Gastonia, NC (US);

Michael D. Bissette, Belmont, NC (US);

Harold L. Crowder, Concord, NC (US);

Franz Austen Kellar, Gastonia, NC (US);

Assignee:

Little Engine, LLC, Belmont, NC (US);

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
A61B 17/02 (2006.01); A61F 2/46 (2006.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
A61F 2/4657 (2013.01); A61B 90/37 (2016.02); A61F 2/461 (2013.01); A61B 2017/0268 (2013.01); A61B 2090/3916 (2016.02); A61F 2002/4633 (2013.01); A61F 2002/4666 (2013.01); A61F 2002/4668 (2013.01);
Abstract

A method of evaluating soft tissue of a human joint which includes two or more bones and ligaments, wherein the ligaments are under anatomical tension to connect the bones together, creating a load-bearing articulating joint, the method includes: inserting into the joint a tensioner-balancer that includes a means of controlling a distraction force; providing an electronic receiving device; moving the joint through at least a portion of its range of motion; while moving the joint, controlling the distraction force, and collecting displacement and distraction load data of the bones; processing the collected data to produce a digital geometric model of the joint, wherein the model includes: ligament displacement data along a range of flexion angles and ligament load data along a range of flexion angles; and storing the digital geometric model for further use.


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