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.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 13, 1981
Filed:
Nov. 20, 1978
William L Furlow, Rochester, MN (US);
Michael A Mikulich, St. Paul, MN (US);
American Medical Systems, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US);
Abstract
The tool comprises a hollow barrel having an obturator slidably mounted therein and having a rounded forward end. A locating device is attached to the barrel to stabilize the obturator in the plurality of predetermined positions as it is moved along the bore of the barrel. A needle having suture material attached may be placed within the bore of the barrel. A slot is located along the length of the barrel to allow the suture material to exit from the side of the barrel. In practice, the tool may be inserted into a bodily structure such as one of the corpora cavernosa of a penis. The outer surface of the barrel is equipped with a plurality of markings that allow the user to gauge the depth that the barrel has been inserted into a bodily structure. After the tool is inserted, the obturator is slid along the barrel bore to force the needle out of the rounded forward end of the barrel. The needle is manually pulled out of the bodily structure. After the tool is withdrawn, suture material remains threaded through the bodily structure.