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:
Oct. 24, 1995
Filed:
Aug. 25, 1993
Barry Mersky, Rockville, MD (US);
Van P Thompson, Riva, MD (US);
Audiodontics, Inc., Bethesda, MD (US);
Abstract
Vibrations for application to hard living tissue, such as bones, teeth, etc., are derived from a magnetostrictive element disposed in a varying electromagnetic field to create dimensional variations in the magnetostrictive element. In an audiodontic vibrator for the hearing impaired, a magnetostrictive rod is disposed in the hollow core of an electromagnetic coil through which current flows in response to acoustic signals. The resulting electromagnetic field in the core passes through the magnetostrictive rod, causing small dimensional variations in the rod corresponding to amplitude variations in the field. An actuator in contact with the rod extends from the housing and transmits the dimensional changes as low amplitude vibrations to the hard tissue via a bracket mounted on a tooth by an adhesive resin-based cement. The bracket has a receiving channel contoured to slidably and removably receive the distal end of the actuator in close fitting frictional relation. When secured to bone tissue the preferred cement is a non-ceramic hydroxyapatite cement. In either case, the applied vibrations create cyclical strain in the hard tissue.