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:
Mar. 19, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 08, 2000
Thomas D. Egan, Marblehead, MA (US);
Paul V. Fenton, Jr., Marblehead, MA (US);
Axya Medical, Inc., Beverly, MA (US);
Abstract
This invention is a fused loop ( ) of an elongated material such as a surgical suture, and apparatus for making the loop. Portions of one or more segments ( ) to be joined together are fused in a welding process to form a welded joint ( ). The shear area of the fused portion ( ) of the joint ( ) determines the strength of the joint ( ), and is thus preferably relatively large. Various configurations for the welding apparatus facilitate the creation of relatively large fused portions ( ) of the joint ( ) by maximizing contact between at least one of the welding members of the apparatus, and at least one of the segments ( ) to be joined.