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:
Jul. 23, 2002
Filed:
Mar. 31, 2000
Kevin L. Houser, Springboro, OH (US);
Jorge N. Gutierrez, Cincinnati, OH (US);
Sarah A. Cook, Cincinnati, OH (US);
Laura A. Gallagher, Cincinnati, OH (US);
Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Cincinnati, OH (US);
Abstract
The present invention is directed to an ultrasonic surgical blade including a top surface, a bottom surface and a cutting-edge. The cutting-edge is defined by a cutting-surface intermediate the top surface and the bottom surface, and the top surface has a width greater than the width of the bottom surface. The blade may be straight or curved. In one embodiment of the invention, at least a portion of the cutting-surface is substantially parallel to at least a portion of the top surface. In still another embodiment of the invention first and second side-walls intersect the top surface to form first and second cutting-edges that may be sharp or blunt. Alternately, a second cutting-edge may be defined by a second cutting surface intermediate the top and bottom surfaces. Depending on the angle between the intermediate cutting-surface and the top surface, the cutting-edge may be sharp or blunt. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a central ridge is provided on the bottom surface of the blade to eliminate blade burrowing and improve precision during coagulation. The cutting-edge is optimized to increase cutting speed of the blade while providing desirable hemostasis. The invention is of particular benefit for breast surgery, due to its cutting and coagulation characteristics.