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:
May. 02, 2006
Filed:
Oct. 10, 2003
David D. Demarest, Parsippany, NJ (US);
Michael D. Prikril, Cliffwood Beach, NJ (US);
William F. Smith, Ringoes, NJ (US);
David D. Demarest, Parsippany, NJ (US);
Michael D. Prikril, Cliffwood Beach, NJ (US);
William F. Smith, Ringoes, NJ (US);
Ethicon Inc., Somerville, NJ (US);
Abstract
A system for monitoring production of uniform strands, such as medical sutures, utilizes a measurement head through which the strand passes. The measurement head includes a plurality of light beams illuminating a corresponding number of sensors. The light beams all illuminate the same section of the strand as it travels through the measurement head. Passage of a fault through the light beams produces a fault signal, which is used by the production system to excise and discard the strand section including the fault. Synchronization and summing of the plurality of fault signals increases the sensitivity and accuracy of the system.