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:
Aug. 15, 2006
Filed:
Mar. 18, 2002
Thomas D. Egan, Marblehead, MA (US);
Paul V. Fenton, Jr., Marblehead, MA (US);
Thomas D. Egan, Marblehead, MA (US);
Paul V. Fenton, Jr., Marblehead, MA (US);
Axya Medical, Inc., Beverly, MA (US);
Abstract
A welding apparatus that includes a first member having a first suture-contacting surface, a second member having a second suture-contacting surface, and a device for moving the first member relative to the second member to define a gap between the respective suture-contacting surfaces. The first member is capable of vibrating and delivering mechanical energy at ultrasonic frequencies. The second member is stationary relative to the first member. A fixture element is adapted to receive and maintain two or more segments of a material to be welded in a predetermined alignment in the gap between the first and second surfaces of the first and second members during a welding operation. According to another aspect of the invention, an ultrasonic welding apparatus includes first and second members with patterned first and second suture-contacting surfaces. The patterned surfaces can be complementary or non-complementary and the surface patterns on each member may vary in either a periodic or a non-periodic manner.