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.

Date of Patent:
May. 24, 2016

Filed:

Feb. 04, 2014
Applicant:

Path Scientific, Llc, Carlisle, MA (US);

Inventors:

Terry Herndon, Carlisle, MA (US);

Thiruvallur R. Gowrishankar, Acton, MA (US);

Assignee:

Path Scientific, LLC, Carlisle, MA (US);

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 17/16 (2006.01); A61B 5/053 (2006.01); A61B 17/20 (2006.01); A61B 18/00 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
A61B 17/16 (2013.01); A61B 5/053 (2013.01); A61B 17/1622 (2013.01); A61B 17/1626 (2013.01); A61B 17/205 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00026 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00747 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00875 (2013.01);
Abstract

Disclosed is a drilling device and a method for the drilling of human or animal bone tissue. The method comprises the following steps; (a) providing a drill having an electrically conductive bone cutter and an electrically conducting nosepiece assembly spaced apart from the electrically conductive bone cutter and acting as a counter electrode; (b) placing the electrically conductive bone cutter and nosepiece assembly into contact with the bone tissue to be drilled; (c) measuring the electrical impedance between the bone cutter tip and the nosepiece or the current through the cutter motor; (d) commencing drilling and moving the bone cutter toward the bone surface; (e) starting a step counter when the impedance reduces or the cutter motor current increases; (f) incrementing the step counter with every step of the vertical drive motor until the step count reaches the prespecified value thereby controlling the depth of the hole drilled.


Find Patent Forward Citations

Loading…