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US 10,441,156 B2Granted
Application of highly scattering materials to surgical illumination
AssigneeMedical Instrument Development Laboratories, Inc.
InventorErik William Peterson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A surgical instrument includes an optical fiber having a proximal end and a distal end, the optical fiber configured to emit light at the distal end. The surgical instrument also includes at least one scattering material coupled to the proximal end, the distal end, or a combination of both the proximal end and the distal end.
Claims15
A surgical instrument comprising:
- an optical fiber having a proximal end and a distal end, the optical fiber configured to move light along a pathway from the proximal end to the distal end and to emit the light at the distal end;
- a first scattering material coupled directly to the proximal end of the optical fiber, and
- a second scattering material that is coupled to the distal end of the optical fiber, wherein the first scattering material is positioned such that the light passes through the first scattering material prior to entering the proximal end of the optical fiber and moving along the pathway to the distal end.
A surgical instrument comprising:
- a receptacle;
- an optical fiber having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end coupled to the receptacle, the distal end disposed outside of the receptacle, the optical fiber configured to move light along a pathway from the proximal end to the distal end and to emit the light at the distal end;
- a scattering material disposed within the receptacle;
- and
- a lens coupled to the receptacle and spaced apart from the proximal end of the optical fiber and from the scattering material, wherein the lens is positioned to receive the light from a source outside of the receptacle and to pass the light through the lens and direct the light into the scattering material,
- wherein the scattering material is coupled directly to the proximal end of the optical fiber, wherein a first portion of the scattering material is disposed axially adjacent the proximal end of the optical fiber, and wherein a second portion of the scattering material extends circumferentially around the proximal end of the optical fiber.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.