US 12,686,958 B2Granted

Braiding machine and methods of use

AssigneeInceptus Medical, LLC

InventorsRichard Quick, John Coleman Thress, Greg Ulrich

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Abstract

Systems and methods for forming a tubular braid are disclosed herein. A braiding system configured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology can include, for example, an upper drive unit, a lower drive unit, a mandrel coaxial with the upper and lower drive units, and a plurality of tubes extending between the upper drive unit and the lower drive unit. Each tube can be configured to receive individual filaments for forming the tubular braid, and the upper and lower drive units can act in synchronization to move the tubes (and the filaments contained within those tubes) in three distinct motions: (i) radially inward toward a central axis, (ii) radially outward away from the central axis, and (iii) rotationally about the central axis, to cross the filaments over and under one another to form the tubular braid on the mandrel.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A braiding system, comprising:

a drive unit including—
an outer assembly including an outer cam, outer slots, and outer drive members aligned with the outer slots;
an inner assembly including an inner cam, inner slots, and inner drive members aligned with the inner slots, wherein the inner drive members are separate from the outer drive members, wherein the inner assembly is coaxially aligned with the outer assembly, and wherein the number of inner and outer slots is the same;
a plurality of tubes, wherein individual ones of the tubes are constrained within individual ones of the inner and/or outer slots;
an outer drive mechanism configured to rotate the outer cam to contact the outer drive members to drive a first set of the tubes from the outer slots to the inner slots;
and
an inner drive mechanism configured to rotate the inner cam to contact the inner drive members to drive a second set of the tubes from the inner slots to the outer slots simultaneously with the driving of the first set of the tubes from the outer slots to the inner slots.

4 more elements

A braiding system, comprising:

a plurality of elongate members each having an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein individual ones of the elongate members are configured to receive individual filaments;
an upper drive unit including (a) a first upper cam configured to act against the upper portions of the elongate members when the elongate members are in a radially-outward position and (b) a second upper cam separate from the first upper cam and configured to act against the upper portions of the elongate members when the elongate members are in a radially-inward position;
and
a lower drive unit coaxially aligned with the upper drive unit along a longitudinal axis, wherein the lower drive unit includes (a) a first lower cam configured to operate in synchronization with the first upper cam and act against the lower portions of the elongate members when the elongate members are in the radially-outward position and (b) a second lower cam separate from the first lower cam and configured to operate in synchronization with the second upper cam and act against the lower portions of the elongate members when the elongate members are in the radially-inward position,
wherein the upper and lower drive units are configured to act against the upper and lower portions of the elongate members in synchronization to simultaneously drive (a) a first set of the elongate members radially inward toward the longitudinal axis from the radially-outward position to the radially-inward position and (b) a second set of the elongate members radially outward away from the longitudinal axis from the radially-inward position to the radially-outward position.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/541,193Filed 15 Dec 2023 · continuation
Priority: 14 Oct 2017
Published: US 2024/0344251 A117 Oct 2024
Granted: 21 Jul 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

D04C 3/06
With spool carriers guided by track plates or by bobbin heads exclusively: with spool carriers moving always in the same direction in endless paths
D04C 3/30
Devices for controlling spool carriers to obtain patterns, e.g. devices on guides or track plates: by controlling switches of guides or track plates
D04C
Braiding or manufacture of lace, including bobbin-net or carbonised lace

Family

Application62/572,462Us provisional application · filed 14 Oct 2017
Application16/754,830Parent of this continuation · filed 13 Oct 2018
PCT/US2018/055780Parent of this continuation · filed 13 Oct 2018
US 2024/0344251 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 Oct 2024
US 11,885,051 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2020/0240056 A1Published application
US 12,686,958 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.