Minimally invasive medical device with helical pattern for indicating distance of movement
AssigneeWilson-Cook Medical Inc.
InventorsKenneth Kennedy, David Hardin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A minimally invasive medical device, including an elongate shaft that has a helical color pattern of at least an alternating first color band having a first width and second color band having a second width. Along a surface parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the shaft, a length interval between each of a plurality of occurrences of the first color band is sufficiently uniform to allow use for measurement.
Claims17
A minimally invasive medical device, comprising:
- an elongate shaft comprising a helical pattern of at least an alternating first distinctively marked band having a first width and second distinctively marked band having a second width,
- wherein, along a surface parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the shaft, a length interval between each of a plurality of occurrences of the first distinctively marked band is a known length increment and is sufficiently uniform to allow use of the minimally invasive medical device for measurement.
A minimally invasive medical device, comprising:
- an elongate shaft comprising at least a first set of identical individual first markings having a uniform first spacing therebetween and a second set of identical individual second markings having a uniform second spacing therebetween.
A method of determining distance of movement of a minimally invasive medical device comprising the steps of:
- providing a minimally invasive medical device including at least a first set of identical individual first markings having a uniform first spacing increment of known length therebetween;
- observing an initial alignment of a marking of the first set of markings relative to a point adjacent the minimally invasive medical device;
- moving the minimally invasive medical device past the point while counting the number of markings in the first set of markings to pass the point;
- and
- calculating the distance moved by multiplying the number of markings moved past the point by the spacing increment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.