Dilator with peel force reducing structure
AssigneeCreative Integration & Design, Inc.
InventorBruce C. Johnson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dilator formed with a truss with a pair of spaced-apart end surfaces that provides a restoring force therebetween if forced toward one another, this restoring force provided by a resilient band extending between the opposite ends of the truss with a plurality of notches located at each of the ends thereof. The notches exceed at least a third of the thickness of the band and may comprise a separation at the location thereof between selected portions of said first resilient band with this separation surrounded by a corresponding separation edge thereabout intersecting a first surface of the first resilient band. A second and similar band may also be provided in the truss.
Claims18
A dilator capable of introducing separating stresses in anatomical outer wall tissues, said dilator comprising:
- a truss having a pair of spaced-apart end surfaces terminated by end edges at opposite ends of said truss and having means for generating restoring forces including at least a first resilient band of selected thickness in said truss extending between said end edges such that, if said spaced-apart end surfaces are forced toward one another from initial positions to thereby substantially reduce direct spacing therebetween by a spacing reduction force external to said truss, restoring forces result in said truss which tend to restore said direct spacing between said end surfaces with such restoring forces being due to at least said first resilient band, and further having means for reducing said restoring forces at a selected location in said first resilient band comprising a separation at said selected location between selected portions of said first resilient band with said separation surrounded by a corresponding separation edge thereabout intersecting at least a first surface of said first resilient band;
- and
- engagement means adhered to said end surfaces adapted for engaging exposed surfaces of outer wall tissues and for remaining so engaged against said restoring forces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.