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US 5,797,679 AGranted
Surgical cement mixer apparatus
AssigneeStryker Corporation
InventorsDavid H. Grulke, Richard F. Huyser, Eugene Lautenschlager, Dennis A. Stratton, Harry A. Wellons, III, Richard L. Wixson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for mixing a two part cement of a type adapted for fixing a repair element to hard, rigid tissue of a patient and containing the mixed cement preparatory to dispensing for such fixation. A mixing chamber has an outlet for mixed cement. A cartridge has an inlet releasably coupled to the outlet of the mixing chamber for receiving mixed cement therefrom. A rotating blade in the mixing chamber mixes cement, removes voids therefrom and moves mixed cement off the inner surface of the mixing chamber and into the cartridge.
Claims39
A hard tissue repair cement mixer apparatus, comprising:
- a mixing chamber having a conical, upward diverging inner surface, a length axis, and an inlet for receiving cement components to be mixed;
- a blade rotatably supported for rotation about the length axis of said conical mixing chamber, said blade having a radially outer edge upwardly converging into contact with an upper portion of said conical mixing chamber, said blade angling divergently upward from a plane containing said axis,
- whereby rotation of said blade tends to force cement radially outward toward and up said conical inner surface of said mixing chamber in an upwardly thinning layer and therewith expedite release of trapped gas in the cement mix.
A hard tissue repair cement mixer apparatus, comprising:
- a mixing chamber having a wall, a length axis and an inlet for receiving cement components;
- a blade rotatable supported on the length axis of said mixing chamber, said blade having an outer edge, said blade having an axial position in said chamber in which there is an upwardly convergent space between an outer edge of said blade and a wall of said mixing chamber;
- said blade having an upper end and a bottom end and a first axial position in which it is at least close to said mixing chamber wall adjacent said upper end of said blade and is spaced further from said mixing chamber wall adjacent said bottom end of said blade in which said blade is of resiliently bendable material and has a radially outer edge, in which substantially the entirety of said radially outer edge of said blade is bent into engagement with said mixing chamber wall, in said lower shaft position, for wiping cement from said wall and driving it toward said narrower lower portion of said mixing chamber, said chamber having an outlet at said narrowed lower portion.
A hard tissue repair cement mixer apparatus, comprising:
- a mixing chamber having a wall, a length axis and an inlet for receiving cement components;
- a blade rotatable supported on the length axis of said mixing chamber, said blade having an outer edge, said blade having an axial position in said chamber in which there is an upwardly convergent space between an outer edge of said blade and a wall of said mixing chamber;
- said blade having an upper end and a bottom end and a first axial position in which it is at least close to said mixing chamber wall adjacent said upper end of said blade and is spaced further from said mixing chamber wall adjacent said bottom end of said blade in which said mixing chamber has a frustoconical portion, said blade having a convexly rounded radially outer edge and being bent away from a first plane containing the length axis and a diameter of said frustoconical mixing chamber portion so as to diverge upward therefrom, said blade lying in a second plane diverging from said first plane add intersecting the frustoconical wall of said mixing chamber along a curved line.
A hard tissue repair cement mixer apparatus, comprising:
- a mixing chamber having a wall, a length axis and an inlet for receiving cement components;
- a blade rotatable supported on the length axis of said mixing chamber, said blade having an outer edge, said blade having an axial position in said chamber in which there is an upwardly convergent space between an outer edge of said blade and a wall of said mixing chamber;
- a blade unit of substantially rigid material and comprising a central support, said blade being upstanding from said support, said blade unit having diametrally opposite edges adjacent the join of said support and blade and conforming substantially to the shape of said mixing chamber and bearing thereon such that said mixing chamber defines a radial thrust bearing for said blade unit, in a second axial position of said blade.
A hard tissue repair cement mixer apparatus, comprising:
- a frustoconical mixing chamber having a narrow outlet end portion;
- a piston resiliently snap fitted in said narrow outlet end portion of said frustoconical mixing chamber;
- a blade/shaft assembly including a shaft and a blade fixed on said shaft, said blade/shaft assembly being supported for rotation in said mixing chamber and being axially displaceable in said mixing chamber toward said narrow end of said mixing chamber, said blade/shaft assembly having a bottom end and a mixing position in which said bottom end is axially supported on said piston to prevent unintended axial displacement of said blade/shaft assembly further toward said narrow end portion of said mixing chamber during initial mixing of cement.
A hard tissue repair cement mixer apparatus, comprising:
- a conical mixing chamber having a narrow outlet end portion;
- a piston resiliently snap fitted in said narrow outlet end portion of said frustoconical mixing chamber;
- a blade/shaft assembly supported for rotation in said mixing chamber and being axially displaceable in said mixing chamber toward said narrow end of said mixing chamber;
- a cartridge removably fixed at said narrow outlet end portion of said mixing chamber;
- a vacuum seal ring radially between said mixing chamber outlet end portion and the adjacent end of said cartridge to enable maintenance of subatmospheric pressure at least on the cartridge side of said piston.
2 more elements
A hard tissue repair cement mixer apparatus, comprising:
- a conical mixing chamber having a narrow outlet end portion;
- a piston resiliently snap fitted in said narrow outlet end portion of said frustoconical mixing chamber;
- a blade/shaft assembly supported for rotation in said mixing chamber, and being axially displaceable in said mixing chamber toward said narrow end of said mixing chamber said blade/shaft assembly unit including a support and means fixed to the bottom end portion of said shaft near said piston, an end slot in said shaft end portion open toward said piston and of thickness to snugly slidably receive the central part of said support, said shaft having a web extending axially into said slot part way to the open end of said slot, said support having a central notch open toward and snugly receiving said web to prevent rocking of said support in its own plane within said shaft slot, a hole in said support spaced axially from said notch and a tooth on said shaft extending partly into said slot at a point axially spaced from said web, said tooth being sized for snug reception in said hole in said support to positively lock said support on said shaft, said support including a tongue extending away from said hole and toward said piston substantially to the end of said shaft slot.
A hard tissue repair cement mixer apparatus, comprising:
- a base having first and second vacuum ports, said first port being connectable to a vacuum source;
- a cartridge removably upstanding on said base for receiving mixed cement, said cartridge having a bottom portion communicating with said base;
- a mixing chamber removably upstanding on said cartridge for mixing cement and loading said cartridge with mixed cement, said mixing chamber having a third vacuum port.
A hard tissue repair cement mixer apparatus, comprising:
- an upstanding cartridge having an upper end for receiving mixed cement and a bottom portion connectable to a vacuum source;
- a mixing chamber removably supported on and upstanding from the upper end of said cartridge for mixing cement and having a bottom outlet for loading said cartridge with mixed cement, said mixing chamber having a vacuum port connectable to a vacuum source,
- said cartridge having an elongate tubular peripheral wall defined by a cement engaging interior surface and an exterior surface open to the atmosphere, said cartridge peripheral wall being capable of sustaining a pressure drop radially thereacross from outside atmospheric pressure to a subatmospheric pressure corresponding to connection of said bottom portion to a vacuum source.
A hard tissue repair cement mixer apparatus, comprising:
- a cement mixing-chamber having a downward tapered inner surface and an inlet for receiving cement components, a wider upper portion and a narrower lower portion;
- an upstanding shaft and structure in said mixing chamber supporting said shaft for displacement between an upper position therein and a lower position therein;
- a blade fixed on said shaft and movable with said shaft downward along said downward tapered mixing chamber inner surface from an upper cement mixing position at said wider upper portion of said mixing chamber to a lower mixed cement scraping and outputting position at said narrower lower portion of said mixing chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.