Fasteners having coordinated self-seeking conforming members and uses thereof
AssigneeBioMedical Enterprises, Inc.
InventorWilliam Casey Fox
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Fasteners having coordinated self-seeking conforming members or implanting into a cavity such as a hole, tube, or hard tissue defect are provided. An actuator mechanism translates applied force to conform members of a plurality of members to the cavity. The fasteners may be used for implanting a prosthetic device into hard tissue of humans or animals, for anchoring a device while the device is being worked on, for centering a device in a hole or tube, such as in well technology. The mechanism operates expanding members so that they independently or dependently conform and apply controlled and known pressure to surrounding materials.
Claims25
A fastener for implanting into a cavity, the fastener comprising:
- a body;
- a plurality of members movably connected to the body, each member being independently movable for coordinated self-seeking conforming to the cavity;
- and
- an actuator mechanism for coordinating and translating applied force to each member.
A fastener for implanting into a cavity, the fastener comprising:
- a body comprising a movable structure;
- a plurality of members rotatingly connected to the movable structure, each member being independently movable with respect to the body for coordinated self-seeking conforming to the cavity;
- and
- an actuator mechanism within the movable structure for coordinating and translating applied force to conform independently each member to the cavity, the actuator mechanism comprising
- a journal rotatingly and slidingly connected to each member such that when the journal is moved through the bore of the body, each member moves symmetrically with respect to the structure and moves independently with respect to the body to conform to the cavity.
A fastener for securing a structure to a cavity, the structure configured to fit to an outer surface of the cavity, the fastener comprising
- a body having a first bore and a slot opening onto the first bore;
- a cylinder within the first bore, the cylinder having a driving mechanism comprising a worm gear;
- a member within the slot, the member comprising a plurality of gear teeth, the member movably connected to the body and acted on by the driving mechanism for conforming to the cavity and
- wherein the worm gear meshes with the gear teeth of the member and, when a force is applied to the cylinder, the driving mechanism causes the member to move to conform to the cavity, thereby securing the structure to the cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.