Enhanced Implant Delivery System with Advanced Features
Legal Citation
Summary of the Inventive Concept
An improved implant delivery system with enhanced safety, efficiency, and accuracy, featuring advanced components and methods for detecting implant detachment and delivering implant devices to target sites within the body.
Background and Problem Solved
The original implant delivery system patent has limitations in terms of heat transfer to surrounding tissue, implant detachment detection, and accommodation of varying tissue densities. The new inventive concept addresses these limitations by introducing a thermal insulation layer, built-in sensors, and adjustable stiffness in the pusher member, ensuring a safer and more efficient implant delivery process.
Detailed Description of the Inventive Concept
The enhanced implant delivery system comprises a pusher member with an elongated shape, featuring a thermal insulation layer to reduce heat transfer to surrounding tissue. The pusher member is connectable to an implant and has a tether connected to both the pusher member and the implant. The system also includes a resistance-type heating element mounted over the tether. A built-in sensor in the pusher member detects implant detachment, and the system can accommodate varying tissue densities through an adjustable stiffness mechanism. The method of detecting implant detachment involves generating an electrical signal to heat the tether and detecting changes in the electrical signal indicative of tether breakage. The system enables controlled heat application to detach the implant from the pusher, ensuring a precise and safe delivery process.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The new inventive concept introduces several novel features, including the thermal insulation layer, built-in sensor, and adjustable stiffness mechanism, which are not present in the original patent. These advancements provide a significant improvement in safety, efficiency, and accuracy, making the implant delivery process more reliable and effective.
Alternative Embodiments and Variations
Alternative embodiments of the inventive concept could include different materials and designs for the thermal insulation layer, varying sensor types and locations, and adjustable stiffness mechanisms using different technologies. Additionally, the system could be adapted for use in various medical specialties, such as cardiology or neurology, or for delivering different types of implant devices.
Potential Commercial Applications and Market
The enhanced implant delivery system has significant commercial potential in the medical device industry, particularly in the areas of vascular embolization, cardiology, and neurology. The system's advanced features and improved safety profile make it an attractive solution for healthcare providers and medical device manufacturers, with a potential market size estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
CPC Classifications
| Section | Class | Group |
|---|---|---|
| A | A61 | A61B17/12113 |
| A | A61 | A61B17/12022 |
| A | A61 | A61B17/12154 |
| A | A61 | A61B90/39 |
| A | A61 | A61F2/01 |
| A | A61 | A61F2/95 |
| A | A61 | A61B2017/12068 |
| A | A61 | A61F2/011 |
| A | A61 | A61F2002/9505 |
| A | A61 | A61F2002/9511 |
| A | A61 | A61F2250/0071 |
Section 103 Obviousness Analysis (PHOSITA)
Field of Art
Medical device engineering, specifically interventional implant delivery systems, focusing on minimally invasive medical device technologies involving vascular and tissue-based interventional procedures
Person of Ordinary Skill (PHOSITA) Profile
A biomedical engineer with advanced degree, expertise in medical device design, familiarity with implantation techniques, understanding of thermal and mechanical interactions in medical device systems, and knowledge of materials science applied to surgical technologies
Obviousness Rationale
A PHOSITA would recognize that the PTD's variations represent predictable engineering improvements to the source patent's implant delivery system by applying known techniques in thermal management, sensor integration, and mechanical design to enhance existing implantation technologies. The disclosed modifications represent incremental advancements that would be apparent to a skilled practitioner seeking to optimize implant delivery performance and safety. These variations demonstrate standard problem-solving approaches within medical device engineering that leverage existing technological foundations.
Obvious Combinations & Variations
Original Patent Information
| Patent Number | US 11,857,196 |
|---|---|
| Title | Implant delivery system |
| Assignee(s) | MicroVention, Inc. |