Patent US5571124A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5571124A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus and method for performing surgery on the cornea of an eye
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1995-04-13
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Granted: 1996-11-05
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Expires: 2015-04-13
Abstract
Abstract The present invention includes a cutting blade for performing eye surgery. The cutting blade has a dull distal edge. The sides of the cutting blade have edges, at least a portion of which are sharp. The distal edge extends between the first and second edges in a single plane thereby defining a single line from the first edge to the second edge. The cutting blade may be mounted on a handpiece such that the dull distal edge is disposed substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the handle. The handpiece may include a micrometer control for controlling the amount of the blade which extends from the handpiece. In one embodiment the handpiece is weighted to assist the surgeon in deepening the incision. In addition, transparent footplates may be mounted on the handpiece. In use, the blade of the present invention may be used alone or in combination with conventional surgical blades. With the use of the dull distal edge and the sharp edges of the blade of the present invention, an incision made in the cornea of an eye may be evened-out at its bottom and deepened across almost its entire length to almost 100% of the cornea thickness without perforating the cornea. In one embodiment, prior to cutting, a marking device of the present invention may be used to mark a pattern of incisions on the cornea of the eye. The marking device of the present invention includes concentric rings attached to each other by radially extending supports and the combination is attached to an end of a handle. The two concentric rings define the maximum length of the radial incisions.
Inventors
- 👤 Jerry Zelman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 07:59
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F9/00; A61F9/007; A61F9/013; A61F9/0136; A61F9/0133
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
156 words
A surgical instrument, comprising: a handle having a longitudinal axis; a blade having a shank attached to said handle, said blade having: (a) a first edge which is sharpened to form a first cutting edge; (b) a second edge which is disposed on a side of said blade which is opposite to said first edge, said second edge having a first portion and a second portion extending along a same plane as said first portion, wherein said first portion is dull and said second portion is sharpened to form a second cutting edge; and (c) a third edge disposed on a side of said blade which is opposite to said shank and which is dull, wherein said third edge extends from said first edge to said first portion of said second edge in a single plane which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said handle, whereby said third edge defines a single straight line.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
156 words
A surgical instrument, comprising: a handle having a longitudinal axis; a blade having a shank attached to said handle, said blade having: (a) a first edge which is sharpened to form a first cutting edge; (b) a second edge which is disposed on a side of said blade which is opposite to said first edge, said second edge having a first portion and a second portion extending along a same plane as said first portion, wherein said first portion is dull and said second portion is sharpened to form a second cutting edge; and (c) a third edge disposed on a side of said blade which is opposite to said shank and which is dull, wherein said third edge extends from said first edge to said first portion of said second edge in a single plane which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said handle, whereby said third edge defines a single straight line.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
A surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said first and said second edges are planar.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
A surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said second edge is non-planar.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
A surgical instrument according to claim 3, wherein a portion of said second edge is dull.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
A surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said first and second edges each have a first portion adjacent said third edge which is dull and a second portion adjacent said shank that is sharpened to form a second portion cutting edge and said first portion is substantially 50 microns in length.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
A surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said third edge is formed by a first and a second sloping side which define an angle therebetween which is equal to or greater than 110°.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
A surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said first edge is formed by a third and a fourth sloping side which define an angle therebetween which is equal to or less than 35°.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
A surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said second edge is formed by a fifth and sixth sloping side which define an angle therebetween which is equal to or less than 35°.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
A surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said blade is made of a material selected from the group consisting of precious stone, semiprecious stone, artificial stone, surgical steel, diamond, cubic zirconium and surgical steel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
A surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said handle is weighted.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
A surgical instrument according to claim 1, further comprising: a footplate attached to said handle, wherein said footplate is made of a transparent material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
91 words
A surgical instrument according to claim 1, further comprising: a footplate holder attached to said handle, wherein said footplate holder includes a shank end attached to said handpiece and a second end which is bifurcated to form a first footplate and a second footplate, said second end extending in a common plane and defining an opening therebetween, wherein said blade is disposed in said opening and wherein said single plane defined by said third edge of said blade is parallel to said common plane defined by said first and second footplates.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
A surgical instrument accordingly to claim 12, wherein said first and second footplates are made of a transparent material.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
249 words
A method for performing a surgical procedure on the cornea of an eye, comprising the steps of: measuring the thickness of the cornea; inserting the blade of a surgical instrument into the cornea of the eye, wherein a shank of said blade is attached to a handle of said surgical instrument, said handle having a longitudinal axis and said blade having, (a) a first edge which is sharpened to form a first cutting edge, (b) a second edge which is disposed on a side of said blade which is opposite to said first edge, said second edge having a first portion and a second portion extending along a same plane as said first portion, wherein said first portion is dull and said second portion is sharpened to form a second cutting edge, and (c) a third edge disposed on a side of said blade which is opposite to said shank and which is dull, wherein said third edge extends from said first edge to said first portion of said second edge in a single plane which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said handle, whereby said third edge defines a single straight line; creating an incision in the cornea of the eye which is almost the entire thickness of the cornea without perthrating the cornea by moving one of said first and second sharp edges of said blade along the cornea; and moving said third edge along the descements membrane of said cornea while creating the incision.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
249 words
A method for performing a surgical procedure on the cornea of an eye, comprising the steps of: measuring the thickness of the cornea; inserting the blade of a surgical instrument into the cornea of the eye, wherein a shank of said blade is attached to a handle of said surgical instrument, said handle having a longitudinal axis and said blade having, (a) a first edge which is sharpened to form a first cutting edge, (b) a second edge which is disposed on a side of said blade which is opposite to said first edge, said second edge having a first portion and a second portion extending along a same plane as said first portion, wherein said first portion is dull and said second portion is sharpened to form a second cutting edge, and (c) a third edge disposed on a side of said blade which is opposite to said shank and which is dull, wherein said third edge extends from said first edge to said first portion of said second edge in a single plane which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said handle, whereby said third edge defines a single straight line; creating an incision in the cornea of the eye which is almost the entire thickness of the cornea without perthrating the cornea by moving one of said first and second sharp edges of said blade along the cornea; and moving said third edge along the descements membrane of said cornea while creating the incision.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 14, wherein said step of cutting said incision comprises the step of cutting a partial radial incision in said cornea.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
311 words
A method for performing a surgical procedure on the cornea of an eye, comprising the steps of: measuring the cornea; cutting an incision in the cornea that is equal to approximately 90% of the thickness of the central cornea using a first blade having a sharp edge and a pointed tip; enhancing the depth of said incision by using a surgical instrument having a handle with a longitudinal axis and a second blade having a shank attached to said handle and by disposing said second blade in said incision to a depth substantially equal to a depth of the peripheral cornea, wherein the second blade has, (a) a first edge which is sharpened to form a first cutting edge, (b) a second edge which is disposed on a side of said second blade which is opposite to said first edge, said second edge having a first portion and a second portion extending along a same plane as said first portion, wherein said first portion is dull and said second portion is sharpened to form a second cutting edge, and (c) a third edge disposed on a side of said second blade which is opposite to said shank and which is dull, wherein said third edge extends from said first edge to said first portion of said second edge in a single plane which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said handle, whereby said third edge defines a single straight line, whereby said third edge of said second blade is moved along the base of said incision and at least one of said first edge and said second portion of said second edge cuts said cornea to enhance the depth of said incision; and deepening said incision to almost the entire thickness of said cornea consistently and evenly across almost an entire length of said incision without perforating the cornea.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
311 words
A method for performing a surgical procedure on the cornea of an eye, comprising the steps of: measuring the cornea; cutting an incision in the cornea that is equal to approximately 90% of the thickness of the central cornea using a first blade having a sharp edge and a pointed tip; enhancing the depth of said incision by using a surgical instrument having a handle with a longitudinal axis and a second blade having a shank attached to said handle and by disposing said second blade in said incision to a depth substantially equal to a depth of the peripheral cornea, wherein the second blade has, (a) a first edge which is sharpened to form a first cutting edge, (b) a second edge which is disposed on a side of said second blade which is opposite to said first edge, said second edge having a first portion and a second portion extending along a same plane as said first portion, wherein said first portion is dull and said second portion is sharpened to form a second cutting edge, and (c) a third edge disposed on a side of said second blade which is opposite to said shank and which is dull, wherein said third edge extends from said first edge to said first portion of said second edge in a single plane which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said handle, whereby said third edge defines a single straight line, whereby said third edge of said second blade is moved along the base of said incision and at least one of said first edge and said second portion of said second edge cuts said cornea to enhance the depth of said incision; and deepening said incision to almost the entire thickness of said cornea consistently and evenly across almost an entire length of said incision without perforating the cornea.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 16, wherein said step of cutting said incision comprises the step of cutting a partial radial incision in said cornea.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
61 words
A method according to claim 16, after the step of measuring, further comprising the step of: marking a surface of the cornea with a first mark with a first diameter and a second mark concentric with the first mark having a second diameter greater than the first diameter, wherein the first and second marks define a maximum length of the incision.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
87 words
A method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of: marking a surface of the cornea with a first mark with a first diameter and a second mark concentric with the first mark having a second diameter greater than the first diameter, wherein the initial incision is cut extending between an outer periphery of the eye and the first mark, and wherein a portion of the initial incision extending between the outer periphery of the eye and the second mark is enhanced with the second blade.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-11-05 | 2000-05-06 | 2000-11-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-11-05 | 2004-05-06 | 2004-11-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-11-05 | 2008-05-06 | 2008-11-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |