Patents
US 8870865 B2: Medical tool for reduced penetration force with feedback means
- Granted
- 2014-10-28
- Filed
- 2012-11-08 application 13672497
- Type
- Utility · 20 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
A medical device for reducing the force necessary to penetrate living being tissue using a variety of reciprocating motion actuators, including piezoelectric, voice coil, solenoids, pneumatics or fluidics. The reciprocating actuator drives a penetrating member, such as a needle, through the tissue at a reduced force while the device detects the passage of the penetrating member through the tissue. Upon passage of the penetrating member through the tissue, electrical power to the reciprocating actuator is automatically terminated. One exemplary method for detecting this passage is via a fluid-containing syringe that is coupled to a channel within the penetrating member. Once the penetrating member tip has passed through the living tissue, the fluid within the syringe no longer experiences any pressure and a plunger within the syringe displaces indicating passage of the penetrating member tip. This motion can provide direct tactile feedback to an operator of the medical device or can automatically open a switch providing electrical power to the medical device. Alternatively, a pressure transducer can also monitor the pressure within the penetrating member channel and automatically activate the switch to cut off the electrical power.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg141028.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuated Medical, Inc. 29 patents | US company or organization | Bellefonte, PA | Actuated Medical, Inc. State business registration EXACT high confidence: identical full name and state Actuated Medical, Inc. Form D issuer EXACT high confidence: identical full name and state | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul L. Frankhouser | Bellefonte, PA | 12 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Maureen L. Mulvihill | Bellefonte, PA | 25 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Brian M. Park | Bellefonte, PA | 17 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| A61B | Diagnosis; surgery; identification | A61B17/3403 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| A61M | Devices for introducing media into, or onto, the body ; devices for transducing body media or for taking media from the body ; devices for producing or ending sleep or stupor | A61M5/00 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-09-30 | Government interest Confirmatory license | ACTUATED MEDICAL, INC. signed 2014-09-15 | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH), U.S. DEPT. OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (DHHS), U.S. GOVERNMENT BETHESDA, MD | 33861/396 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2014-01-07 | Government interest Confirmatory license | ACTUATED MEDICAL, INC. signed 2012-12-12 | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH), U.S. DEPT. OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (DHHS), U.S. GOVERNMENT BETHESDA, MD | 31926/350 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.