Granted Patent B2

US 8,753,335 · App. 12/693,234 · Granted Jun 17, 2014

Abstract

Claims (31)

1. A device for delivering therapeutic energy to tissue, comprising:

a housing;

a plurality of electrodes, each electrode including:

a proximal section longitudinally extending from within the housing and having a longitudinal axis;

an intermediate section extending from the proximal section;

a distal section extending longitudinally from the intermediate section;

a rotating device coupled to the proximal sections of the plurality of electrodes and adapted to rotate the plurality of electrodes by rotating the proximal section of each electrode about its longitudinal axis to move the distal sections of the electrodes from a first radial state to a second radial state; and

wherein in the first radial state, at least a portion of the intermediate section of at least one electrode overlaps at least a portion of the intermediate section of an adjacent electrode.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the distal sections of the electrodes are arranged substantially parallel to each other.

3. The device of claim , wherein the distal sections of the electrodes are uniformly spaced from each other.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate section includes at least one bend to allow at least a portion of the electrodes to overlap each other when in the first radial state.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate sections of the plurality of electrodes extend in a generally radial direction, and wherein the intermediate sections and distal sections of each electrode together form a generally L-shaped configuration.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the proximal section has a proximal end and a distal end, and wherein each proximal section of the electrode includes a “U-shaped” section positioned at the proximal end.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrodes is selected from a group consisting of: four and six electrodes.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of at least one of the plurality of electrodes is surrounded by an insulation layer.

9. A device for delivering therapeutic energy to tissue, comprising:

a housing;

a plurality of electrodes, each electrode including:

a proximal section longitudinally extending from within the housing and having a longitudinal axis;

an intermediate section extending from the proximal section;

a distal section extending longitudinally from the intermediate section;

a rotating device coupled to the proximal sections of the plurality of electrodes and adapted to rotate the plurality of electrodes about their respective longitudinal axes to move the distal sections of the electrodes radially outwardly relative to the outer surface of the housing from a first radial state to a second radial state to define a treatment zone;

an elongated shaft having a proximal end, a distal end, an outer surface, and a longitudinal axis, the proximal end of the elongated shaft is coupled to at least a portion of the housing, at least a portion of the plurality of electrodes extends longitudinally within the elongate shaft; and

at least one electrode of the plurality electrodes is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the elongated shaft.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein:

the plurality of electrodes in the first radial state are sized to be received within at least a portion of a lumen of a laparoscope; and

the distal sections of the electrodes are in substantially parallel arrangement during rotation of the plurality of the electrodes by the rotating device.

11. The device of claim 9 , wherein when the rotating device is rotated, the distal section moves from the first radial state radially outward to the second radial state, the second radial state having a radius that is larger than a radius of the shaft.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the rotating device is a rotating collar, and wherein the rotating collar is coupled to the housing and the proximal sections of the plurality of the electrodes.

13. The device of claim 9 , further comprising a sleeve, wherein the sleeve can be moved and wherein the sleeve surrounds at least a portion of and is slidably disposed around at least a portion of the outer surface of the shaft.

14. The device of claim 13 , further comprising a slide, wherein the slide is coupled to the sleeve, wherein when the slide is moved from a first position to a second position, the sleeve substantially surrounds at least one electrode of the plurality of electrodes, such that the plurality of electrodes is locked in position.

Assignments (10)