Method of manufacturing breast implants with integrated transponders
View Patent ↗The present invention provides, in various embodiments, a breast implant with an RFID transponder embedded therein, so that the implant can be conveniently identified while inside the human body, and methods of making the same.
1. A method of manufacturing a breast implant having a transponder disposed therein, comprising:
placing a mold into a silicone material one or more times to form a shell comprising one or more silicone layers;
removing the mold from the shell, wherein the shell has an opening where the mold was removed;
covering the opening with a patch;
after covering the opening, placing the transponder radially inward of the shell through a hole in the patch;
filling the shell with a silicone gel through the hole in the patch such that the transponder is disposed within the silicone gel; and
curing the silicone gel, wherein the transponder is disposed within the cured silicone gel radially inward of the patch.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transponder is flexibly fixed within the cured silicone gel adjacent to the patch.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sterilizing the breast implant at a temperature ranging from about 120° C. to about 150° C. for up to about 36 hours.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a vacuum to the silicone gel-filled shell before curing the silicone gel.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein curing the silicone gel comprises heating the silicone gel with the transponder therein at a temperature ranging from about 140° C. to about 200° C.
6. A method of manufacturing a breast implant, the method comprising:
preparing a silicone shell defining a cavity, the shell including an aperture;
covering the aperture with a patch;
introducing a silicone gel into the cavity;
introducing a transponder into the cavity, wherein the transponder is movable within the silicone gel relative to the shell, while being in proximity of the patch; and
curing the silicone gel with the transponder disposed therein to fix a position of the transponder within the silicone gel.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising removing air from the silicone gel inside the cavity before curing the silicone gel.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the transponder is flexibly fixed within the cured silicone gel adjacent to the patch.
9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the transponder is configured to withstand temperatures up to 210° C. during curing of the silicone gel.
10. The method of claim 6 , wherein curing the silicone gel comprises heating the silicone gel with the transponder disposed therein at a temperature ranging from about 140° C. to about 200° C. for up to about 8 hours.
11. The method of claim 6 , wherein introducing the silicone gel into the cavity comprises injecting the silicone gel into the cavity through a hole in the patch.
12. The method of claim 6 , wherein the transponder is glass encapsulated.
13. A method of manufacturing a breast implant, the method comprising:
preparing a silicone shell defining a cavity, the shell including a hole;
placing a transponder into the cavity;
covering the hole with a patch;
filling the shell with a silicone gel, wherein the transponder is movable within the silicone gel relative to the shell, while being in proximity of the patch;
and
curing the silicone gel to fix a position of the transponder in the silicone gel.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the silicone gel is cured at a temperature ranging from about 140° C. to about 200° C.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the transponder is disposed within the cured silicone gel adjacent to the patch.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the transponder is a high temperature-stable radio-frequency transponder.