Granted Patent B2

US 10,070,886 · App. 14/958,305 · Granted Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

Claims (22)

1. A method for harvesting biological tissue, the method comprising:

providing a device having a plurality of segments of hollow tubes, each hollow tube comprising at least one point at the distal end of the hollow tube, the plurality of segments forming a two dimensional array of hollow tubes, wherein each segment comprises a plurality of hollow tubes;

positioning the two dimensional array of hollow tubes proximal to an upper surface of a biological tissue;

advancing simultaneously with a single actuator only the plurality of hollow tubes of a first segment of the two dimensional array of hollow tubes into the biological tissue to sever portions of the biological tissue from the surrounding tissue wherein the first segment comprises a row of hollow tubes, a plurality of rows of hollow tubes, a portion of a row of hollow tubes, or a plurality of portions of rows of hollow tubes;

subsequently advancing simultaneously with the single actuator only the plurality of hollow tubes of a second segment of the two dimensional array of hollow tubes into the biological tissue to sever portions of the biological tissue from the surrounding tissue wherein the second segment comprises a row of hollow tubes, a plurality of rows of hollow tubes, a portion of a row of hollow tubes, or a plurality of portions of rows of hollow tubes; and

raising the two dimensional array of hollow tubes from the position proximal to the upper surface of the biological tissue such that the biological tissue remains in each of the hollow tubes of the first and second segments.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each hollow tube has an inner diameter less than about 1 mm.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each hollow tube has an inner diameter less than about 0.8 mm.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising: providing a plurality of pins, each of the pins located within a central lumen of each of the hollow tubes.

5. The method of claim 4 , comprising:

positioning the two dimensional array of hollow tubes over a wound site;

scattering the biological tissue within each of the hollow tubes of the first segment over the wound; and

scattering the biological tissue within each of the hollow tubes of the second segment over the wound.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the scattering of the first segment and the second segment occur at the same time.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the scattering of the first segment and the second segment occur at different times.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the biological tissue comprises skin tissue and adipose tissue.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the raising of the first and second segments occur at the same time.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the raising of the first and second segments occur at different times.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein advancing comprises firing a solenoid.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two dimensional array comprises a circle.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the circle comprises an area of about one square inch.

14. The method of claim 1 , comprising about 300 hollow tubes.

Assignments (7)