IP Library Granted Patent US 11,730,555
Granted Patent B2
US 11,730,555 · App. 16/144,706 · Granted Aug 22, 2023

Surgical drape for thermal treatment basin

Inventors: Heidi Frances Hendrix (Brookhaven, GA); David Richard Rawlings (Cumming, GA); Michelle Wilson (Caledonia, MS)
Assignee: Microtek Medical, Inc.
A61B46/10A61B46/40A61F7/0085A61F7/0241
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,730,555
App. No.
16/144,706
Granted
Aug 22, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A drape for a piece of equipment used during a medical procedure may be formed of a flexible sheet of polymeric material. The flexible sheet can have a basin portion shape-indexed to a basin or reservoir of the piece of equipment over which the drape is intended to be draped. The flexible sheet can also have a side sheet portion connected to the basin portion. The side sheet portion can drape down the basin or reservoir of the piece of equipment over which the drape is draped. The basin portion of the flexible sheet can be collapsible. As a result, the drape can be collapsed into planar package for storage. Upon being removed from the package, the basin portion of the drape can be expanded to conform to the walls of the basin of the piece of equipment over which the drape is deployed.

Claims (27)

1. A drape comprising:

a thermoformed basin that is shape-indexed to a shape of a basin of a surgical system into which the thermoformed basin is configured to be inserted, the thermoformed basin being collapsible;

a flexible side sheet bonded to and extending about an entire perimeter of the thermoformed basin, wherein a perimeter of the thermoformed basin has a length and a width; and

at least one flexible window sheet positioned between and connected to the thermoformed basin and the flexible side sheet, the at least one flexible window sheet comprising a first flexible window and a second flexible window,

wherein the at least one flexible window sheet is thermally bonded to both the thermoformed basin and the flexible side sheet,

the first flexible window projects away from one lengthwise perimeter section of the thermoformed basin and is thermally bonded thereto,

the second flexible window projects away from an opposite lengthwise perimeter section of the thermoformed basin and is thermally bonded thereto, and

the flexible side sheet is thermally bonded to the thermoformed basin, the first flexible window, and the second flexible window about a perimeter defined, collectively, by the thermoformed basin, the first flexible window, and the second flexible window.

2. The drape of claim 1 , wherein the thermoformed basin is collapsible from a height greater than 75 mm when expanded for use to a height less than 25 mm when collapsed for packaging.

3. The drape of claim 1 , wherein the thermoformed basin defines a bottom wall and a sidewall extending upwardly and outwardly from the bottom wall of the thermoformed basin such that the thermoformed basin defines an open top surface of greater cross-sectional area than a cross-sectional area of the bottom wall.

4. The drape of claim 1 , wherein the flexible side sheet extends at least 35 centimeters from the perimeter of the thermoformed basin about the entire perimeter of the thermoformed basin.

5. The drape of claim 1 , wherein the thermoformed basin is formed of a polymer having a melt temperature greater than 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. The drape claim 1 , wherein:

the thermoformed basin is fabricated from a first polymer composition,

the at least one flexible window sheet is fabricated from a second polymer composition different than the first polymer composition, and

the flexible side sheet is fabricated from a third polymer composition different than the first polymer composition and the second polymer composition.

7. The drape of claim 6 , wherein the first polymer composition, the second polymer composition, and the third polymer composition each comprise polyurethane.

8. The drape of claim 6 , wherein the second polymer composition comprises a tackifying agent and the at least one flexible window sheet exhibits a coefficient of friction according to ASTM D1894 greater than 1.

9. The drape of claim 1 , wherein the thermoformed basin has a thickness greater than a thickness of the flexible side sheet.

10. The drape of claim 1 , wherein

the thermoformed basin defines a bottom wall and a sidewall extending upwardly from the bottom wall of the thermoformed basin, the flexible side sheet being bonded to a perimeter edge of the sidewall, and

the sidewall defines a thickness that increases from the perimeter edge of the sidewall to the bottom wall.

11. The drape of claim 10 , wherein the thickness of the sidewall varies from a minimum thickness between 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm to a maximum thickness greater than or equal to 0.4 mm.

12. The drape of claim 11 , wherein the maximum thickness ranges from 0.4 mm to 0.7 mm, and the flexible side sheet has a thickness ranging from 0.025 mm to 0.15 mm.

13. The drape of claim 1 , further comprising an electronically readable tag, wherein:

the electronically readable tag is a near field communication tag, and

the near field communication tag is sandwiched between at least two sheets of material bonded together to define the at least one flexible window sheet.

Assignments (7)
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded May 28, 2026
From: MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, LP
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 075643/0462 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT DOCUMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 71677 FRAME 152. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT. Recorded Jul 23, 2025
From: MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, LP
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 072235/0868 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 20, 2025
From: MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, LP
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 071808/0640 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 20, 2025
From: MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, LP F/K/A MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 071672/0172 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 20, 2025
From: MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, LP
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 071677/0152 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 10, 2024
From: MICROTEK MEDICAL, INC.
To: MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, LP
Reel/Frame 068909/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 4, 2018
From: HENDRIX, HEIDI FRANCES; RAWLINGS, DAVID RICHARD; WILSON, MICHELLE
To: MICROTEK MEDICAL, INC.
Reel/Frame 047671/0747 →