Granted Patent B2

US 12,251,889 · App. 18/464,363 · Granted Mar 18, 2025

Inventors: Ali R. Mehrabi (Glendale, CA); Reza Mehrabi (Glendale, CA); Rishikesh K. Bharadwaj (Glendale, CA); Eugene Rozenbaoum (Glendale, CA); Frank Chica (Glendale, CA)

Assignee: Globus Medical Inc.

B29C67/202B05C19/00B05D1/10B05D1/12B29C39/14B29C43/22B29C43/228B29C43/28B29C67/08C08J9/26B29C2043/3494B29K2105/04C08J2201/0444Y10T428/139Y10T428/2975Y10T428/2982

Abstract

Claims (25)

1. A method comprising:

vibrating a mesh frame, via a spring apparatus, to form a packed region within a soluble material passing through the mesh frame, the packed region having a plurality of voids, wherein dimensions of a spacer between the mesh frame and the soluble material corresponds to a desired thickness of particulates within the soluble material, wherein the spring apparatus includes a support bar and a plurality of springs, the plurality of springs being configured to vibrate the mesh frame;

converting a polymeric film or polymeric particulates into a flowable polymeric material;

contacting the flowable polymeric material with at least a portion of the packed region of the soluble material such that at least a portion of the flowable polymeric material is disposed in at least a portion of the plurality of voids of the packed region;

solidifying a portion of the flowable polymeric material to thereby form a composite material; and

converting the composite material into a porous article.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric particulates are in a fibrous form, a tubular form, or a spherical form.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein converting the polymeric film into the flowable polymeric material includes:

contacting the polymeric film with a layer of the soluble material in particulate form; and

heating the polymeric film to a temperature sufficient to transform the polymeric film into the flowable polymeric material.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising die-cutting the polymeric film before contacting the polymeric film with the layer of the soluble material in particulate form.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising die-cutting the polymeric film before heating the polymeric film.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein converting the polymeric particulates into the flowable polymeric material includes:

mixing the polymeric particulates with the soluble material in a particulate form; and

heating the polymeric particulates to a temperature sufficient to transform the polymeric particulates into a flowable polymeric material.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein converting the polymeric particulates into the flowable polymeric material includes:

contacting the polymeric particulates with the soluble material, the soluble material being in particulate form;

and heating the polymeric particulates to a temperature sufficient to transform the polymeric particulates to a flowable polymeric material.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the soluble particulate material are in a fibrous form, a tubular form, or a spherical form.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein converting the composite material into the porous article includes removing at least a portion of the soluble material from the composite material to form the porous article.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting includes injecting at least one polymeric material in flowable form into the packed region of particulate material.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the injecting includes:

a first injection of a first polymeric material; and

a second injection of a second polymeric material, the second injection performed after the first injection.

12. The porous article produced by the method of claim 1 .

Assignments (3)

Continuity (4)

References Cited (275)