Granted Patent B2

US 12,678,155 · App. 18/828,692 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Inventors: Richard Keith Taylor (Fall City, WA); Amanda Kay Woodcock (Seattle, WA); Adam David Hensel (Gahanna, OH)

Assignee: Cypris Medical, Inc.

A61B17/0485A61B17/06066A61B2017/00349A61B17/0469A61B17/06166

Abstract

Claims (47)

1 . An apparatus, comprising:

a suturing probe including a recessed external surface delimiting an open area;

a thread capture chamber opening into said open area;

a substrate capture chamber, said substrate capture chamber opens into said open area,

said recessed external surface of said suturing probe delimiting an entry into said substrate capture chamber,

said entry into said substrate capture chamber open to said suturing probe recessed external surface delimiting said open area;

said entry into said substrate capture chamber circumscribing an area less than an area circumscribed by said recessed external surface delimiting said open area,

said entry into said substrate capture chamber forming a substrate capture chamber port; and

a thread carrier slidingly engaged to said suturing probe, said thread carrier passes outside said substrate capture chamber into said thread capture chamber.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said thread carrier passing within said recessed external surface delimiting an open area and outside of said substrate capture chamber port.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a thread carrier aperture element disposed proximate a thread carrier terminal end, said thread carrier aperture element defining a thread carrier aperture communicating between opposed aperture openings on a thread carrier external surface.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising a thread slot formed by a suturing probe external surface, said thread carrier aperture alignable with said thread slot to pass a thread through said thread carrier aperture.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said substrate capture chamber includes a substrate capture chamber sidewall which couples to a substrate capture chamber bottom a distance from said chamber port.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a substrate capture chamber insert removably coupled inside of said substrate capture chamber, said substrate capture chamber insert having substrate capture chamber insert bottom disposable at a depth less than the distance between said chamber bottom and said chamber port.

7 . An apparatus, comprising:

a suturing probe including a thread capture chamber disposed adjacent a substrate capture chamber, said substrate capture chamber having a chamber open to a recessed external surface;

a thread carrier slidingly engaged to said suturing probe, said thread carrier passes outside said substrate capture chamber into said thread capture chamber;

a substrate capture chamber insert removably coupled inside of said substrate capture chamber,

said substrate capture chamber insert having a substrate capture chamber insert bottom removably disposed in said substrate capture; and

said substrate capture chamber insert defines a substrate capture chamber insert entry,

said substrate capture chamber insert alters a substrate capture chamber volume of said substrate capture chamber to correspondingly alter a substrate capture volume of a substrate captured in said substrate capture chamber insert.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein said thread carrier includes a notch disposed in said thread carrier external surface, said notch defining a notch passage between notch passage first and second ends open on said thread carrier external surface, said notch disposed angularly across a longitudinal axis of said thread carrier to dispose said notch passage first end proximate said thread carrier terminal end and to dispose said notch passage second end distal said thread carrier terminal end.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a thread capture assembly disposed within said thread capture chamber, said thread capture assembly including at least one resiliently flexible hook member terminating in a hook, said hook disposed in said thread capture chamber engages said thread carrier flexing said at least one resiliently flexible hook member, said hook aligned with said notch second end moves into said notch passage, said hook disengaging said thread carrier by egress from said notch first end.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said hook disengaging said thread carrier by egress from said notch first end captures said thread to retain a thread loop.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein said thread capture assembly includes a pair of resiliently flexible hook members correspondingly terminating in one of a pair of hooks, said pair of hooks disposed in said thread capture chamber to engage said thread carrier flexing said pair of resiliently flexible hook members, wherein one of said pair of hooks aligned with said notch second end moves into said notch passage, said hook disengaging said thread carrier by egress from said notch first end.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a tubular member having a length disposed between a tubular member first end and a tubular member second end, said tubular member first end coupled to said suturing probe, said tubular member second end coupled to a handle.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a thread catch disposed on said handle adjacent said tubular member, said thread catch configured to releasably retain said thread.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a thread carrier driver coupled to said thread carrier opposite said thread carrier terminal end, said thread carrier responsive to said thread carrier driver to pass outside of said substrate capture chamber into said thread capture chamber.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising a thread carrier driver actuator extending through a drive member actuator slot in said handle to provide a pressible drive member actuator button.

16 . A method of making a suturing probe comprising:

recessing an external surface of said suturing probe to form a recessed external surface;

delimiting an open area with said recessed external surface of said suturing probe;

opening into said open area a thread capture chamber;

opening into said open area a substrate capture chamber;

delimiting an entry with said recessed external surface of said suturing probe into said substrate capture chamber

circumscribing a first area with said recessed external surface of said suturing probe forming said entry into said substrate capture chamber;

circumscribing a second area with an entry peripheral margin, said first circumscribed area less than said second circumscribed area; and

slidingly engaging a thread carrier to said suturing probe, said thread carrier engaged to pass outside said substrate capture chamber into said thread capture chamber.

17 . The method of making the suturing probe of claim 16 , further comprising:

engaging said thread carrier to pass within said open area delimited by said recessed external surface of said suturing probe.

18 . The method of making the suturing probe of claim 17 , further comprising:

disposing a thread carrier aperture element proximate a thread carrier terminal end; and

defining with said thread carrier aperture element a thread carrier aperture communicating between opposed aperture openings on a thread carrier external surface.

19 . The method of making the suturing probe of claim 18 , further comprising:

disposing a thread slot in a suturing probe external surface; and

aligning said thread carrier aperture with said thread slot to pass a thread through said thread carrier aperture.

20 . The method of making the suturing probe of claim 16 , further comprising removably coupling a substrate capture chamber insert in said substrate capture chamber.

Continuity (4)

References Cited (186)