Fused loop of filamentous material and apparatus for making same

• US 20050216058A1
• Filed: 08/17/2004
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Howmedica Osteonics Corp. (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tornier Incorporated
• Inventors: Fenton, Paul V. Jr., Egan, Thomas D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,197,508 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/228
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0487 Suture clamps, clips or locks, e.g. for replacing suture knots; Instruments for applying or removing suture clamps, clips or locks suture anchors A61B17/0401; wound clamps or clips A61B17/08; ligaturing clamps or clips A61B17/122
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06166 Sutures suture materials A61L17/00; manufacture of artificial threads D01D; treatment of threads D06M
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00526 Methods of manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0454 the anchor being crimped or clamped on the suture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0619 thermoplastic, e.g. for bonding, welding, fusing or cutting the suture by melting it
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 17/00 Materials for surgical sutures or for ligaturing blood vessels surgical adhesives A61L24/00; surgical instruments, devices or methods for suturing or ligaturing A61B17/04, A61B17/12; supports or packages for suture materials A61B17/04; Materials for prostheses or catheters bone cements or surgical adhesives for soft body tissues A61L24/00; shape or structure of prostheses A61F2/00; shape or structure of catheters A61M5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/00 Joining or sealing of preformed parts , e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor general aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts B29C66/00; using porous material formed by internal pressure generated therein for joining preformed parts B29C44/1228, B29C44/326
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/08 using ultrasonic vibrations non-plastics element to plastics elements B29C65/645
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1122 Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/5261 for forming coaxial connections, i.e. the bars to be joined forming a zero angle relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/69 General aspects of joining filaments bundling articles B65B13/00; interconnecting successive lengths of material B65H69/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73921 characterised by the materials of both parts being thermoplastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/80 General aspects of machine operations or constructions and parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81422 being convex
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81423 being concave
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81433 being toothed, i.e. comprising several teeth or pins comprising a single tooth B29C66/81429, or being patterned
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81463 comprising a plurality of single pressing elements, e.g. a plurality of sonotrodes, or comprising a plurality of single counter-pressing elements, e.g. a plurality of anvils, said plurality of said single elements being suitable for making a single joint
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8322 Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/12 PP, i.e. polypropylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/00 : Use of polyesters or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/043 : PGA, i.e. polyglycolic acid or polyglycolide
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2077/00 : Use of PA, i.e. polyamides, e.g. polyesteramides or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2101/12 : Thermoplastic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/709 : Articles shaped in a closed loop, e.g. conveyor belts
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7096 : Rings or ring-like articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7102 : Toroidal articles tyres B29L2030/00; inner tubes B29L2023/245

Abstract

A method of forming an elastic cloth structure comprising fibers of synthetic, organic, relatively elastomeric polymer and fibers of a synthetic, organic, elongatable, but relatively nonelastic polymer. The relatively elastomeric fibers and the elongatable but relatively nonelastic fibers are forwarded for well dispersed random lay down of an unbonded web with random fiber crossings on a porous forming surface. Some of the fiber crossings are then bonded to provide a coherent bonded cloth web and the web is stretched to elongate some of the fibers in at least one direction. The web is then released so that retraction by the relatively elastomeric fibers provides looping and bunching of the elongated relatively nonelastic fibers to thereby provide a low modulus of elasticity in the direction in which the web was worked.

Claims

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36. A fused loop of an elongated material, comprising:

one or more segments of said material extending along a principal axis, portions of said segments being joined together to form a loop at a joint region extending between first and second ends and including;

i. a first portion of elongated material extending from said first end,

ii. a second portion of elongated material extending from said second end, and

iii. a fused portion between said first and second portions, said fused portion comprising a relatively thin layer of fused material from the first and second portions,

wherein the elongated material in said first and second portions of the joint region is characterized by a high degree of molecular orientation in the direction of the principal axis of the material and high strength in the direction of the principal axis relative to the degree of molecular orientation and strength in other than the direction of the principal axis, and the fused material in the fused portion of the joint region is characterized by a low degree of molecular orientation in the direction of the principal axis of the material relative to the degree of molecular orientation in other than the direction of the principal axis, and the first and second portions at the first and second ends of the joint region outside of the fused portion have cross-sectional areas which are greater than the cross-sectional areas of the first and second portions of the joint region which abut the fused portion.

37. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 36, wherein the cross-sectional area of the first and second portions at the first and second ends of the joint region and outside of the fused portion is approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of a segment of the elongated material outside of the joint region.

38. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 37, wherein the cross-sectional areas of said first and second portions of the joint region abutting the fused portion are a minimum at approximately the middle of the fused portion.

39. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 38, wherein the cross-sectional areas of said first and second portions at approximately the middle of the fused portion are approximately half the cross-sectional areas of the first and second portions at the first and second ends of the joint region and outside of the fused portion.

40. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 39, wherein a change in the cross-sectional areas of the first and second portions per unit length of the first and second portions in the direction of the principal axis of the elongated material is substantially constant over the length of the fused portion.

41. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 40, wherein said elongated material comprises a substantially monofilamentous material.

42. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 41, wherein said monofilamentous material is a polymeric material.

43. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 42, wherein said monofilamentous material is a thermoplastic material.

44. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 43, wherein said monofilamentous material comprises a surgical suture material.

45. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 40, wherein said segments of said material are joined together in a lap weld at said joint region.

46. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 45, wherein said weld is effected using ultrasonic energy.

47. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 45, wherein said weld is effected using laser energy.

48. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 45, wherein said weld is effected using electrical arc discharge energy.

49. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 45, wherein said weld is effected using thermal energy.

50. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 40, wherein said loop is defined by joining similarly directed portions of a single segment of said material.

51. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 40, wherein said loop is defined by joining similarly directed portions of a plurality of segments of said material.

52. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 40, wherein upon application of a tensile force to said joint region in the direction of the principal axis of the material so that the first and second portions of said joint region are loaded substantially in tension and the fused portion of said joint region is loaded substantially in shear, the following equation is substantially satisfied:

A_wτ

_fw≧

A_uσ

_fu,

wherein A_w is the shear area of the fused portion, τ

_fw is the shear stress to failure of the fused portion, A_u is the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the first and second portions of the joint region near the first and second ends of the joint region and outside of the fused portion, and σ

_fu is the tensile stress to failure of the first and second portions of the joint region near the first and second ends of the joint region and outside of the fused portion.

53. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 41, wherein said segment of said elongated material comprises a single strand of said substantially monofilamentous material.

54. A fused loop of an elongated material according to claim 41, wherein said segment of said elongated material comprises a plurality of strands of said substantially monofilamentous material.