FOLLICULAR DISSECTION DEVICE AND METHOD

• US 20100125287A1
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cole Isolation Technique, Llc
• Original Assignee: Cole Isolation Technique, Llc
• Inventors: Paulk, Howard L., Cole, John P., Gutema, Tesfaye H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,421,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/133
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32002 with continuously rotating, oscillating or reciprocating cutting instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32053 Punch like cutting instruments, e.g. using a cylindrical or oval knife A61B17/326 takes precedence; trepans A61B17/1695; for use on the cornea A61F9/007
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/322 Skin grafting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00137 Details of operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00398 using powered actuators, e.g. stepper motors, solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00752 Hair removal or transplantation

Abstract

Subject matter disclosed herein relates to surgical instruments and methods for extracting hair follicles.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a follicular extraction punch; and

one or more drivers to affect movement of said punch in a compound motion responsive to one or more control signals applied to said one or more drivers, wherein said one or more drivers are operable to produce at least one punch advance motion as part of said compound motion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more drivers comprises one or more motors or actuators capable of producing at least a part of said compound motion.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said one or more motors or actuators comprises at least one of the following:

a direct current (DC) motor;

a servo motor;

a stepper motor;

a solenoid actuator;

a voice coil actuator;

a pneumatic actuator;

a piezoelectric actuator; and

/or combinations thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller communicatively coupled to said one or more drivers;

wherein said controller is capable of controlling one or more movements of said punch based at least in part on one or more motion profiles.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said controller is capable of accessing one or more movement parameters associated with said one or more motion profiles and is further capable of processing at least one of said one or more movement parameters to produce said one or more control signals.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said one or more control signals comprise analog signal values and/or binary digital values relating to one or more speed, angle, and/or distance values associated with said one or more movement parameters.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said controller is capable of applying said one or more control signals to at least one of said one or more drives to affect movement of said punch in a compound motion, at least in part.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said controller comprises one or more control switches capable of adjusting one or more movement parameters associated with said one or more motion profiles.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said controller comprises a display to show information about one or more movement parameters and/or a number of follicular extractions performed.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said controller is coupled to receive one or more feedback signals associated with said one or more movements of said punch and/or one or more follicular extractions.

11. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said controller comprises an input device to receive a user selection of a motion profile and/or receive a user selection of one or more movement parameters.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said compound motion comprises one or more cutting motions used in conjunction with one or more punch advance motions.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a fluid line to transmit fluids via suction or irrigation associated with one or more follicular extractions.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a cooling line to transmit coolant to a follicular dissection site associated with one or more follicular extractions.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an aspiration line to aspirate one or more follicular extractions performed by said punch.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said punch comprises a component of a driven assembly;

wherein said driven assembly and said one or more drivers are removably attached to one another.

17. A method, comprising:

applying a punch portion of a follicular dissection device to a scalp; and

providing power to one or more drives of said follicular dissection device so that a punch advance motion is applied to said punch, wherein said punch advance motion comprises a part of a compound motion, said compound motion being defined based, at least in part, on one or more control signals associated with one or more movement parameters.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

driving said punch portion associated with said follicular dissection device based at least in part on one or more motion profiles;

wherein a particular motion profile of said one or more motion profiles comprises at least one of said one or more movement parameters.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said one or more movement parameters comprises speed and/or angle information regarding an extension motion, a retraction motion, a reciprocating motion, a rotating motion and/or a oscillation motion, at least in part.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

processing said one or more movement parameters to produce at least one of said one or more control signals;

wherein said one or more control signals comprise analog signal values and/or binary digital values relating to one or more speed, angle, and/or distance values associated with said one or more movement parameters.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

applying said one or more control signals to at least one of said one or more drives of said follicular dissection device so that a punch advance motion is applied to said punch.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of said one or more motion profiles and/or a user selection of one or more movement parameters via a computing platform and/or a controller.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

a follicular extraction punch;

one or more drivers to move said punch to perform follicular extraction; and

,

a controller communicatively coupled to said one or more drivers to control one or more movements of said punch based at least in part on one or more time-varying motion profiles.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein a particular time-varying motion profile of said one or more time-varying motion profiles comprises one or more movement parameters, wherein at least one of said one or more movement parameters vary as a function of time.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said one or more movement parameters comprises speed information, angle information, and/or distance information relating to one or more cutting motions and/or one or more punch advance motions.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said one or more movement parameters vary as a function of time comprises at least one movement parameters having a variable speed, angle, and/or or distance for at least a portion of an operation cycle.

27. A method, comprising:

applying a punch portion of a follicular dissection device to a scalp; and

providing power to one or more drivers of said follicular dissection device to enable movement of said punch at least in part in accordance with one or more time-varying motion profiles.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

processing said one or more speed, angle, and/or distance values associated with one or more movement parameters of a time-varying motion profile to produce one or more control values operable to control said one or more drivers to enable movement of said punch.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

applying at least one of said one or more control values to at least one of said one or more drivers to enable movement of said punch in accordance with at least one movement parameter of said time-varying motion profile.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

selecting at least one of said time-varying motion profiles.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

adjusting one or more movement parameters associated with at least of one said time-varying motion profiles.

32. An apparatus, comprising:

a follicular extraction punch;

one or more drivers to enable movement of said punch in an axial direction, at least in part, wherein said axial direction comprises one or more movements of said punch capable of at least in part producing a force substantially perpendicular to a scalp if said punch were positioned substantially perpendicular to said scalp.

33. An apparatus of claims 32, wherein said movement of said punch in an axial direction comprises one or more extension and/or retraction movements associated, at least in part, with one or more axial cutting motions and/or one or more punch advance motions.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said one or more axial cutting motions comprises one or more reciprocating motions and/or one or more vibrating motions.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said one or more punch advance motions comprise one or more extension and/or retractions motions superimposed over said one or more axial cutting motions.