Hair implantation device
First Claim
1. An instrument for implanting hair grafts into a patient'"'"'s scalp, said instrument comprising:
- a housing having an implanting end and adapted to be manipulated by a surgeon during implantation of hair grafts, said housing having a bore extending at least part way thereinto from the implanting end;
a cutting device at the implanting end of said housing for making an incision into the patient'"'"'s scalp, into which a hair graft is to be implanted;
a feeding station adjacent the bore and spaced away from the implanting end of said housing, the feeding station including a receiving assembly to receive a cartridge which stores plural hair grafts; and
an implanting member slidably movable in the bore between at least said feeding station and the implanting end, said implanting member being constructed (1) to receive a hair graft at the feeding station, and (2) to slide the hair graft down said cutting device into the incision made in the patient'"'"'s scalp by said cutting device, said implanting member including a forwardly extending finger that laterally cushions said hair graft during implantation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for transplanting hair grafts from a donor region of a patient'"'"'s scalp to a recipient region of the patient'"'"'s scalp. The system includes harvesting N (N≧21) strips of skin containing living hair follicles from the donor region of the patient'"'"'s scalp, the N strips of skin being harvested simultaneously, and cutting the N strips of skin into hair grafts, the N strips of skin being cut simultaneously. The system also includes loading the hair grafts sequentially, bottom down, into a removable cartridge connected to an instrument for implanting the hair grafts into the recipient region of the patient'"'"'s scalp, the hair grafts being loaded so as to create an air seal between the hair grafts and the cartridge, and implanting the hair grafts. The implanting includes implanting the hair grafts into the recipient region of the patient'"'"'s scalp, one at a time, using the instrument, by (1) feeding a hair graft to a predetermined feed position in the instrument via air suction created by an air seal between the hair graft and the cartridge, (2) making an incision at a point in the recipient region of the patient'"'"'s scalp at which the hair graft is to be implanted using a cutting device on the instrument, and (3) sliding the hair graft into the incision using an implanting member in the instrument.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An instrument for implanting hair grafts into a patient'"'"'s scalp, said instrument comprising:
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a housing having an implanting end and adapted to be manipulated by a surgeon during implantation of hair grafts, said housing having a bore extending at least part way thereinto from the implanting end; a cutting device at the implanting end of said housing for making an incision into the patient'"'"'s scalp, into which a hair graft is to be implanted; a feeding station adjacent the bore and spaced away from the implanting end of said housing, the feeding station including a receiving assembly to receive a cartridge which stores plural hair grafts; and an implanting member slidably movable in the bore between at least said feeding station and the implanting end, said implanting member being constructed (1) to receive a hair graft at the feeding station, and (2) to slide the hair graft down said cutting device into the incision made in the patient'"'"'s scalp by said cutting device, said implanting member including a forwardly extending finger that laterally cushions said hair graft during implantation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification