Adjustable bone bracket

• US 20060058819A1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otologics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Otologics, LLC
• Inventors: Kasic, James Frank II, Simms, William J., Tompkins, Dana Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,326,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/151
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8061 specially adapted for particular bones A61B17/70 and A61B17/74 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8085 with pliable or malleable elements or having a mesh-like structure, e.g. small strips A61B17/8071, A61B17/8076 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/86 Pins or screws or threaded wires; nuts therefor A61B17/72 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/00 Methods or devices for treatment of the ears or hearing sense implantable prostheses that substitute or replace internal ear parts, e.g. ear-drums, A61F2/18; methods or devices to cause a change in the state of auditory consciousness A61M21/00; electrotherapy applying electrical stimulation of the auditory system, or circuits therefor A61N1/36; radiotherapy using optical stimulation of the auditory system A61N5/06; electro-acoustic hearing aids H04R25/00; Non-electric hearing aids; Methods or devices for enabling ear patients to achieve auditory perception through physiological senses other than hearing sense; Protective devices for the ears, carried on the body or in the hand headwear, e.g. caps or helmets, with means for protecting the ears A42B1/0188, A42B3/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2875 Skull or cranium A61F2/2803 and A61F2/3099 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30578 having apertures, e.g. for receiving fixation screws
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window

Abstract

An improved apparatus and method is provided for supportably mounting an implantable hearing aid device to a patient'"'"'s skull. The apparatus includes a support member adapted for supporting a hearing aid device and a plurality of mounting legs extending laterally from the support member in differing directions. The apparatus further includes a mechanism for use in conforming the mounting legs to the topology of a patient'"'"'s skull. In one arrangement, the mechanism includes a plurality of guide legs having a reduced yield strength in comparison to the mounting legs. The reduced yield strength guide legs may be more readily conformed to the topology of the patient'"'"'s skull to provide a mounting leg profile. Accordingly, the mounting legs may be deformed to match the profile of the guide legs such that a conformal fit between the apparatus and the patient'"'"'s skull may be achieved.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supportably mounting an implantable device to a patient'"'"'s bone, comprising:

a support member adapted to support an implantable device relative to an attachment surface of a bone;

a mounting leg interconnected to and extending laterally away from the support member, the mounting leg including at least one mounting aperture for selectively receiving a bone attachment device therethrough; and

a guide leg interconnected to and extending laterally away from the support member, the guide leg having a minimum yield strength along it length that is less than a minimum yield strength along the length of the mounting leg.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of mounting legs; and

a corresponding plurality of guide legs.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of mounting legs radiate from the support member in a corresponding plurality of different directions.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of guide legs radiate from the support member in the corresponding plurality of different directions.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guide leg has an average cross-sectional size that is less than an average cross-sectional size of the mounting leg.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the average cross-sectional size of the mounting leg is between 1.5 and 10 times the average cross-sectional size of the guide leg.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guide leg is made of a first material and the mounting leg is made of a different second material.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first material has a greater ductility than the second material.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting leg includes a plurality of mounting apertures for selectively receiving a bone attachment device therethrough.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting leg further includes:

a flexible portion disposed between the mounting aperture and the support member, the flexible portion having a yield strength that is less than a yield strength of another portion of the mounting leg.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the flexible portion comprises at least one of:

a hinge member;

an area having a reduced cross-sectional area in relation to an average cross-sectional area of the mounting leg;

an area having a reduced bending moment in relation to an average bending moment of the mounting leg;

an area having an increased ductility in relation to the average ductility of the mounting leg.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the hinge member further includes:

a stop for selectively limiting movement of the hinge member.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

an adjustor disposable between the mounting aperture and the flexible portion, the adjustor being operative to apply a force between the mounting leg and the attachment surface.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the adjustor comprises at least one of:

a screw; and

a wedge.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting leg and the guide leg are integrally formed with the support member.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guide leg is removeably attached to the support member.

17. A method for use of a mounting apparatus for supportably mounting an implantable hearing aid device to a patient'"'"'s skull, the mounting apparatus including a support member, a plurality of mounting legs and a corresponding plurality of guide legs, the mounting and guide legs being interconnected to and extending laterally from the support member, the method comprising:

positioning the support member of the mounting apparatus relative to an attachment surface;

conforming at least one guide leg relative to the attachment surface;

removing the mounting apparatus from the attachment surface; and

deforming at least one mounting leg to substantially match a contour defined by a guide leg corresponding to the at least one mounting leg.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

repositioning the support member relative to the attachment surface; and

interconnecting at least one mounting leg to the attachment surface.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

interconnecting a first attachment device to the attachment surface through an aperture provided in the at least one mounting leg.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

after deforming the at least one mounting leg, removing the guide leg corresponding to the mounting leg from the support member.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

adjusting an adjustor on at least one of the plurality of mounting leg to selectively position the support member relative to the attachment surface.

22. An apparatus for supportably mounting an implantable hearing aid device to a patient'"'"'s skull, comprising:

a support member sized for placement through and adapted to support an implantable device within a patient'"'"'s skull;

a plurality of mounting legs interconnected to and extending laterally away from the support member, each of the plurality of mounting legs including;

at least one mounting aperture for selectively receiving an attachment device therethrough; and

a flexible portion disposed between the mounting aperture and the support member, the flexible portion having a bending moment that is less than a bending moment of an adjacent portion of the mounting leg.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the flexible portion of each of the plurality of mounting legs includes at least one of:

a hinge member;

an area having a reduced cross-sectional area in relation to a cross-sectional area of the adjacent portion of the mounting leg;

an area having a reduced moment of inertia in relation to a moment of inertia of the adjacent portion of the mounting leg an area having an increased ductility in relation to the ductility of the of the adjacent portion mounting leg.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the hinge member further includes:

a stop for selectively limiting movement of the hinge member.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of mounting legs further comprise:

an adjustor disposable between the mounting aperture and the flexible portion of the mounting leg, the adjustor being operative to apply a force between the mounting leg and an attachment surface.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the adjustor comprises at least one of:

a screw; and

a wedge.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

a plurality of guide legs interconnected to and extending laterally away from the support member, each of the guide legs having an average stiffness that is less than an average stiffness of each of the mounting legs.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the plurality of mounting legs and the plurality of guide legs are equal in number.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein each of the plurality of guide legs have an average cross-sectional size that is less than an average cross-sectional size of the plurality of mounting legs.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein at least one of the plurality of mounting legs and one of the plurality of guide legs are integrally formed with the support member.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the plurality of guide legs are removably attached to the support member.