US 2,019,201,046 · Filed 2018-12-04

Ethicon's Smart Ultrasonic Blade That Adjusts Its Own Power

Imagine a surgical tool with a vibrating blade so fast it can cut through tissue like butter. This patent covers a system that constantly measures how well the blade is working and automatically tweaks its power to stay in the sweet spot — no surgeon intervention needed.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a control method for ultrasonic surgical systems that automatically adjusts the power sent to a vibrating blade based on real-time mechanical feedback. Specifically, it protects the process of measuring a mechanical property of the system, comparing it to a stored reference value, and then using that comparison to modify the electrical power level. Any competing manufacturer building an ultrasonic surgical tool with similar self-tuning capability would need a license or face infringement.

Why it matters

Surgical tools that can self-regulate their performance are valuable because they reduce operator error and improve consistency during procedures. For Ethicon, a major surgical device maker, this kind of automation in ultrasonic cutting and coagulation tools strengthens their position against competitors by locking in a smarter, more reliable version of the technology that surgeons increasingly expect.

Real-world use

When a surgeon uses an advanced ultrasonic scalpel during minimally invasive surgery, the blade is continuously monitoring and auto-adjusting its vibration intensity to maintain optimal cutting performance without the surgeon having to manually dial anything in.

Original USPTO abstract

A method for controlling an operation of an ultrasonic blade of an ultrasonic electromechanical system is disclosed. The method includes providing an ultrasonic electromechanical system comprising an ultrasonic transducer coupled to an ultrasonic blade via an ultrasonic waveguide; applying, by an energy source, a power level to the ultrasonic transducer; determining, by a control circuit coupled to a memory, a mechanical property of the ultrasonic electromechanical system; comparing, by the control circuit, the mechanical property with a reference mechanical property stored in the memory; and adjusting, by the control circuit, the power level applied to the ultrasonic transducer based on the comparison of the mechanical property with the reference mechanical property.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,019,201,046
Filing date: 2018-12-04
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Ethicon Llc
Inventor(s): SHELTON, IV, FREDERICK E., YATES, DAVID C., HARRIS, JASON L., HOUSER, KEVIN L., STULEN, FOSTER B., BRADY, JOHN E., TREES, GREGORY A., SCOGGINS, Patrick J., JAYME, Madeleine C., DENZINGER, KRISTEN G., NOTT, Cameron R., FALLER, CRAIG N., SAWHNEY, Amrita S., ROBERSON, Eric M., LEUCK, STEPHEN M., BLACK, BRIAN D., MESSERLY, JEFFREY D., QUIGLEY, FERGUS P., WIDENHOUSE, TAMARA
CPC class: A61B17/320092

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