Flexible cutting tool and methods for its use
US6068642A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 31, 1998 |
| Grant date | May 30, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 31, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2017/320733
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A cable comprising helically wound superelastic fibers and having a drilling tip provided at its distal end is housed in an elongated holder through which the cable may be advanced, the holder having a distal end for supporting the cable during a drilling operation and through which the distal end of the cable may protrude. The holder includes contains a cable support shaped to bend the cable through a predetermined angle adjacent its distal end and to support the cable as it is rotated and advanced. A motor is attached to the cable remote from the distal end of the cable to rotate the cable in a direction tending to tighten the cable fibers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.