Mass production of orthopedic implants

US8849439B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Zimmer, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Adam H. Sanford · Los Angeles, US
• Dean M. Acker · Naples, US
• Jeffrey D. Brown · Palo Alto, US
• Brian D. Earl · South Bend, US
• John E. Pendleton · Dunwoody, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 2, 2009
• Grant date: Sep 30, 2014
• Expiry date: Oct 15, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T29/49
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A plurality of individual medical devices is created that define a medical device family. Within the family of medical devices, each of the plurality of medical devices has at least one dimension that, within an acceptable tolerance, is substantially equal to the same dimension of another of the plurality of medical devices. Thus, for each medical device in the family, another, corresponding medical device has at least one substantially similar dimension. For example, a first medical device may have a first value for a dimension and a second medical device may have a second value for the same dimension that is equal to one of the sum of the second dimension and the acceptable tolerance or the difference between the second dimension and the acceptable tolerance. Thus, each of the plurality of medical devices varies from another of the plurality of medical devices by the acceptable tolerance.