Dilation apparatus with malleable feature and apparatus to bend malleable feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10507310-B2
Application number	US-201615335806-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2016
Priority date	Oct 27, 2016
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus includes a guide member configured with stress limiting features which function to prevent the stress from bending the guide member causing ovalization of the guide member. An apparatus for bending a guide member includes a ram die and a pressure die which are configured to fully encircle the portion of the guide member during the bending operation. A fixture for supporting a guide member during bending is configured to fully encircle sections of the guide member during bending.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
(a) a ram die including a bend channel, wherein the bend channel defines a first surface shaped to engage a portion of a guide member of an instrument configured to access a paranasal sinus, the portion having a cross-sectional shape, wherein the bend channel defines a bend shape; and
(b) a pressure die including a pressure channel, wherein the pressure channel defines a second surface shaped to engage the portion of the guide member;
wherein the ram die and the pressure die are configured to be moved toward and urged against each other in a press direction during a bending operation, wherein the first surface of the ram die and the second surface of the pressure die are configured to cooperate together to maintain the cross-sectional shape during the bending operation; and
wherein the pressure die includes an elastically deformable material configured to deform when the ram die advances into the pressure die during the bending operation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional shape is an internal cross-sectional shape.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ram die and the pressure die are configured to cooperate together during the bending operation to create first and second lines of tangency, and wherein the first and second lines of tangency which are coincidental with the guide member.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first line of tangency extends from a first tangent point located on the bend channel on a first side of an apex of the ram die and the second line of tangency extends from a second tangent point located on the bend channel on a second side of the apex, the second side being opposite of the first side.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the bend channel and the pressure channel encircle the guide member portion which is disposed between the first and second tangent points.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the ram die and the pressure die are configured such that first tangent point and the second tangent point move away from each other around the bend shape as deformation of the pressure die increases the ram die advances into the deforming pressure die and the bending operation progresses.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pressure die is configured to conform to the bend shape when the ram die advances into the pressure die.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bend channel defines a cross-sectional profile shaped complementarily to the cross-sectional shape.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the pressure channel defines a cross-sectional profile shaped complementarily to the cross-sectional shape, and wherein the bend channel cross-sectional profile and the pressure channel cross-sectional profile cooperate to encircle sections of the guide member while the sections are undergoing bending and to exert a force on the sections sufficient to maintain the cross sectional shape of such sections.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bend channel defines a cross-sectional profile and the pressure channel defines a cross-sectional profile which cooperate to encircle the portion of the guide member.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the cross-sectional shape is circular, wherein the bend channel cross-sectional profile is a half circle, and wherein the pressure channel cross-sectional profile is a half circle.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pressure channel extends in a longitudinal direction when the pressure die is in an unloaded state, and wherein the longitudinal direction is transverse to the press direction.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the pressure channel is sufficiently stiff in radial directions relative to the longitudinal direction to provide support to the cross-sectional shape sufficient to maintain the cross-sectional shape during the bending operation.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a pliers, wherein the pliers includes a first jaw and a second jaw which are movable toward each other, wherein the ram die is mounted to the first jaw and the pressure die is mounted to the second jaw.

15. An apparatus, comprising:
(a) a ram die including a bend channel, wherein the bend channel defines a first surface shaped to engage a portion of a guide member of an instrument configured to access a paranasal sinus, the portion having a cross-sectional shape, wherein the bend channel defines a bend shape; and
(b) a pressure die including a pressure channel, wherein the pressure channel defines a second surface shaped to engage the portion of the guide member;
wherein the ram die and the pressure die are configured to be moved toward and urged against each other in a press direction during a bending operation, wherein the pressure die is configured to deform to thereby conform to the bend shape when the ram die advances toward and applies pressure to the pressure die.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the pressure channel extends in a longitudinal direction when the pressure die is in an unloaded state, wherein the longitudinal direction is transverse to the press direction, and wherein the pressure channel is sufficiently stiff in radial directions relative to the longitudinal direction to provide support to the cross-sectional shape sufficient to maintain the cross-sectional shape during the bending operation.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the bend channel comprises a cross-sectional profile and the pressure channel comprises a cross-sectional profile which cooperate to encircle the portion of the guide member.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the ram die and the pressure die are complementarily shaped to cooperate together during the bending operation to create a first line of tangency extending from a first tangent point located on the bend channel on a first side of an apex of the ram die and to create a second line of tangency extending from a second tangent point located on the bend channel on a second opposite side of the apex, and wherein the bend channel and the pressure channel encircle the guide member portion which is disposed between the first and second tangent points.

19. An apparatus comprising:
(a) a ram die including a bend channel, wherein the bend channel defines a first surface shaped to engage a portion of a guide member of an instrument configured to access a paranasal sinus, the portion having a cross-sectional shape, wherein the bend channel defines a bend shape, wherein the first surface defines a cross-sectional profile shaped complementarily to the cross-sectional shape; and
(b) a pressure die comprising a pressure channel, wherein the pressure channel extends linearly in a longitudinal direction when unloaded, wherein the pressure die defines a second surface shaped to engage the portion of the guide member, wherein the second surface defines a cross-sectional profile shaped complementarily to the cross-sectional shape; and
wherein the ram die and the pressure die are configured to be moved relative to each other in a press direction during a bending operation, wherein the bend channel cross-sectional profile and the pressure channel cross-sectional profile cooperate together to fully encircle the portion of the guide member at two spaced apart points of tangency and all points therebetween during the bending operation; and
wherein the pressure die includes an elastically deformable material configured to deform when the ram die and the pressure die move relative to each other during the bending operation.

20. The appara

Assignees

• Acclarent Inc

Inventors

• Matlock George L
• Phillips Jason R

Classifications

• B21D7/063

  Pliers with forming dies · CPC title

• A61M25/0136

  Handles therefor · CPC title

• A61M2210/0681

  Sinus (maxillaris) · CPC title

• A61M29/02 Primary

  Dilators made of swellable material {(balloon catheters for angioplasty A61M25/104)} · CPC title

• A61B2017/00946

  malleable · CPC title