Computer-assisted cranioplasty

US12268607B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-12268607-B2
Application numberUS-202117511987-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateOct 27, 2021
Priority dateFeb 18, 2015
Publication dateApr 8, 2025
Grant dateApr 8, 2025

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

Provided is a surgical method. The method includes detecting a location of a reference unit having a trackable element with a detector, the detector configured to provide at least one signal corresponding to a detected location of at least the reference unit's trackable element; accessing a computer-readable reconstruction of the being's anatomy; accessing a computer-readable reconstruction of an implant; detecting a location of a pointer tool comprising a trackable element with the detector, where the pointer tool is associated with a location of an anatomical feature of interest; accessing at least one computer-readable reconstruction of a trace, the trace corresponding to a geometry of the anatomical feature of interest; and superimposing the at least one updatable, computer-readable trace on the second computer-readable reconstruction of the implant.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. A method of sizing a surgical implant to an anatomical feature characterized in part by a missing or malformed portion in a cranioplasty, the method comprising: generating at least one computer-readable reconstruction of the anatomical feature with a source, wherein the at least one computer-readable reconstruction of the anatomical feature includes position information corresponding to an orientation of the source, wherein the being's anatomy comprises a skull; accessing the at least one computer-readable reconstruction of the being's anatomy and position information; displaying an image based on the at least one computer-readable reconstruction of the anatomical feature and the position information; and projecting the image onto a surface of the surgical implant, wherein a surgeon traces the image with a sterile marking pen directly onto the surface of the surgical implant to outline projected points of the anatomical feature in the image onto corresponding physical locations on the surface of the surgical implant, and wherein the projecting is performed using a projector device. 2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer-readable reconstruction of the being's anatomy comprises a plurality of digital images, wherein at least one of the plurality of digital images is associated with the position information. 3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising stitching the plurality of digital images together to form the computer-readable reconstruction of the being's anatomy. 4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source that generates the at least one computer-readable reconstruction of the being's anatomy is a camera. 5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the camera is a Red Green Blue (RGB) camera. 6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source that generates the at least one computer-readable reconstruction of the being's anatomy is a depth sensor. 7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source that generates the at least one computer-readable reconstruction of the being's anatomy is a combination of a depth sensor and a camera. 8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source that generates the at least one computer-readable reconstruction of the being's anatomy is a laser scanning device.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • infrared · CPC title

  • Details of tracking cameras · CPC title

  • Modelling the effect of the tool, e.g. the effect of an implanted prosthesis or for predicting the effect of ablation or burring · CPC title

  • Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations · CPC title

  • Designing or manufacturing processes · CPC title

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US12268607B2 cover?
Provided is a surgical method. The method includes detecting a location of a reference unit having a trackable element with a detector, the detector configured to provide at least one signal corresponding to a detected location of at least the reference unit's trackable element; accessing a computer-readable reconstruction of the being's anatomy; accessing a computer-readable reconstruction of …
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Univ Johns Hopkins
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification A61F2/30942. Mapped technology areas include Human Necessities.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Apr 08 2025 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 8 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).