Assembly for positioning a sterile surgical drape relative to optical position sensors

US12376931B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-12376931-B2
Application numberUS-202117363951-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateJun 30, 2021
Priority dateMar 15, 2013
Publication dateAug 5, 2025
Grant dateAug 5, 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.

A camera and drape assembly for use with one or more tracking elements of a surgical system. The assembly includes a camera unit including a casing and a plurality of optical sensors supported by the casing for detecting the one or more tracking elements. The casing includes a base and a post extending from the base. The assembly also includes a drape having a flexible section for draping over the post of the casing to cover the casing and the optical sensors. The assembly also includes a collar to fit over the post to trap the flexible section of the drape between the collar and the post.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. A camera and drape assembly for use with one or more tracking elements of a surgical system, the assembly comprising: a camera unit including a casing and a plurality of optical sensors supported by the casing for detecting the one or more tracking elements, the casing including a base surface and a post extending from the base surface of the casing, wherein the post supports the plurality of optical sensors; a drape having a flexible section being configured for draping over the post of the casing to cover the casing and the optical sensors; and a rigid collar configured to fit over the post to trap the flexible section of the drape between the rigid collar and the post. 2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the post has a height defined between the base surface and a top of the post and wherein the rigid collar has a height that substantially corresponds to the height of the post. 3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar pinches the drape between the rigid collar and the post. 4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar is separate from and movable relative to the drape. 5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar has rounded edges to prevent tearing of the drape. 6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the post defines an outer diameter and the rigid collar defines an inner diameter configured to receive the outer diameter of the post. 7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar is configured to be pressed toward the base surface of the casing to stretch the drape across the optical sensors. 8. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar is configured to be retained to the post by a friction fit and by the rigid collar resting on the base surface. 9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the drape is formed of a flexible, transparent film. 10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the drape includes sections of different transparency and thickness in an area that covers the camera unit. 11. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the drape comprises a plurality of sections having a plurality of transparencies different from one another, and the plurality of sections cover the camera unit. 12. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the rigid collar and the post comprise an engagement feature to retain the rigid collar to the post. 13. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid collar comprises a snap-lock engagement feature configured to provide acoustic feedback when the rigid collar is engaged to the post. 14. A method of using a camera and drape assembly of a surgical system, the assembly comprising a drape having a flexible section, a camera unit including a casing and a plurality of optical sensors supported by the casing, the casing including a base surface and a post that extends from the base surface of the casing, wherein the post supports the plurality of optical sensors, and a rigid collar configured to fit over the post, the method comprising: positioning the flexible section of the drape over the post of the casing to cover the casing and the plurality of optical sensors of the camera unit; and engaging the rigid collar to the post to trap the flexible section of the drape between the rigid collar and the post. 15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising pinching the drape between the rigid collar and the post. 16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising: placing the rigid collar on the post with the drape positioned between the rigid collar and the post; and pressing the rigid collar onto the post toward the base surface of the casing to stretch the drape across the plurality of optical sensors. 17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising retaining the rigid collar to the post by a friction fit and by resting the rigid collar on the base surface. 18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising providing a snap-lock engagement feature configured to provide acoustic feedback when the rigid collar is engaged with the post. 19. A camera unit for use with a drape and one or more tracking elements of a surgical system, the camera unit comprising: a casing including a base surface and a post extending from the base surface of the casing; a plurality of optical sensors supported by the casing, wherein the optical sensors are configured to detect the one or more tracking elements; and wherein the post supports the plurality of optical sensors and the post is configured to receive a rigid collar to facilitate trapping of the drape between the post and the rigid collar. 20. The camera unit of claim 19 , wherein the post has a height defined between the base surface and a top of the post and wherein the rigid collar has a height that substantially corresponds to the height of the post.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • with means to retain or hold surgical implements · CPC title

  • Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras · CPC title

  • for indicating correct assembly of components, e.g. of the surgical apparatus · CPC title

  • A61B34/20Primary

    Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis · CPC title

  • Details of tracking cameras · 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 US12376931B2 cover?
A camera and drape assembly for use with one or more tracking elements of a surgical system. The assembly includes a camera unit including a casing and a plurality of optical sensors supported by the casing for detecting the one or more tracking elements. The casing includes a base and a post extending from the base. The assembly also includes a drape having a flexible section for draping over …
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Stryker Corp
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification A61B34/20. Mapped technology areas include Human Necessities.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Aug 05 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 10 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).