Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5792044 | Devices and methods for percutaneous surgery Devices and methods for performing percutaneous spinal surgery under direct visualization and through a single cannula are shown. A device (10) is provided which includes an elongated cannula (20) having a first inner diameter (DI) and an outer... | 08/11/1998 |
| 5722977 | Method and means for anterior lumbar exact cut with quadrilateral osteotome and precision guide/spacer Presented is a method and instrumentation for removal of a pair of rectangular blocks of vertebral bone tissue of predetermined and precise dimensions to provide an intervertebral recess, with guarded depth for safety, achieving and maintaining the desire... | 03/03/1998 |
| 5702449 | Reinforced porous spinal implants One embodiment of a spinal implant 10 includes a body 11 sized and configured for engagement between adjacent vertebrae V. The body 11 includes two opposite faces 12, 14 and an outer surface 13 between the two faces 12, 14. The body 11 includes a porous b... | 12/30/1997 |
| 5688272 | Top-tightening transverse connector for a spinal fixation system A new top-loading transverse connector of the present invention for bridging between longitudinal members of a spinal fixation system implant. The transverse connector is loaded and clamped to the longitudinal member from the top permitting easy access an... | 11/18/1997 |
| 5685840 | Method and apparatus for minimally invasive tissue removal A method and apparatus for minimally invasive tissue removal contemplates a system including a tissue cutting tool having a motor driven cutting blade reciprocating within a percutaneously introducable cannula. In accordance with one method of the inventi... | 11/11/1997 |
| 5683391 | Anterior spinal instrumentation and method for implantation and revision A system and method for anterior fixation of the spine utilizes a cylindrical implant engaged in the intradiscal space at the cephalad and caudal ends of the construct. The implants are cylindrical fusion devices (10) filled with bone material to promote ... | 11/04/1997 |
| 5669876 | Method for minimally invasive tissue removal A method and apparatus minimally invasive tissue removal contemplates a system including a tissue cutting tool having a motor driven cutting blade reciprocating within a percutaneously introducable cannula. In accordance with one method of the invention, ... | 09/23/1997 |
| 5669909 | Interbody fusion device and method for restoration of normal spinal anatomy An interbody fusion device in one embodiment includes a tapered body defining a hollow interior for receiving bone graft or bone substitute material, The body defines exterior threads which are interrupted over portions of the outer surface of the device.... | 09/23/1997 |
| 5667506 | Spinal rod transverse connector for supporting vertebral fixation elements A spinal implant system includes a pair of spinal rods arranged on opposite sides of the spinous processes of a patient. An transverse connector assembly in accordance with the invention includes a plate having a central portion which spans between the sp... | 09/16/1997 |
| 5645549 | Template for positioning interbody fusion devices A template assembly is provided for marking locations on the disc annulus for the implantation of an interbody fusion device or the introduction of a working instrument. The template assembly includes a tubular body sized for percutaneous introduction int... | 07/08/1997 |
| 5645544 | Variable angle extension rod One embodiment of the invention a spinal fixation system includes an elongated spinal element (11) configured to extend adjacent the spine, and a plurality of fixation elements (15) each engagable to the spine and to the elongated spinal element (11). The... | 07/08/1997 |
| 5645084 | Method for spinal fusion without decortication Surgical procedures for stabilizing a spine include exposing a portion of each of adjacent vertebrae requiring fusion and placing an osteoinductive material within an area between the portions of the adjacent vertebrae in contact with the cortical bone of... | 07/08/1997 |
| 5643264 | Iliac screw An iliac screw includes a smooth distal shank (35), a threaded proximal shank (37) and a proximal head portion (38). The smooth distal shank (35) is configured to penetrate the cancellous bone of the iliac wings, while the threaded shank (37) carries bone... | 07/01/1997 |
| 5643304 | Method and apparatus for minimally invasive tissue removal A method and apparatus for minimally invasive tissue removal contemplates a system including a tissue cutting tool having a motor driven cutting blade reciprocating within a percutaneously introducable cannula. In accordance with one method of the inventi... | 07/01/1997 |
| 5624441 | Attachment plate for top-tightening clamp assembly in a spinal fixation system An attachment plate for use with a spinal rod system converts a normally side-tightening eyebolt to a top-tightenable arrangement for engaging spinal fixation elements to the spinal rod. The plate is configured for use with spinal fixation elements having... | 04/29/1997 |
| 5620443 | Anterior screw-rod connector A transverse fixator assembly for spanning between a number of longitudinal members situated adjacent a patient's vertebrae and methods for fixation of the spine which allow variation of the distance between two or more vertebrae. The assembly includes a ... | 04/15/1997 |
| 5609592 | Spinal Fixation System A spinal implant system for correcting spinal deformities and abnormalities includes an elongated spinal rod configured to be implanted adjacent the spinal column and spanning across several vertebral levels. A number of fixation elements, such as spinal ... | 03/11/1997 |
| 5578034 | Apparatus for preventing screw backout in a bone plate fixation system A system for internal fixation of bone includes a fixation plate having a number of bores therethrough, a corresponding number of screws each having an enlarged head portion and an elongated shaft portion defining bone engaging threads thereabout and a no... | 11/26/1996 |
| 5569248 | Apparatus for subcutaneous suprafascial pedicular internal fixation A system and method for internal fixation of vertbra of the spine to facilitate graft fusion is disclosed which minimizes the degee of trauma and the amount of surgical invasion. In one aspect the system includes fixation hardware which is inserted throug... | 10/29/1996 |
| 5569253 | Variable-angle surgical cable crimp assembly and method A cable used in spinal surgery has one crimp of a two crimp assembly crimped to one end of it. The second crimp has a ball held in a socket of the first crimp. The other end of the cable is passed around the bone or bones and any necessary orthopedic spin... | 10/29/1996 |
| 5562662 | Spinal fixation system and method A spinal implant system for correcting spinal deformities and abnormalities includes an elongated spinal rod configured to be implanted adjacent the spinal column and spanning across several vertebral levels. A number of fixation elements, such as spinal ... | 10/08/1996 |
| 5562663 | Implant interconnection mechanism Spinal implants with features for anchorage in or onto bone or to connectors, have a body with an upwardly opening channel receiving a spinal rod therein. The channel has sidewalls with a curved slot in each of the sidewalls. A cap is mounted on the impla... | 10/08/1996 |
| 5562738 | Intervertebral disk arthroplasty device A disk arthroplasty device (310) is provided for replacement of a spinal disk. The device is implantable into a resected disk space and is formed with ball (346) and socket (326) members and shaped to provide lateral bending and backward extension of up t... | 10/08/1996 |
| 5545163 | Spinal fixation system A spinal fixation system comprises an elongated fixation plate (13) having an elongated slot (21) with a number of concave depressions (28,25) formed at the top and bottom surfaces (19,17) of the plate. The system further includes a pedicle screw (40) and... | 08/13/1996 |
| 5534002 | Spinal fixation system A spinal implant system for correcting spinal deformities and abnormalities includes an elongated spinal rod configured to be implanted adjacent the spinal column and spanning across several vertebral levels. A number of fixation elements, such as spinal ... | 07/09/1996 |
| 5531747 | System for stabilizing the spine and reducing spondylolisthesis A system for achieving reduction of curvature of the lumbar region of the spine associated with spondylolisthesis includes transverse plates affixed to vertebrae L4 and L5 and sacral plates affixed to opposite sides of the sacrum. These plates in combinat... | 07/02/1996 |
| 5531745 | System for stabilizing the spine and reducing spondylolisthesis A system for achieving reduction of curvature of the lumbar region of the spine associated with spondylolisthesis includes transverse plates affixed to vertebrae L4 and L5 and sacral plates affixed to opposite sides of the sacrum. These plates in combinat... | 07/02/1996 |
| 5527314 | Spinal fixation system A spinal implant system for correcting spinal deformities and abnormalities includes an elongated spinal rod configured to be implanted adjacent the spinal column and spanning across several vertebral levels. A number of fixation elements, such as spinal ... | 06/18/1996 |
| 5496322 | Method for subcutaneous suprafascial pedicular internal fixation A method for internal fixation of vertebra of the spine to facilitate graft fusion includes steps for excising the nucleus of an affected disc, preparing a bone graft, instrumenting the vertebrae for fixation, and introducing the bone graft into the resec... | 03/05/1996 |
| 5470333 | System for stabilizing the cervical and the lumbar region of the spine A system for achieving reduction of curvature of the lumbar region of the spine associated with spondylolisthesis includes a hook assembly attached to vertebra L4, transverse plates affixed to vertebrae L4 and L5, and sacral plates affixed to opposite sid... | 11/28/1995 |
| 5437670 | Attachment plate for top-tightening clamp assembly in a spinal fixation system An attachment plate for use with a spinal rod system converts a normally side-tightening eyebolt to a top-tightenable arrangement for engaging spinal fixation elements to the spinal rod. The plate is configured for use with spinal fixation elements having... | 08/01/1995 |
| 5425773 | Intervertebral disk arthroplasty device A disk arthroplasty device (310) is provided for replacement of a spinal disk. The device is implantable into a resected disk space and is formed with ball (346) and socket (326) members and shaped to provide lateral bending and backward extension of up t... | 06/20/1995 |
| 5423818 | Clamp for attaching a vertebral fixation element to a spinal rod A clamp is provided for clamping a spinal rod to a vertebral fixation element which permits access directly from the top of the instrumentation site. The clamp includes a body defining a channel configured to receive the spinal rod and a pair of conical s... | 06/13/1995 |
| 5423820 | Surgical cable and crimp A double-apertured L-shaped crimp is crimped to one end of a cable. The other end of the cable is passed around the bone or bones and, if the situation requires, any orthopedic appliance or device to be attached to the bones, and it is then passed through... | 06/13/1995 |
| 5423826 | Anterior cervical plate holder/drill guide and method of use A drill and tap guide system is disclosed which can be mounted on a bone plate to provide a finn foundation for accurately drilling and tapping screw holes into vertebra to be instrumented. The drill and tap guide system includes an assembly support which... | 06/13/1995 |
| 5411513 | Transmission mechanism for a surgical cutting instrument A reciprocating cutting instrument includes an outer tube housing an inner reciprocating cutting blade. The cutting blade is engaged to a source of power, namely a motor, through a transmission and drive mechanism. This transmission and drive mechanism co... | 05/02/1995 |
| 5403276 | Apparatus for minimally invasive tissue removal An apparatus for minimally invasive tissue removal contemplates a system including a tissue cutting tool having a motor driven cut-ting blade reciprocating within a percutaneously introducable cannula. In accordance with one method of the invention, the f... | 04/04/1995 |
| 5403315 | Positionable spinal fixation device A device is provided on spinal fixation hook or screw elements along a spinal implant rod for preventing or inhibiting them from unintentional sliding on the rod during handling prior to implantation in vivo. One embodiment uses a set screw in an eyebolt ... | 04/04/1995 |
| 5403316 | Triangular construct for spinal fixation A spinal system yields a triangular construct across a vertebral body and a quadrilateral construct between vertebral levels. A first pair of screws are engaged in a vertebra on opposite sides of the spinal midline. A longitudinally splined rod, bent into... | 04/04/1995 |
| 5397364 | Anterior interbody fusion device An interbody fusion device includes a pair of lateral spacers and a pair of central spacers, each sized for percutaneous introduction through a disc resection portal in the disc annulus. Each of the lateral spacers includes opposing side faces defining a ... | 03/14/1995 |
