Appeal No. 96-0456
Application No. 08/072,654
The claimed invention is directed to a trocar positioning
device. The device has an inner housing with gripping
fingers. The gripping fingers on the inner housing cooperate
with an outer housing to frictionally grip the trocar guide
tube. The outer housing is provided with a threaded section,
the threads of which engage the body tissue to lock the trocar
positioning device in place. The threads have a special
thread profile to securely lock the trocar positioning device
while doing little damage to body tissue. Claim 12 reproduced
below is illustrative of the claimed subject matter:2
Claim 12. A trocar positioning device comprising:
(i) first housing means configured and dimensioned to
slidably engage a trocar guide tube, said first housing means
having guide tube gripping means for selectively gripping the
guide tube; and
(ii) second housing means configured and dimensioned to
engage said first housing means to cause said gripping means
to grip the guide tube and prevent movement of said trocar
positioning device relative to the guide tube, said second
housing means having tissue engaging thread means for engaging
2We note that paragraph ii of claim 12 states that the
thread means extend from said second housing to a thread apex.
In fact, the thread means is formed intergrally with the
second housing. Therefore the claim should state that the
thread means extend from the cylindrical surface of the second
housing. This indefiniteness is worthy of correction in any
prosecution before the examiner.
2
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