Appeal No. 2002-1487 Page 5
Application No. 09/404,461
flexible transmission for facilitating the positioning of the cutter proximate the tissue of
the patient. A vacuum source may be provided to be in fluid communication with the
proximal end of the inner tubular member for removing tissue severed by the cutter.
As shown in Figure 6 of Trott, the outer tubular member 12 has an aperture 18
and the cutter 20 includes an inner cap 47 defining an inner cutting aperture 48 such
that at least a portion of edges 50 and 52 of the inner cutting aperture 48 are machine
sharpened for coacting with edges 54 and 56 of the aperture 18. Thus, rotation of the
cutter 20 within the distal end portion 16 of the outer tubular member 12 enables tissue
disposed in the vicinity of the aperture 18 to be sheared by the interaction of the cutter
20 with the aperture 18.
As shown in Figures 3, 5, 7 and 8 of Trott, the flexible transmission 22 includes a
composite spirally wound tube 58. The spirally wound tube 58 includes an inner spiral
60 of strip material such as flat stainless steel ribbon and is wound upon a suitable
mandrel M as shown in Figure 7 such that the inner spiral 60 defines a first channel 62
shown in Figures 6 and 8. A middle spiral 64 of flat stainless steel strip material is
oppositely wound relative to inner spiral 60 such that the middle spiral 64 is disposed
angularly relative to the inner spiral 60 as shown in Figure 7. The middle spiral 64
defines a second channel 70 shown in Figure 8 having a diameter slightly greater than
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