The Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch is covered by nine utility patents and one design patent. Two of the patents additionally cover the method for using the patch in a hernia repair operation.
Patent Application Drawing, U.S.P.T.O
All of the patents are owned by Bard ASDI, Inc. a subsidiary of medical device manufacturer C.R. Bard, Inc. Some of the earlier patents were originally assigned to another medical device manufacturer, Surgical Sense, Inc., which was purchased by Bard ASDI in 2000. Later patents were assigned directly to Bard.
Dr. Robert D. Kugel, a general surgeon with a notable reputation in the field of hernia repair, is listed as the inventor on all the patents. The last four patents issued also list J. Douglas Inman and Keith D. Biggers – officers of Surgical Sense – as co-inventors. These last four patents were applied for in 1999, before the sale of Surgical Sense to Bard, but were not issued until 2001 – a year after the sale.
The first patent establishes the fundamental design of a mesh hernia repair patch and a method for using it in a minimally invasive open surgical technique developed by Dr. Kugel. Additional patents describe refinements in the patch to improve its function, and one of the patents also describes refinements to the method.
Hernia Mesh Patches and Methods of their Use
Patent number 5634931, filed Sep 29, 1994 and issued Jun 3, 1997 for
“a hernia mesh patch for use in repairing inguinal and other abdominal wall hernias for expansion into a preperitoneal space and direction into a pocket thereof of an abdominal lining, when directed by a surgeon using his or her finger” and “a method of sutureless repair of an inguinal or other abdominal wall hernia.”
Hernia Mesh Patch
Patent number 5769864, filed November 22, 1996 and issued June 23, 1998 for
“a hernia patch, comprising a first layer of inert synthetic mesh material sized and shaped to extend across and beyond a hernia; a second layer of inert synthetic mesh material; securing means for securing the first and second layers to each other to create a pouch between the first and second layers; a slit in one of the layers for insertion of a finger into the pouch to position the patch across the hernia; and a resilient loop adjacent a periphery of the pouch for creating tension in both of the layers.”
Hernia Mesh Patch
Patent number 5916225, filed January 14, 1998 and issued June 29, 1999 for
“a tissue aperture repair patch for implanting within a patient, comprising at least one layer of inert synthetic mesh material sized and shaped to extend across and beyond a tissue aperture in a patient; a resilient support member adjacent a periphery of the layer for creating tension in the layer, the support member being carried by the layer so as to remain implanted with the layer in the patient; and the layer of inert synthetic mesh material having a periphery extending beyond the support member, defining a border which has a free outer edge to fill uneven voids in a patient’s tissue.”
Hernia Patch
Patent number D416327, filed March 25, 1998 and issued November 9, 1999 for
“the ornamental design for a hernia patch.”
Hernia Mesh Patch with Stiffening Layer
Patent number 6171318, filed February 11, 1999 and issued January 9, 2001 for
“a tissue aperture repair patch for implanting within a patient, comprising a first layer of inert synthetic mesh material sized and shaped to extend across and beyond a tissue aperture in a patient, the first layer having a planar configuration, being resilient and having a selected stiffness; and a resilient stiffening layer of inert synthetic material carried by and overlying the first layer for supporting the first layer in the planar configuration, the stiffening layer having a greater stiffness than the first layer.”
Hernia Mesh Patch with Slit
Patent number 6174320, filed August 2, 1999 and issued January 16, 2001 for
“a tissue aperture repair patch for implanting within a patient, comprising at least one layer of inert synthetic mesh material sized and shaped to extend across and beyond a tissue aperture in a patient; a curved, elongated, resilient support member carried by the layer for causing the layer to assume a planar configuration, said member to remain implanted with the layer in the patient; the layer of inert synthetic mesh material having a periphery extending beyond the support member, defining a border which has a free outer edge to fill uneven voids in a patient’s tissue; and a slit in said layer of inert synthetic mesh material, extending inward from the outer edge and terminating in an enlarged opening for placement around a patient’s chord structure.”
Hernia Mesh Patch with I-shaped Filament
Patent number 6176863, filed March 24, 1999 and issued January 23, 2001 for
“a tissue aperture repair patch for implanting within a patient, comprising at least one layer of inert synthetic mesh material sized and shaped to extend across and beyond a tissue aperture in a patient; and a resilient generally I-shaped support member for urging the layer to assume a flat configuration, said support member carried by the layer so as to remain implanted with the layer in the patient.”
Hernia Mesh Patch
Patent number 6224616, filed May 4, 1999 and issued May 1, 2001 for
“a method of repair of an abdominal wall hernia” and “a tissue aperture repair patch for implanting within a patient.”
Hernia Mesh Patch with Stiffener Line Segment
Patent number 6280453, filed February 11, 1999 and issued August 28, 2001 for
“a tissue aperture repair patch for implanting within a patient, comprising at least one layer of inert synthetic mesh material sized and shaped to extend across and beyond a tissue aperture in a patient; a resilient support member adjacent a periphery of the layer and configured in an open loop to urge the layer into a planar configuration, said support member carried by the layer so as to remain implanted with the layer in the patient; and the layer of inert synthetic mesh material having a periphery extending beyond the support member that defines a border having a free outer edge to fill uneven voids in a patient’s tissue.”
Hernia Mesh Patch with Seal Stiffener
Patent number 6290708, filed February 11, 1999 and issued September 18, 2001 for
“a tissue aperture repair patch for implanting within a patient, comprising two layers of inert synthetic mesh material, at least one of said layers being sized and shaped to extend across and beyond a tissue aperture in a patient; a seam joining said layers that imparts stiffness to the patch for biasing the patch in a planar configuration; and at least one of said layers of inert synthetic mesh material having a periphery extending beyond said seam that defines a border having a free outer edge to fill uneven voids in a patient’s tissue.”
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