John Reid West
Engineers in Salt Lake City, UT

6679889, Jan 20, 2004

Nov 13, 2000

09/711488

John R. West - Salt Lake City UT

HS West Investments, LLC - Salt Lake City UT

A61F 238

606 88, 606 53, 606 62, 606 63, 606 72, 606 73, 606 86, 623 1311, 623 1312, 623 1313, 623 1314

Apparatus and methods for conditioning and pre-tensioning soft tissue grafts during joint repair surgery, such as during repair of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The inventive apparatus is advantageously adapted and configured so as to enable a surgeon to independently apply a desired tensile load onto individual strands of a multiple-stranded soft tissue graft, such each of a pair of ham strings. The inventive methods advantageously ensure that each strand of a multiple-strand soft tissue graft is adequately tensioned so as to both “condition” the graft to prevent subsequent stretching, relaxation or elongation following surgery, which can destabilize the joint, and pre-tension each strand of the graft to a desired amount so that each significantly contributes to the strength and stability of the joint, thus resulting in a stronger and more durable joint. The inventive tensioning device is advantageously equipped with structure for fastening or otherwise attaching the device to a patients limb during the conditioning and pre-tensioning procedure. It has multiple adjustable tension applicators that can be independently manipulated so as to independently apply a desired tensile load onto one or more strands of the soft tissue graft attached to each adjustable tension applicator.

5964764, Oct 12, 1999

Mar 24, 1998

9/046988

Hugh S. West - Salt Lake City UT
John R. West - Salt Lake City UT

A61B 1756

606 72

An anchor device for mounting a bodily tissue to a bone, such as for repairing ligaments and tendons, particularly ham string tissue grafts for repairing a knee joint. The anchor device is configured and sized to pass through a bone tunnel and comprises a sheath member having a bone-engagement end and bodily tissue attachment end. The bone-engagement end includes structure for selective overlapping and engaging the bone adjacent an exit opening of the bone tunnel. The bodily tissue attachment end includes structure known in the art for attaching a bodily tissue, such as a ligament, tendon, or ligament graft, to the sheath member. The anchor device further includes a camming member slidably disposed relative to the sheath member, which selectively urges the sheath member to engage the bone surface. The sheath member and camming member include interlocking features for locking the anchor device in a deployed position within the bond tunnel. The anchor device also includes structures which give the surgeon a tactile, aural or other indication when the anchor device has been deployed and locked in the deployed position.

4622284, Nov 11, 1986

Mar 1, 1984

6/585175

John L. West - Salt Lake City UT
James T. Russell - Salt Lake City UT

Digital Recording Corporation - Wilton CT

G03C 516, G01D 1514, G01D 1534

430290

A recording medium utilizing metal azides as an energy amplifying substance is disclosed. A photosensitive material comprises an energy absorptive dye and a metal azide dispersed in an inert binder. Low to moderate pulses of laser light cause the azide particles to react exothermally creating a void in the photosensitive material which can be read by an optical readout device.