Artificial bone

Abstract

An artificial bone comprising a substrate material and at least one of a suppression component and an x-ray component. The substrate material comprises a plurality of closed cells. The suppression component is impregnated into at least one of the plurality of closed cells. The x-ray component is dispersed within the substrate material. The invention further comprises a method of manufacturing same.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 616,705 filed Jul. 10, 2003 which application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 412,274 entitled “Artificial Bone” which was filed Sep. 21, 2002. The disclosure of each application is incorporated herein in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates in general to an artificial bone, and more particularly, to a non-implantable, artificial bone which can be utilized for, among other things, demonstration and / or educational purposes. [0004] 2. Background Art [0005] Artificial bones have been known in the art for several years and are the subject of numerous United States Patents, including: U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,703 B1 entitled “Biofidelic Human Seating Surrogate Apparatus;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,911 entitled “Bone Substitute For Training And Testing;” U.S. Pat. No. 5,6...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about an artificial bone that has a substrate material and at least one of a suppression component and an x-ray component. The suppression component is impregnated into at least one of the plurality of closed cells, while the x-ray component is dispersed throughout the substrate material. The substrate material can be made of polyurethane or other materials like polyethylene, polypropylene, or polymeric resins. The x-ray component can be made of barium components. The method of manufacturing the artificial bone involves curing the substrate and optionally impregnating it with the suppression component. The resulting artificial bone has the x-ray component and the suppression component. The technical effect of this invention is an improved artificial bone that has better mechanical properties and can be used for various applications like bone replacement or dental implants.

Problems solved by technology

While such bones are known, there has been a constant struggle to improve the mechanical properties and the realism of the bones, to, in turn, increase the utility and the usefulness thereof for exemplary purposes.

One particularly problematic issue with conventional artificial bones is that when the bones are drilled, tapped, and / or gouged by hand or powered instruments, an undesirable amount of dust and / or debris is generated.

Such dust and debris is rather unrealistic, as real bone does not exhibit such properties.

Moreover, the debris and dust, obstructs or otherwise impairs viewing of the demonstrated procedure.

As such, the usefulness of the artificial bone is compromised.

Another particularly problematic issue with conventional artificial bones is that the bones are generally penetrated by x-rays.

As such, conventional artificial bones are of little utility for the purposes of instructing individuals as to the reading of x-ray films.

While such artificial bones are an improvement, the coatings and paintings generally alter the underlying artificial bone, and the realism of the bone is compromised in various operational capacities.

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