Monolithic Tissue Screw With Through-Hole Aperture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tissue screws require both axial and rotational forces for insertion, which can be cumbersome, and existing helical coils without screw heads struggle to securely engage with soft tissue.
Innovation Solution
A monolithic tissue screw with a unitary structure featuring a helical coil portion and screw head, where a driver aperture allows for rotational force application through the screw head, enabling the helical coil to engage with tissue using torsional force alone, without axial force, and featuring a tapered distal end for secure penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional tissue screws with blind recess or shaped head are used, then the screw can be driven into tissue, but both axial force and rotational force are required which makes the application cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional screw driving mechanism by replacing the blind recess with a through-hole aperture that passes completely through the screw head. This allows the driver to apply purely rotational torque without requiring axial force, as the driver engages with the aperture from the distal end and rotates the screw as it advances into tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the axial force requirement from the driving mechanism by removing the traditional blind recess configuration and replacing it with a through-hole aperture. This extraction eliminates the need for axial compression during insertion, leaving only rotational torque as the required input force.
2Device complexity
If helical coils without screw heads are used, then the structure is simpler, but they struggle to securely engage with soft tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advantages of helical coils (structural simplicity, flexibility) with the engagement capabilities of traditional screw heads (secure tissue anchoring). The resulting monolithic structure combines the helical winding for tissue penetration with a through-hole aperture for reliable driver engagement and secure fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite functional structure by integrating the helical coil geometry with a screw head featuring a through-hole aperture. This composite design combines the tissue-penetration capability of helical coils with the secure-engagement capability of screw heads, achieving both structural simplicity and reliable tissue fixation.
3Ease of manufacture
If a monolithic unitary structure is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but the driver aperture must pass completely through the head which requires precise fabrication
Solution Approach 1:
The through-hole aperture serves multiple functions: it acts as the driver engagement feature for applying rotational torque, provides a pathway for the driver to reach the helical coil, and enables the monolithic structure to be formed in a single manufacturing process. This multi-functionality justifies the additional manufacturing precision requirement.
Data Source
AI summary
A monolithic tissue screw fabricated of a single, unitary piece of material. The monolithic tissue screw has a helical coil portion and screw head portion with a driver aperture passing axially through the screw head portion and a co-axial with the helical coil portion such that a rotational torsional force applied by a mating driver to the driver aperture causes the helical coil portion to rotate about its axis. The helical coil portion engages tissue and draws the helical coil and the screw head portion into the tissue substantially only with the application of the rotational torsional force and substantially without an axial force applied to the tissue screw.