Page 111 - Flexible Robotics in Medicine

96 Chapter 4
(Continued)

US20140088358 A1
Ball and socket connectors with a lumen extending Our grooves perform the same function as the
axially through the ball section. holes in this patent in that they form passages for
control cables in our cylindrical segment.
However, a key improvement introduced by the
use of grooves is that they make our prototype
more compact and easily fabricated. With respect
to this, our prototype does not infringe upon this
patent by the Doctrine of Equivalence. This claim
is rather broad and would pertain to claims in
other patents as well.
Remarks: Our grooves produce a compact and
easily fabricated design.

US20050273084 A1
At least two adjacent links have opposed surfaces, This is a dependent claim, which is rather general
each having an axially aligned convex protrusion or and would, therefore, encompass many variations
concave depression. At least one convex protrusion of ball joints or joints with concave and convex
or concave depression of adjacent links is surfaces, including that in other patents. For our
hemispherical. The bushing has a concave design, we have made an independent claim on
depression and/or a convex protrusion that receives having a specifically spherical ball bearing
the convex protrusion or concave depression of coupled to a hollow cylindrical segment, as these
each of the adjacent links, and at least one bushing are key features of our prototype.
has two concave depressions on opposite sides. Remarks: Although the structure of our hollow
cylindrical segment receives the structure of a ball
bearing and resembles that of the bushing
(diagram to the left), the design of our segment
does not have a concave depression. Moreover,
our cylindrical segment involves the use of grooves
in the ball bearings. The additional advantages
were brought about by our use of grooves in
conjunction with ball bearings.