WO1996002192B1

WO1996002192B1 - Marking pen for coloring the skin

Info

Publication number: WO1996002192B1
Application number: PCT/US1995/008855
Authority: WO
Filing date: 1995-07-19
Publication date: 1996-02-29

Abstract

An apparatus and method are disclosed for marking the proper location of incisions to be made during a surgical procedure and for coloring the skin. The apparatus includes a pinwheel (14) with a plurality of marking points (18) extending therefrom for penetrating the outermost layer of the epidermis. A reservoir supplies a marking agent so that as the penetrating member penetrates the epidermis, marking agent is left within the epidermis, thereby leaving a dotted line which may be followed when making incisions during surgery. The method includes rolling the pinwheel (14) across the epidermis, penetrating the outermost layer of the epidermis with points on the pinwheel and leaving marking agent carried by the point between the outermost layer of the epidermis and an innermost layer of the epidermis.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS[received by the International Bureau on 30 January 1996 (30.01 96), original claims 4 and 15 cancelled, oπginal claims 1 and 14 amended, new claims 25 and 26 added, original claims 5-14 and 16-26 renumbered as claims 4-24; remaining claims unchanged (6 pages)]

1. A marking pen for indicating the proper location of incisions to be made on a patient undergoing surgery, the marking pen comprising: rotatable penetrating means for penetrating a portion of the epidermis of the patient, the penetrating means including a means for depositing a marking agent within the epidermis; reservoir means for storing the marking agent and for conveying the marking agent to the penetrating means, wherein at least a portion of said reservoir means is disposed in the penetrating means, and handle means attached to the penetrating means so as to enable a user to roll the penetrating means across the epidermis of a patient, thereby leaving a line of marking agent in the epidermis .

2. The marking pen of claim 1, wherein the skin- contacting tips define a circumferential path around the support member which generally falls within a single plane of rotation.

3. The marking pen of Claim 2, wherein each of the marking points is generally solid and tapers to a point.

4. The marking pen of Claim 1, wherein the dispensing means comprises a groove formed m the reservoir means so as to have marking agent disposed therein, the groove being position such that rotation of the support member causes the marking points to pass through said groove and into contact with marking agent disposed therein.

5. The marking pen of Claim 4, wherein the reservoir has a top end disposed within the handle and a bottom end disposed adjacent the support member, and 19 wherein the groove of the dispensing means is disposed at the bottom end of the reservoir means.

6. The marking pen of Claim 1, wherein the reservoir means comprises a felt reservoir.

7. A marking pen for indicating the proper location of incisions to be made on a patient undergoing surgery, the marking pen comprising: rotatable penetrating means for penetrating a portion of the epidermis of the patient, the penetrating means comprising a pmwheel having a diameter of less than 2.5 centimeters, said pmwheel including a plurality of marking points tapering as the marking points extend outward so as to form a tip for penetrating an outermost layer of a human epidermis and depositing marking agent therein, the marking points each having a length of less than 5 millimeters; reservoir means disposed ad acent the pmwheel for storing a marking agent and for conveying the marking agent to the marking points of the penetrating means; and handle means attached to the penetrating means so as to enable a user to roll the penetrating means across the epidermis of a patient, thereby leaving marking agent within the epidermis.

8. The marking pen of Claim 1, wherein tne penetrating means comprises a pmwheel having a plurality of outwardly extending marking points rotational alignment.

9. The marking pen of Claim 8, wnerein each of the marking points is generally solid and tapers to a point. 20

10. The marking pen of Claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the reservoir means is disposed within the handle means.

11. The marking pen of Claim 10, wherein the reservoir means comprises a groove formed therein and disposed such that rotation of the penetrating means causes the marking points of the penetrating means to pass through said groove .

12. The marking pen of claim 11, wherein the groove is disposed in the reservoir means so as to deposit marking agent on each marking point passing therethrough.

13. A method for non-permanently marking the proper place for a surgical incision to be made on a patient's body with a marking pen means, the method comprising:

(a) making a plurality of penetrations in the patient's epidermis by rolling said marking pen means on the epidermis such that each penetration extends to a position between the innermost layer of the epidermis and the outermost surface of the epidermis; and

(b) depositing a marking agent each penetration so as to draw a locus of points representing a line along the patient's epidermis, thereby marking the location of an incision to be made on the patient.

14. The marking pen of Claim 13 , wherein tne penetrating means comprises a cutting blade, including a means for limiting the depth of penetration of the cutting blade within the epidermis.

15. The marking pen of Claim 14, wherein the limiting means comprises a flange disposed adjacent to the cutting blade so as to limit the depth which the cutting blade can enter the epidermis. 21

16. A marking pen for indicating the proper location of incisions to be made on a patient undergoing surgery, the marking pen comprising: rotatable penetrating means for penetrating a portions of the epidermis of the patient, the penetrating means comprising a cutting blade, being a disk with an annular cutting surface about an outer perimeter of the disk; reservoir means for storing the marking agent so as to convey the marking agent to the penetrating means, wherein at least a portion of the reservoir means is disposed within the pinwheel, and each of the hollow cutting points is in fluid communication with the reservoir means; and handle means attached to the penetrating means sc as to enable a user to roll the penetrating means across the epidermis of a patient, thereby leaving a line of marking agent in the epidermis.

17. The marking pen of claim 16, wherein the cutting blade further comprises a groove formed in the cutting surface for carrying the marking agent from the reservoir means to the epidermis of the patient.

18. A method for nonpermanently marking the proper place on a patient's skin for a surgical incision to be made on a patient's body, the method comprising:

(a) rolling pointed tips of a pinwheel marker means over the skin to cause a plurality of shallow penetrations in the patient's epidermis such that each penetration extends to a position between the innermost layer of the epidermis and the outermost surface of the epidermis; and

(b) depositing a marking agent in each penetration so as to draw a dotted line along the patient's epidermis and mark the location of an incision to be made on the patient. 22

19. The method for marking the proper place for a surgical incision to be made of Claim 20, wherem step

(a) comprises, more specifically, making a plurality of perforations in the patient's epidermis such that each perforation extends slightly mward of the outermost surface of the epidermis.

20 The method for marking the proper place for a surgical incision to be made of Claim 19, comprising the more specific step of using a circular circumference of solid marking points to make the perforations and tc deposit the marking agent mward of the outermost layer of the epidermis.

21. The method for marking the proper place for a surgical incision to be made of Claim 18, wherein step

(b) comprises depositing a temporary marking agent such that the marking agent in the epidermis will disappear following surgery.

22. A method for selectively coloring an area of human skin, the method comprising:

(a) making a penetration into the patient's epidermis such that the penetration extends to a position between an innermost layer of the epidermis and an outermost surface of the epidermis;

(b) depositing a colored marking agent in the penetration; and

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) a sufficient number of times to as to color the area of skin to a desired color.

23. The method for selectively coloring an area cf human skin of claim 22, wherem steps (a) and (h i comprises, more specifically, rolling a p wheel having a plurality of marking points extending radially outward therefrom over the epidermis, each of the marking points 23 having colored marking disposed thereon so as to deposit a colored marking agent into the epidermis when each marking point penetrates the outermost layer of the epidermis.

24. The method for selectively coloring an area of human skin of claim 23, wherein step (c) comprises rolling the pinwheel over the skin to form a plurality of colored dots on the skin.

25. A marking pen for indicating the proper location of incisions to be made on a patient undergoing surgery, the marking pen comprising: penetrating means for penetrating a portion of the epidermis of the patient, the penetrating means including a plurality of needles forming a pinwheel; means for depositing a marking agent beneath an outermost surface of the epidermis, the depositing means being disposed adjacent to the penetrating means; reservoir means for storing the marking agent and for conveying the marking agent to the depositing means within the pinwheel; and handle means attached to the penetrating means for enabling a user to move the penetrating means across the epidermis of a patient and deposit the marking agent beneath the outermost surface of the epidermis, thereby leaving a line in the epidermis.

26. The marking pen of claim 1, further comprising a biodegradable marking agent.