Piercing system

Details Piercing system Piercing system

1999-03-08

2001-02-06

Truong, Kevin (Department: 3731)

Surgery

Instruments

Cutting, puncturing or piercing

Reexamination Certificate

active

06183490

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
(Not Applicable)
STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
(Not Applicable)
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ear and body piercing systems are well known in the art. In this regard, it has been fashionable for centuries for jewelry to be worn through piercings made through the skin, and in particular, the ear lobes, nostrils, and more recently, the umbilicus or navel. Indeed, recent trends seem to indicate that virtually all sites upon the body are susceptible to piercing.
Typically, most piercings are formed by a piercing earring or stud having an enlarged portion, which may comprise a bead or mounted gemstone, and an elongate piercing pin extending therefrom, the latter also referred to as either a post or shaft. The distal-most end of the piercing post or shaft is typically sharpened, or may even be blunt, and is caused to force through the tissue by a deployment device, the latter typically comprising a piercing gun, such as those produced by Studex, Inc. of Harbor City, Calif., and Inverness Corporation of Fair Lawn, N.J.
Essentially, such piercing gun assemblies are designed to be manually held and have formed thereon a saddle or U-shaped recess into which is inserted the tissue (e.g., ear lobe) sought to be pierced. The piercing earring sought to be introduced through such tissue is typically provided in a cartridge form with the piercing earring being disposed in a first cartridge on a first opposed side of the tissue disposed within the recess. A second cartridge housing a clasp or catch member is aligned with the first cartridge on the respective other opposed side of the tissue sought to be pierced. In operation, the gun assembly, by applying a linear force to the piercing earring housed within the first cartridge, causes the distal end of the piercing post of the piercing earring to force through such tissue captured within the gun's recess and thereafter become nested within the clasp member housed within a second cartridge aligned therewith on the opposed side of the tissue. The piercing earring remains resident within the tissue until such time as the tissue initially heals, which on average with reasonable care can take approximately four to eight weeks for soft tissue and up to a year for piercings formed through cartilage. After about six months, healing is complete and a piercing hole is permanently formed through which earrings and the like may be introduced and affixed.
While such prior art devices are generally effective in piercing through and forming the necessary channels through tissue within which jewelry can be secured, such prior art devices suffer from numerous drawbacks. Significant among these drawbacks includes the high degree of trauma that is produced as the piercing post is caused to extend through tissue. In this regard, the distal-most end of most prior art piercing pins typically rip and tear through tissue, as well as force tissue to become displaced radially about the elongate pathway formed by the piercing post.
As a consequence, substantial trauma is inflicted to the tissue which not only produces pain and a prolonged healing process, but also increases the risk that the tissue can become infected or otherwise inflamed. Prolonged healing time increases the potential for infection insofar as the open wound becomes particularly susceptible to bacterial infection. The risk of infection is further significantly increased by the typical impatience of individuals who want to change jewelry (i.e., replace the piercing earring) before the pierced tissue fully heals. In fact, to the extent such piercing earring is prematurely removed, the piercing formed by the piercing earring heals and ultimately closes, thus defeating the entire piercing experience. Such problems are especially common among younger individuals. In this regard, the widely acknowledged contributing factor to such problems is the belief of the customer that, after piercing, the pierced hole will be permanent in six weeks, as opposed to the more correct time of six months.
This potential for pain and discomfort can be further aggravated by such prior art systems insofar as the enlarged portion of the piercing earrings deployed thereby can be caused to bluntly slap or compress against the tissue once the piercing post has pierced or “shot”through a given cross-section of tissue. The impact that such larger ball or gemstone portions make against such tissue may cause further pain and trauma.
Ideally, it is known in the medical arts and body piercing arts that the preferred method for forming pierced passageways through tissue is through the use of surgical cannulas or needles with razor tops, and especially with tips specifically designed to core out a generally cylindrical pathway through a given section of tissue. In this regard, the razor leading edge of the cannula has the advantage of neither ripping nor tearing tissue, and likewise does not cause any tissue displacement, which produces the traumatic outcomes of the aforementioned prior art systems. Unfortunately, however, to form such type of piercings typically requires that the same be formed by physicians or other skilled health workers in clinical settings, which is viewed as exceedingly expensive, inconvenient and intimidating.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an earring piercing alignment system that can produce piercings through tissue in a manner that is substantially less traumatic, requires less healing time, minimizes the risk of infection than prior art systems and allows an individual to change earrings at will.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention specifically addresses and alleviates the above-identified deficiencies in the art. In this regard, the present invention is directed to an ear piercing system that produces piercings through tissue in a manner that is substantially more atraumatic than prior art systems.
According to a first preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a cartridge system comprising first and second cartridges that are mountable upon conventional piercing deployment mechanisms, such as gun-type mechanisms and the like. The first cartridge comprises an elongate, generally cylindrical cartridge member having proximal and distal ends within which are housed at least one abutment member or compression disk, a guidance member, which preferably comprises a thin sheet of plastic material formed as a cross which defines a plurality of finger members, an elongate piercing earring having proximal and distal ends that includes an enlarged portion formed on the proximal end thereof and a piercing pin extending therefrom, and an alignment member axially disposed about the piercing pin. The compression disk, guidance member, piercing earring, and alignment member are arranged longitudinally in a generally linear fashion from the distal end to proximal end of the first cartridge member. The second cartridge comprises a cylindrical cartridge member that is axially alignable that has housed therein a clasp or catch member that, in use, is designed to receive and engage the distal end of the piercing pin when the latter is forced through a section of tissue.
According to a second preferred embodiment, there is provided a novel piercing earring, which includes an enlarged portion and a shaft extending therefrom, and a cannula member having a beveled distal tip and a lumen extending therethrough detachably mounted upon the distal-most end of the piercing earring shaft. The cannula member is so mounted upon the shaft portion of the piercing earring that, in use, once the piercing earring is deployed, the cannula cuts a razor edge coring type incision through the cross-section of tissue sought to be pierced. As a consequence, minimal tearing or displacement of the tissue occurs.
In a further refinement of the invention, an insulating material may be disposed within all or a portion of the lumen of the cannula. Alternatively, the post portion of the piercing earring comprises an implantable grommet member having a conventiona

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