What is claimed is:
1. An electric motor, comprising:
a motor housing comprising an exterior and a hollow interior, the motor housing having a hole therethrough from the exterior to the hollow interior; and
a conduit box comprising a portion that extends through the hole in the motor housing into the hollow interior, the portion being permanently plastically deformed to a configuration that blocks the conduit box from being withdrawn from the hole.
2. The electric motor as recited in claim 1, wherein the hole in the motor housing is generally circular and has a first diameter, further wherein the portion of the conduit box has a first portion that is wider than the first diameter of the hole through the motor housing.
3. The electric motor as recited in claim 2, wherein the first portion is pressed against an interior surface of the motor housing.
4. The electric motor as recited in claim 2, wherein the first portion is generally circular and has a second diameter, the second diameter of the first portion being greater than the first diameter of the hole through the motor housing.
5. The electric motor as recited in claim 1, wherein the portion comprises a passageway for wiring to pass between the hollow interior of the motor housing and an interior portion of the conduit box.
6. The electric motor as recited in claim 1, further comprising a threaded member threaded into the motor housing through the conduit box to prevent rotation of the conduit box relative to the motor housing.
7. The electric motor as recited in claim 1, further comprising a stator disposed within the hollow interior of the motor housing, the stator comprising a plurality of stator windings.
8. The electric motor as recited in claim 7, further comprising electrical wiring coupled to the plurality of stator windings and routed through the portion into an interior of the conduit box.
9. The electric motor as recited in claim 7, further comprising a threaded member threaded into the motor housing through the conduit box to prevent movement of the conduit box relative to the motor housing.
10. The electric motor as recited in claim 9, wherein the threaded member prevents movement of the stator relative to the motor housing.
11. The electric motor as recited in claim 1; wherein the portion of the conduit box comprises a ductile metal.
12. The electric motor as recited in claim 11, wherein the ductile metal comprises steel.
13. The electric motor as recited in claim 1, wherein the portion comprises a flange portion disposed within the hollow interior to abut against an interior surface of the motor housing to prevent removal of the conduit box from the motor housing.
14. The electric motor as recited in claim 13, wherein the portion comprises a tubular portion forming a passageway through the hole in the motor housing into an interior portion of the conduit box.
15. The electric motor as recited in claim 1, wherein the motor housing comprises a motor frame, further wherein the hole through the motor housing extends through the motor frame.
16. The electric motor as recited in claim 15; wherein the motor frame is generally cylindrical.
17. The electric motor as recited in claim 16, wherein the conduit box has an arcuate bottom configured for placement against the motor frame.
18. A method of manufacturing an electric motor, comprising the acts of:
extruding a portion of a conduit box to form a hollow extension;
inserting the extension through a first hole in a motor housing of an electric motor; and
permanently plastically deforming the extension after the extension is inserted through the first hole to prevent withdrawal of the extension through the first hole.
19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein extruding comprises driving a first punch through a second hole in the conduit box to form a generally cylindrical extension.
20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein driving a first punch comprises pressing a conical portion of the first punch into the second hole followed by a cylindrical portion of the first punch.
21. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein inserting comprises inserting the generally cylindrical extension through a generally circular first hole in the motor housing.
22. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein plastically deforming the extension comprises driving a second punch against the generally cylindrical extension to form a generally circular flange.
23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein driving a second punch comprises pressing a conical portion of the second punch into the generally cylindrical extension followed by a cylindrical portion of the second punch.
24. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising disposing a stator within the motor housing.
25. The method as recited in claim 24, further comprising routing a plurality of conductors from the stator to the conduit box through the extension.
26. The method as recited in claim 24, further comprising threading a first member through the conduit box and the motor housing to prevent the stator from rotating and to prevent movement of the conduit box.
27. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein plastically deforming comprises coining the extension against an interior surface of the motor housing.
28. A method of manufacturing an electric motor, comprising the acts of:
adapting a conduit box to comprise a hollow extension having a first width;
disposing the conduit box against a motor housing to place the extension through a first hole in the motor housing, the first hole having a first diameter greater than the first width; and
pressing a tool against the extension to enlarge the extension to a second width within the motor housing, the second width being greater than the first diameter.
29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein adapting comprises extruding a portion of the conduit box.
30. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein extruding comprises pressing a first tool through a second hole in the conduit box to adapt the second hole into a hollow cylinder.
31. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein pressing a first tool comprises driving a conical tool portion through the second hole, followed by driving a cylindrical tool portion through the second hole.
32. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein extruding comprises aligning the conduit box and the first tool with an aligning tool assembly prior to extruding the conduit box.
33. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein aligning comprises placing a guide through a third hole in the conduit box.
34. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein pressing comprises driving a second tool into the hollow extension to form a flange.
35. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein driving a conical tool portion into the hollow extension followed by a cylindrical tool portion.
36. The method as recited in claim 28, further comprising housing a stator within the motor housing.
37. The method as recited in claim 36, further comprising routing a plurality of conductors from the stator to the conduit box through the extension.
38. The method as recited in claim 36, further comprising inserting a first member through the conduit box and the motor housing to the stator to prevent the stator from rotating and to prevent movement of the conduit box.
39. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein pressing comprises coining the extension against an interior surface of the motor housing.
40. An electric motor, comprising:
a motor housing, comprising a smooth, arcuate exterior and a hollow interior, the motor housing having a hole therethrough between the exterior and the interior; and
a conduit box comprising a ductile portion disposed through the hole, the ductile portion being coined against an interior surface of the motor housing.
41. The electric motor as recited in claim 40, wherein the hole in the motor frame is generally circular.
42. The electric motor as recited in claim 40, wherein the ductile portion forms a passageway between the hollow interior of the motor housing and an interior portion of the conduit box.
43. The electric motor as recited in claim 40, further comprising a screw threaded into the motor housing through the conduit box to prevent movement of the conduit box relative to the motor housing.
44. The electric motor as recited in claim 42, further comprising a stator disposed within the hollow interior of the motor housing, the stator comprising a plurality of stator windings.
45. The electric motor as recited in claim 44, further comprising electrical wiring coupled to the plurality of stator windings and routed through the passageway into an interior of the conduit box.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A reactive implantable device configured to be placed in a patient’s stomach transorally without surgery to treat and prevent obesity by applying a pressure to the patient’s stomach, comprising:
a three-dimensional spring structure comprising a plurality of legs each having opposite ends extended between top and bottom junctions of the spring structure defining an axis, each leg having a flexible portion and a rigid portion attached to the flexible portion, wherein the flexible portions of each leg has a relaxed shape which causes the leg to bow laterally outward from the other legs thus maintaining the top and bottom junctions at a first distance apart, and wherein the implantable device is configured to react to inward forces from the stomach such that the flexible portions flex to straighten each leg and cause the axial spacing between the top and bottom junctions to increase from the first distance,
wherein the device is formed of materials that permit it to be compressed into a substantially linear transoral delivery configuration and that will resist degradation over a period of at least six months within the stomach.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the implantable device comprises four or more legs.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein rigid portion comprises four or more distinct rigid members per leg.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the top and bottom junctions comprises a quadrilateral-shaped cap, and wherein the opposite ends of each leg are attached to different edges of the respective quadrilateral-shaped caps.
5. The device of claim 1, further including a balloon integrated with the three-dimensional spring structure and filled with fluid.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein the balloon is within the legs of the three-dimensional spring structure.
7. The device of claim 5, wherein the balloon is outside the legs of the three-dimensional spring structure.
8. The device of claim 7, further including a pump located within the balloon and integrated with the three-dimensional spring structure, the pump configured to inflate and deflate the elastic balloon by transferring stomach liquid into and out of the elastic balloon.
9. A reactive implantable device configured to be placed in a patient’s stomach transorally without surgery to treat and prevent obesity by applying a pressure to the patient’s stomach, comprising:
a central elongated body having an adjustable length;
two collapsible atraumatic feet on opposite ends of the elongated body, each foot configured to exert pressure on the patient’s stomach when in a deployed position; and
a spring within the central elongated body configured to bias the length of the body away from a minimum length,
wherein the device is formed of materials that permit it to be compressed into a substantially linear transoral delivery configuration and that will resist degradation over a period of at least six months within the stomach.
10. The device of claim 9, wherein the two collapsible atraumatic feet comprise balloon-like structures.
11. The device of claim 9, wherein the two collapsible atraumatic feet comprise an array of living hinges that may be unfolded to an elongated delivery configuration and folded outward to a deployed configuration.
12. The device of claim 9, wherein the array of living hinges is in an X-shape.
13. The device of claim 9, wherein the central elongated body comprises a series of telescoping tubular members having apertures along their lengths.
14. A reactive implantable device configured to be placed in a patient’s stomach transorally without surgery to treat and prevent obesity by applying a pressure to the patient’s stomach, comprising:
an inflatable body having an internal volumetric capacity of between 400-700 ml and being made of a material that permits it to be compressed into a substantially linear transoral delivery configuration and that will resist degradation over a period of at least six months within the stomach, the body having a plurality of popout features on its surface that reside generally flush with the inflatable body in relaxed, retracted states, and which respond to an increase in pressure within the inflatable body by projecting outward from the body in a stressed, deployed state.
15. The device of claim 14, wherein the inflatable body has a generally barrel shape along an axis.
16. The device of claim 15, wherein the popout features are generally cylindrical.
17. The device of claim 15, wherein the popout features are rounded bars oriented parallel to the axis.
18. The device of claim 14, wherein the popout features convert between their retracted and deployed states by movement of rolling diaphragms formed in the inflatable body.
19. A reactive implantable device configured to be placed in a patient’s stomach transorally without surgery to treat and prevent obesity by applying a pressure to the patient’s stomach, comprising:
an inflatable body having an internal volumetric capacity of between 400-700 ml and being made of a material that permits it to be compressed into a substantially linear transoral delivery configuration and that will resist degradation over a period of at least six months within the stomach, the body having a central inflatable member and at least two outer wings, the body having a single internal fluid chamber such that fluid may flow between the central inflatable member and the outer wings, the inflatable body being underfilled with fluid such that the outer wings are floppy in the absence of compressive stress on the central inflatable member and stiff when compressive stress from the stomach acts on the central inflatable member.
20. The device of claim 19, wherein the central inflatable member has a generally spherical shape along an axis.
21. The device of claim 20, wherein there are two outer wings extending in opposite directions from the generally spherical inflatable member along the axis.
22. The device of claim 19, wherein the outer wings each includes a narrow shaft portion connected to the central inflatable member terminating in bulbous heads.
23. A reactive implantable device for transoral placement in a patient’s stomach for treatment of obesity by applying a pressure to the patient’s stomach, the implantable device comprising:
a spring having a plurality of legs each leg having opposite ends extended between top and bottom junctions of the spring thereby defining an axis, each leg also having a flexible portion and a rigid portion attached to the flexible portion, wherein the flexible portions of each leg has a relaxed shape which causes the leg to bow laterally outward from the other legs to thereby maintain the top and bottom junctions at a first distance apart, and wherein the implantable device is configured to react to inward forces from the stomach such that the flexible portions flex to straighten each leg and cause the axial spacing between the top and bottom junctions to increase from the first distance,
wherein the device is formed of materials that permit it to be compressed into a substantially linear transoral delivery configuration and that will resist substantially resist degradation over a period of at least six months within the stomach.