US 12268397

A concise summary of US patent 12268397 is provided below:

US Patent 12268397: Bone cutting guide systems and methods

• Title: Bone cutting guide systems and methods
• Assignee: Treace Medical Concepts Inc
• Inventors: Paul Dayton, Robert D. Santrock, Daniel J. Hatch, W. Bret Smith, Carlos Eduardo Gil, Sean F. Scanlan, Joe William Ferguson, F. Barry Bays, John T. Treace
• Filing Date: 2024-04-24
• Issue Date: 2025-04-08
• Abstract: A bone cutting guide featuring a support that houses a movable shaft. The shaft carries a main guide member with one or more cut guides. A clinician can fixate the support to a bone, translate the guide member to a desired cut location, and then use a cutting member through the guide to cut the bone. The system may include additional components like a bridging member or a secondary cut guide for extended functionality.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (Method Claim - Bunion Correction): This claim describes a bunion correction procedure that involves two distinct bone cuts. First, a guide with a cutting slot is positioned over a metatarsal (foot bone) and secured with two fixation pins inserted into the metatarsal, distal to the cutting slot. A cut is then made in the metatarsal. After this, the metatarsal's alignment relative to a cuneiform (another foot bone, separated by a joint) is adjusted to a new position. Next, a second cutting guide slot is positioned over the cuneiform. Crucially, this second guide remains attached to the metatarsal by at least the same two fixation pins that were used for the first cut, with these pins still positioned distally to the second guide slot. A cut is then made in the cuneiform, and finally, the metatarsal is fused to the cuneiform in the adjusted, moved position.
• Claim 20 (Method Claim - Bunion Correction with Specifics): This claim refines the bunion correction method, adding more specific structural and procedural steps. It starts by positioning a first guide (which defines the first cutting slot) over a metatarsal. This first guide is attached to the dorsal surface of the metatarsal using two parallel fixation pins inserted through fixation apertures in a support connected to the guide, with these apertures being offset along the metatarsal's length. A saw blade is used for the first cut. After adjusting the metatarsal's alignment, the first guide is removed from the pins. Then, a second guide (defining a second cutting slot) is positioned over the cuneiform. This second guide is attached to the metatarsal by at least the previously inserted first and second fixation pins and also attached to the cuneiform by at least a third fixation pin. A saw blade is used to cut the cuneiform, followed by fusing the metatarsal and cuneiform in the adjusted position.
• Claim 29 (Method Claim - Bunion Correction with Further Specifics and Compression): This claim further elaborates on the method of Claim 20, specifying the bones involved and adding a compression step. It identifies the metatarsal as a first metatarsal and the cuneiform as a first cuneiform. It specifies that the first and second fixation pins are inserted substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the dorsal surface of the first metatarsal. It also specifies that the third fixation pin inserted into the first cuneiform is placed at a skewed angle relative to the first and second fixation pins. After the cutting steps, the method explicitly includes compressing the first metatarsal and the first cuneiform together before causing them to fuse in the moved position.

Litigation Dockets (as of April 26, 2026):

The provided patent information indicates the following litigation:

• A US case was filed in the Delaware District Court (Case No. 1:25-cv-00592). This case was filed in 2025 and is not directly a CAFC 2026 docket.
• A PTAB case (PGR2026-00017) was filed and is currently pending. While a PTAB decision can be appealed to the CAFC, it is presently a pending case at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and not yet a CAFC docket.

A search for "CAFC dockets 2026 US12268397" and "US12268397 litigation 2026" did not yield any direct CAFC docket filings specifically for US12268397 in 2026. Therefore, as of the current date, there are no definitive CAFC 2026 dockets identified for this patent number.