Prior art — US Patent 12274481

To identify the most relevant prior art for US Patent 12274481, I will examine the "Prior art references" section as listed on Google Patents for US12274481B2 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/[US12274481](/patent/US12274481)/en]. It is important to note that a definitive determination of anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102 requires a detailed claim-by-claim analysis against the full text of each prior art document. The following analysis provides potential anticipations based on the titles and general understanding of these prior art documents.

Here are the prior art patent citations for US12274481:

1. US20130072922A1

Full Citation: US20130072922A1, "Bunionectomy Guide and Method" [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12274481/en]
Publication Date: 2013-03-21 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12274481/en]
Brief Description: This patent application describes a guide and method specifically for bunionectomy procedures, which likely involves instruments to assist in the surgical correction of bunions, potentially including bone cuts and alignment steps.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
- Claim 1, 14, 27, 30 (Instrumented surgical technique for correcting a bunion deformity): The title "Bunionectomy Guide and Method" strongly suggests this reference could anticipate the general concept of an instrumented surgical technique for bunion correction, including making incisions, using guides, and performing bone modifications.
- Claims 1, 14, 27, 30 (Steps involving cutting/preparing bone): References to "guide" and "method" in a bunionectomy context imply preparation of bone ends, potentially using cutting instruments.
- Claims 1, 14, 27, 30 (Use of a guide for bunion correction): The core idea of using a guide during a bunionectomy procedure is directly covered.

2. US9078652B2

Full Citation: US9078652B2, "Devices and methods for correcting bunion deformities" [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12274481/en]
Publication Date: 2015-07-14 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12274481/en]
Brief Description: This patent focuses on devices and associated methods designed for the correction of bunion deformities, implying surgical tools and procedures aimed at realigning affected foot bones.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
- Claim 1, 14, 27, 30 (Instrumented surgical technique for correcting a bunion deformity): The title explicitly mentions "Devices and methods for correcting bunion deformities," indicating that this patent likely discloses a surgical technique for bunion correction, which could anticipate the broader procedural steps of US12274481.
- Claims 1, 14, 27, 30 (General bone positioning and realignment in bunion surgery): The goal of "correcting bunion deformities" inherently involves repositioning bones, making it relevant to the positioning aspects of US12274481's claims.

3. US20150112347A1

Full Citation: US20150112347A1, "Devices and methods for correcting bunion deformities" [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12274481/en]
Publication Date: 2015-04-23 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12274481/en]
Brief Description: This patent application, with a title identical to US9078652B2 and a close publication date, is likely a related application or an earlier publication of similar subject matter. It would describe instruments and techniques for addressing bunion deformities.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given the identical title and close publication to US9078652B2, it is highly probable to anticipate similar aspects:
- Claim 1, 14, 27, 30 (Instrumented surgical technique for correcting a bunion deformity): This application would likely disclose a surgical method for bunion correction.
- Claims 1, 14, 27, 30 (General bone positioning and realignment in bunion surgery): The subject matter would involve devices and methods for repositioning bones to correct bunion deformities.

4. US9072551B2

Full Citation: US9072551B2, "Bone positioning and preparation guides" [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12274481/en]
Publication Date: 2015-07-07 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12274481/en]
Brief Description: This patent specifically pertains to guides used for both positioning and preparing bones during surgical procedures, which are key components and methods described in US12274481.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant due to its explicit mention of "Bone positioning and preparation guides."
- Claim 1, 14, 27, 30 (Engaging first metatarsal with bone engagement member of bone positioning guide and engaging guide with second metatarsal): The concept of a "bone positioning guide" directly addresses the initial engagement and positioning steps.
- Claim 1, 9, 14, 17, 30 (Cutting/preparing bone using a bone preparation guide and cutting slots): The term "preparation guides" strongly suggests instruments with guide surfaces or slots for tissue removal, directly relevant to the cutting steps.
- Claims 1, 14, 27, 30 (Overall methods of using positioning and preparation guides): The combination of both positioning and preparation guides aligns very closely with the systems and methods claimed in US122774481.

5. US20150190135A1

Full Citation: US20150190135A1, "Bone positioning and preparation guides" [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12274481/en]
Publication Date: 2015-07-09 [cite: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12274481/en]
Brief Description: Similar to US9072551B2, this patent application likely describes devices and methods for positioning and preparing bones using specialized guides in a surgical context.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given the identical title and close publication date to US9072551B2, it is expected to anticipate similar aspects:
- Claim 1, 14, 27, 30 (Engaging first metatarsal with bone engagement member of bone positioning guide and engaging guide with second metatarsal): Likely discloses a "bone positioning guide."
- Claim 1, 9, 14, 17, 30 (Cutting/preparing bone using a bone preparation guide and cutting slots): Likely discloses "preparation guides" with means for cutting or preparing bone.
- Claims 1, 14, 27, 30 (Overall methods of using positioning and preparation guides): The combined use of positioning and preparation guides for surgical procedures would be anticipated.

It is noteworthy that the filing date of US12274481 is 2024-02-26, but it claims priority back to a provisional application filed on 2015-08-14 [cite: Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.) 2015-08-14]. All the cited prior art documents (US20130072922A1, US9078652B2, US20150112347A1, US9072551B2, US20150190135A1) have publication dates prior to this priority date of 2015-08-14, making them valid prior art under 35 U.S.C. § 102.