Aribex awarded patents for NOMAD handheld X-ray system

Aribex, Inc. has announced that it has been allowed a second U.S. patent for its NOMAD Handheld X-ray System.

The latest patent (Appl. # 20070269010) protects the central concept of having all components of the x-ray system in the same enclosure. This concept led to the development of the world's first handheld x-ray system. Aribex was previously awarded patent #7,224,769 for the digital x-ray camera in October of 2007.

"No one had ever made a handheld intraoral x-ray with the power source in the same enclosure as the x-ray head," said Dr. D. Clark Turner, President and CEO of Aribex. "We opened up a new category when we created the NOMAD. We are glad to have our creativity and our technology recognized and protected in this manner."

Along with the invention associated with these new patented products, Aribex has made significant investments in updating conventional industry standards and regulations, even to the extent of drafting new legislation to allow the use of handheld x-ray. The granting of this patent provides additional protection to this extensive investment.

NOMAD Dental and NOMAD Pro are designed for general purpose dental use and are ideal for use with children, sedated patients, or special needs patients. The technician stays right next to the patient, positions the device and simply takes the radiograph. This saves time for the operator, shortens the time the patient has to sit still with film or a sensor in their mouth, and reduces retakes. Rechargeable and light in weight, these devices can easily be used in the office and then taken to the hospital, nursing home, or any location for treatment at the point-of-care.

The NOMAD is also designed for veterinary and forensic use. In many cases of veterinary use, the NOMAD can be used without sedating the animal as normally required. The NOMAD has been used extensively for forensic victim identification following natural disasters around the world.

Cleared by the FDA for marketing in the U.S., the NOMAD family incorporates modern internal shielding to block radiation leakage and a backscatter shield to protect the operator from X-rays scattered from the patient.