A Diagnostics & Imaging Week

Aribex (Orem, Utah), a developer of handheld X-ray technologies, reported that it has been allowed a second U.S. patent for its Nomad hand-held X-ray system.

The latest patent 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 hand-held X-ray system. Aribex was previously awarded patent No. 7,224,769 for the digital X-ray camera in October 2007.

"No one had ever made a hand-held intraoral X-ray with the power source in the same enclosure as the X-ray head," said Dr. D. Clark Turner, president/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 hand-held X-ray. The granting of this patent provides additional protection to this extensive investment, the company said.

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.

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.