Patent ID: 7915046

Claim:
A system for determining the operating state of a curable biocompatible composition comprising: a container for containing the curable biocompatible composition, the container including at least a portion that permits transmission of an acoustic signal therethrough; an emitter supported adjacent said portion of the container, said emitter configured to emit an acoustic signal into the container through said portion of the container; a sensor supported adjacent said portion of the container, said sensor configured to sense an acoustic signal received from within said container; and a processor connected to said emitter and said sensor, said processor being configured to (i) determine a magnitude of a component of an acoustic signal emitted by said emitter and sensed by said sensor with the curable biocompatible composition located in the container, and (ii) correlate the determined magnitude to an operating state of the curable biocompatible composition, wherein the operating state includes dough time, end of working time, and setting time for the curable biocompatible composition.