Reusable locking safety scalpel

A surgical scalpel comprising:

• an elongate housing extending longitudinally from a back to a front and including opposite first and second sides spaced from one another via upper and lower edges, the housing defining a longitudinal slot in the first side, the slot having a closed front end positioned rear of the housing front;
• a reciprocator assembly with a flat elongate portion extending from a front end to a rear end and positioned within the housing and being attachable to a blade, the reciprocator assembly having a pair of opposing wings extending obliquely from opposite edges of the flat elongate portion in the direction of the upper and lower edges, and a first lock member at the rear end of the reciprocator assembly, the first lock member comprising a tooth;
• a blade secured to the reciprocator assembly at the front end and projecting forward of the front end, the blade having a cutting edge;
• an end cap attachable to the housing proximate the housing back, the end cap defining a second lock member comprising a slot for receipt of the tooth of the first lock member, wherein
• the upper and lower edges of the housing each includes an indentation at a position intermediate the front and back for receipt of at least one of the pair of opposing wings in a releasable engagement to maintain the reciprocator assembly in an initial position with the blade concealed within the housing, and the reciprocator assembly is longitudinally reciprocable from the initial position to a cutting position with the cutting edge exposed from the front of the housing and longitudinally reciprocable to a locked position with the reciprocator assembly rear of the initial position and longitudinally locked to the end cap with the tooth of the first lock member maintained by the slot of the second lock member, and
• the housing further defines a third lock member comprising a recess in the first side of the housing positioned forward of the closed front end of the slot and the reciprocator assembly comprises a slider positioned outside the housing, the slider having a front end and a rear butt, the slider further defining a fourth lock member comprising a projection extending from the front end toward the first side of the housing for cooperation with the third lock member, whereby in the cutting position, the projection of the fourth lock member is received by the recess of the third lock member in a releasable engagement to maintain the reciprocator assembly and housing axially relative to one another, and applying a force on the rear butt of the slider toward the first side of the housing causes the slider to pivot and the projection to move away from the first side of the housing to disengage from the recess of the third lock member.