Suture lock device

A locking device for holding a suture in tension, comprising:

• a housing member having a hollow interior with a first end having a first hole, a second end having a second hole, and a side wall having at least one side opening and a flat portion away from the at least one side opening, the housing member having a longitudinal axis;
• a pin member having a shaft, a gripping portion in the form of a flange at a first end of the shaft, and a bulbous tail portion at a second end of the shaft having an external diameter greater that a diameter of the second hole, wherein the flange is within the hollow interior of the housing member and the shaft is along the longitudinal axis and at least partially within the hollow interior, and wherein the flange is movable along the longitudinal axis within the hollow interior and is just slightly smaller in diameter than an inner surface of the hollow interior so that a suture can be pressed between the flange and the inner surface, and wherein the bulbous tail portion includes a groove parallel to the longitudinal axis and aligned with the flat surface of the housing member;
• and
• a spring within the hollow interior and around the shaft, the spring engaging the flange and biasing the flange toward the first end of the housing member.

A locking device for holding a suture in tension, comprising:

• a housing member having a hollow interior with an interior end surface, a side wall between a first end of the housing member and second end of the housing member, wherein the side wall includes two opposed side openings, and wherein the first end includes a hole communicating with the hollow interior;
• a pin member partially within the hollow interior, the pin member including a gripping portion within the hollow interior and a shaft member fixed to the gripping portion;
• and
• a spring within the hollow interior and around the shaft member, the spring abutting the gripping portion of the pin member and the interior end surface of the housing member,
• wherein the device has a first unlocked condition in which the pin member is retracted and held against bias of the spring and the gripping portion is in a first position within the housing member to provide a movement path for the suture, the movement path extending from at least one of the side openings through and out of the hole of the first end of the housing member, and a second locked condition in which the spring bias holds the pin member in a position in which the gripping portion is in a second position closer to the first end than the first position of the gripping portion is to the first end, and which creates at least one pinch point between the gripping portion of the pin member and the housing member;
• and wherein the hole has an inner diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the gripping portion.