Surgical retractor system and clip-on joint clamp
AssigneeThompson Surgical Instruments, Inc.
InventorSteve Nowak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A joint clamp for a surgical retractor system includes clamps, a cam bolt, and a cam lever. The cam bolt passes through the clamps. A cam lever comprising a cam head pivotally attached an upper portion the cam bolt to permit rotation between a locked position and an unlocked positions. The joint clamp may include springs which provide a scissors clamp of the clamps with a clip-on feature in which the scissors clamp may clipped-on and clipped-off an object such as a frame member, table post, or retractor handle. The springs may further prevent or reduce a rising movement of the clamps when the cam lever rotates from an unlocked state to a locked state.
Claims20
A joint clamp for a surgical retractor system, the joint clamp comprising:
- a first clamp comprising a first clamping passage, wherein the first clamp clamps a first object passing through the first clamping passage;
- a second clamp comprising a first spring, a first scissors portion, and a second scissors portion pivotally coupled to the first scissors portion, wherein:
- the first scissors portion comprises one or more first jaws;
- the second scissors portion comprises one or more second jaws;
- the one or more first jaws and the one or more second jaws define a second clamping passage;
- the first spring biases the one or more first jaws away from the one or more second jaws;
- and
- the second clamp clamps a second object passing through the second clamping passage;
- a cam bolt comprising a cam bolt upper end and a cam bolt lower end, wherein the cam bolt passes through the first clamp and the second clamp;
- a base coupled to the cam bolt lower end, wherein the base comprises a base upper surface engaged with the second clamp, and wherein the base comprises a second spring that biases the one or more first jaws toward the one or more second jaws;
- and
- a cam lever coupled to the cam bolt upper end, wherein the cam lever, via the cam bolt, draws the base toward the second clamp in response to being rotated toward a locked position.
A joint clamp for a surgical retractor system, the joint clamp comprising:
- a cam lever rotatable between a locked position and an unlocked position;
- a base coupled to the cam lever via a cam bolt;
- and
- a plurality of clamps between the cam lever and the base, wherein:
- the plurality of clamps includes a scissors clamp;
- the scissors clamp comprises a first spring, a first scissors portion, and a second scissors portion pivotally coupled to the first scissors portion;
- the first scissors portion comprises an upper scissors handle and a first jaw;
- the second scissors portion comprises a lower scissors handle and a second jaw;
- the first jaw and the second jaw define a clamping passage;
- the first spring biases the first jaw and the second jaw away from each other;
- and
- the base comprises a second spring that biases the first jaw and the second jaw toward each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.