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.
Claims30
A clamp comprising:
- a first scissors portion comprising a first scissors portion handle, a first scissors portion jaw, a first scissors portion first side, and a first scissors portion second side that is opposite the first scissors portion first side;
- a second scissors portion comprising a second scissors portion handle, a second scissors portion jaw, a second scissors portion first side, and a second scissors portion second side that is opposite the second scissor portion first side;
- a first spring that biases the first scissors portion jaw away from the second scissors portion jaw;
- a second spring that biases the first scissors portion jaw toward the second scissors portion jaw;
- a bolt that passes through the first scissors portion handle and the second scissors portion handle, wherein the bolt draws the second scissors portion handle toward the first scissors portion handle and impart a clamping force between the first scissors portion jaw and the second scissors portion jaw;
- wherein between the first scissors portion handle and the second scissors portion handle, the first scissors portion second side faces the second scissors portion first side;
- and
- wherein between the first scissors portion jaw and the second scissors portion jaw, the first scissors portion first side faces the second scissors portion second side.
A system, comprising:
- a longitudinal member having a diameter;
- and
- a clamp comprising a first scissors portion, a second scissors portion, a first spring, a second spring, and a bolt that passes through the first scissors portion and the second scissors portion;
- wherein the first scissors portion comprises a first scissors portion jaw;
- wherein the second scissors portion comprises a second scissors portion jaw;
- wherein the first spring biases the first scissors portion jaw away from the second scissors portion jaw;
- wherein the second spring biases the first scissors portion jaw toward the second scissors portion jaw;
- wherein the first scissors portion jaw and the second scissors portion jaw engage the longitudinal member around the diameter;
- and
- wherein the first spring reaches a resting position before a gap between the first scissors portion jaw and the second scissors portion jaw increases beyond the diameter of the longitudinal member.
A clamp comprising:
- a first scissors portion comprising a first scissors portion handle and a first scissors portion jaw;
- a second scissors portion comprising a second scissors portion handle and a second scissors portion jaw;
- a first spring that biases the first scissors portion jaw away from the second scissors portion jaw;
- a second spring that biases the first scissors portion jaw toward the second scissors portion jaw, wherein the first spring has a greater spring constant than the second spring;
- and
- a bolt that passes through the first scissors portion handle and the second scissors portion handle, wherein the bolt draws the second scissors portion handle toward the first scissors portion handle and impart a clamping force between the first scissors portion jaw and the second scissors portion jaw.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.