US 2006/0189995 A1Published application

Rongeur that disassembles for cleaning

AssigneeZimmer Spine, Inc.

InventorMike Lancial

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Abstract

An embodiment of a rongeur includes an assembly pin that provides easy disassembly and assembly of the rongeur. The assembly pin also serves the purpose of coupling a driving member to a top shaft of the rongeur. The assembly pin can be engaged with the driving member for normal operation of the rongeur. Alternatively, the assembly pin can be disengaged from the driving member to decouple the driving member from the top shaft, thereby enabling removal of the top shaft for cleaning. An embodiment of a process for disassembling a rongeur includes pressing an assembly pin engaged with a hook portion of the driver member, said pressing forcing a plug portion of the assembly pin out of the aperture in the top shaft to disengage the assembly pin from the hook portion of the driver member. The process may further include decoupling the top portion from the driver member by passing a neck portion of the assembly pin through a passage defined by the hook portion of the driver member. The process may further include removing the top shaft from the rongeur.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A rongeur comprising:

a bottom shaft having a distal tip;
a top shaft slideably coupled to a top surface of the bottom shaft;
a laterally moveable assembly pin extending into a cavity in the top shaft, the assembly pin including a neck portion disposed between a head portion and a plug portion, the plug portion is wider than the neck portion, the head portion having an exposed surface enabling pressing of the assembly pin;
a driver member extending through an aperture in the bottom shaft and into an aperture in the top shaft and coupling to the top shaft by way of the assembly pin,
wherein at least a portion of the assembly pin extends into the aperture and through a slot formed by a hook portion of the driver member, the hook portion defining a channel having a width that allows the neck portion to pass therethrough, but does not allow the plug portion to pass therethrough;
wherein the cavity is composed of a passage having a width sufficient to fit the neck portion, a first chamber having a width sufficient to fit the head portion therein, and a second chamber having a width sufficient to fit the plug portion therein, wherein the passage is between the first chamber and the aperture, and the aperture is between the passage and the second chamber;
and
wherein when the exposed surface of the head portion is pressed, the plug portion exits the slot and enters the second chamber, and the neck portion enters the slot, thereby disengaging the driver member from the assembly pin.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.