Holder assembly for surgical blade
AssigneeSan Diego Swiss Machining, Inc.
InventorsTeresa R. Hickok, Claude E. Martin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A holder assembly for a surgical blade includes a handle assembly and a wrench for loosening/tightening the blade from/to the handle of the handle assembly. The handle assembly includes a collet having two longitudinal slits that enable the collet to secure the blade in a first and second direction to prevent slippage during operation. The collet fits in the handle and is secured by a retaining member that fits over the collet with the blade intact. The retaining member is loosened/tightened by a wrench that is part of the holder assembly. The wrench is configured to cover the blade completely when the wrench is placed in operation. Part of the cover is removable for cleaning by inserting the closed end of the wrench into the wrench body and pushing the cover's cap off.
Claims21
A handle assembly for holding a blade having a generally rectangular cross sectional configuration with opposing substantially planar parallel sides and substantially planar parallel opposing edges, the assembly comprising:
- a substantially elongate handle having first and second opposite ends, wherein the first end is open;
- an elongated collet having a longitudinal axis and inner walls defining a substantially rectangular axial passage and first and second opposite ends, the collet having a first longitudinal slit extending from the first end for receiving a blade into the axial passage and forming a first set of opposed substantially planar parallel jaws that are compressible for gripping the opposing planar sides of the blade, and further having a second longitudinal slit extending from the second end and forming a second set of opposed substantially planar parallel jaws that are compressible for gripping opposing planar edges of the blade;
- and
- an elongated retaining member having first and second opposite open ends and a longitudinal axis with a longitudinal inner passage, the retaining member mounted at the first end of the handle and being configured to secure the collet and apply a compressive force to the collet, the retaining member having an inside surface and an outside surface.
A handle assembly for holding a blade having a opposing sides and opposing edges, the assembly comprising:
- a substantially elongate handle having first and second opposite ends, wherein the first end is open;
- an elongated collet having a longitudinal axis and inner walls surrounding an axial passage and first and second opposite ends, the collet having a first longitudinal slit extending from the first end for receiving a blade into the axial passage and forming a first set jaws that are compressible for gripping opposing sides of the blade, and further having a second longitudinal slit extending from the second end and forming a second set of jaws that are compressible for allowing the inner walls to grip opposing edges of the blade;
- an elongated retaining member having first and second opposite open ends and a longitudinal axis with a longitudinal inner passage, the retaining member mounted at the first end of the handle and being configured to secure the collet and apply a compressive force to the collet, the retaining member having an inside surface and an outside surface;
- a combined wrench and protective shield member, the wrench and protective shield member comprising:
- a body having first and second opposite ends and a longitudinal axis and a covered axial passage for covering the blade;
- and
- the first end of the body being open for receiving the blade into the axial passage and having an inside surface that is configured to define coupling means for enabling twisting of the retaining member in a first direction to secure the retaining member to the handle and in a second direction to loosen the retaining member from the handle, wherein the second end of the combined wrench and protective shield member's body has a removable insert that can be removed in order to allow cleaning of the axial passage.
A collet for a handle assembly configured to hold a blade having a generally rectangular cross sectional configuration with opposing substantially planar parallel sides and opposing substantially planar parallel edges, wherein the handle assembly has a substantially elongate handle having first and second opposite ends and the first end is open, the handle assembly further having a retaining member for securing the collet in the first open end of the handle, the collet comprising:
- an elongated body having a longitudinal axis and inner walls defining a substantially rectangular axial passage and first and second opposite ends, the collet further having a first longitudinal slit extending from the first end for receiving a blade into the axial passage and forming a first set of opposed substantially planar parallel jaws that are compressible by the retaining member for gripping opposing sides of the blade, and further having a second longitudinal slit extending from the second end and forming a second set of opposed substantially planar parallel jaws that are compressible by the retaining member for gripping opposing edges of the blade.
A handle assembly for holding a blade having a generally rectangular cross sectional configuration with opposing substantially planar parallel sides and opposing substantially planar parallel edges, the assembly comprising:
- a substantially elongate handle having first and second opposite ends, wherein the first end is open;
- an elongated substantially conical collet having a longitudinal axis and inner walls defining a substantially rectangular axial passage and first and second opposite ends, the collet having a first longitudinal slit forming a first set of opposing substantially planar parallel jaws that are extending from the first end for receiving a blade into the axial passage and wherein the first set of jaws are compressible for gripping opposing sides of the blade, and further having a second longitudinal slit extending from the second end and forming a second set of opposing substantially planar parallel jaws that are compressible for gripping opposing edges of the blade;
- and
- an elongated retaining member having first and second opposite open ends and a longitudinal axis with a longitudinal inner passage, the retaining member mounted at the first end of the handle and being configured to secure the collet and apply a compressive force to the collet, the retaining member having an inside and an outside.
A method for making a handle assembly for holding a blade having a generally rectangular cross sectional configuration with opposing substantially parallel sides and substantially parallel opposing edges, the method composing the steps of:
- providing a substantially elongate handle having first and second opposite ends, wherein the first end is open;
- providing an elongated collet having a longitudinal axis and inner walls defining a substantially rectangular axial passage and first and second opposite ends, the collet having a first longitudinal slit extending from the first end for receiving a blade into the axial passage and defining a first set of opposed parallel jaws, the first jaws being compressible for gripping opposing sides of the blade, and further having a second longitudinal slit extending from the second end and defining a second set of opposed parallel jaws, the second jaws being compressible for gripping opposing edges of the blade;
- providing an elongated retaining member having first and second opposite open ends and a longitudinal axis with a longitudinal inner passage;
- and
- mounting the retaining member at the first end of the handle to secure the collet and apply a compressive force to the collet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.