U.S. patent application number 09/935229 was filed with the patent office on 2002-02-07 for speculum.
This patent application is currently assigned to MCA Medical Products Pty Ltd. Invention is credited to Tan, Eric Gay Chee.
Application Number | 20020016528 09/935229 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 3803352 |
Filed Date | 2002-02-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020016528 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tan, Eric Gay Chee |
February 7, 2002 |
Speculum
Abstract
A speculum includes a main body with a pair of first dilator
fingers that are connected at their respective proximal ends to the
main body. A second dilator finger extends between the first
dilator fingers and is attached to the main body. An actuator is
pivotally coupled to the main body. The actuator is formed with a
third dilator finger that is located between the first dilator
fingers and opposite the second dilator finger. When the actuator
is pivoted, the third dilator finger immediately commences to pivot
away from the remaining fingers. After a predetermined degree of
pivot, the actuator comes into contact with the inside of the first
fingers to cause the distal ends of those fingers to move away from
each other.
Inventors: |
Tan, Eric Gay Chee; (Osborne
Park, AU) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WORKMAN NYDEGGER & SEELEY
1000 EAGLE GATE TOWER
60 EAST SOUTH TEMPLE
SALT LAKE CITY
UT
84111
US
|
Assignee: |
MCA Medical Products Pty
Ltd
|
Family ID: |
3803352 |
Appl. No.: |
09/935229 |
Filed: |
August 22, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09935229 |
Aug 22, 2001 |
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09677539 |
Oct 2, 2000 |
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6287251 |
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09677539 |
Oct 2, 2000 |
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09381017 |
Sep 14, 1999 |
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6174282 |
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09381017 |
Sep 14, 1999 |
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PCT/AU98/00737 |
Sep 9, 1998 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
600/224 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 1/32 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
600/224 |
International
Class: |
A61B 017/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 9, 1997 |
AU |
PO 9067 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A speculum for dilating a body cavity comprising: a main body; a
plurality of first dilator fingers each having a proximal end and
an opposing distal end, the proximal end of each of the first
dilator fingers being movably coupled to the main body; and an
actuator pivotally coupled to the main body, wherein the actuator
can be pivoted so as to bias against at least one of the first
dilator fingers so as to cause the distal ends of the first dilator
fingers to move away from each other, thereby dilating the body
cavity when the first dilator fingers are received therein.
2. The speculum according to claim 1, further comprising a second
dilator finger having a proximal end and an opposing distal end,
the proximal end of the second dilator finger being coupled to the
actuator so as to move in unison with the actuator.
3. The speculum according to claim 2, further comprising a third
dilator finger having a proximal end and an opposing distal end,
the third dilator finger being located adjacent the first dilator
fingers and opposite the second dilator finger.
4. The speculum according to claim 3, wherein the proximal end of
the third dilator finger is movably coupled to the main body, and
wherein said actuator can be pivoted so as to bias against the
third dilator finger so as to cause the distal ends of the first
dilator fingers and the third finger to move away from each
other.
5. The speculum according to claim 3, wherein the distal ends of
the second dilator finger and third dilator finger extend beyond
the distal ends of the first dilator fingers.
6. The speculum according to claim 3, wherein: the main body
comprises a first ring like structure to which said first and third
dilator fingers are coupled; and the actuator comprises a second
ring like structure which is at least partially disposed inside the
first ring like structure when the speculum is in a fully closed
state, the first and second ring like structures defining a window
through which the body cavity can be viewed when the distal ends of
the first, second and third dilator fingers are moved away from
each other.
7. The speculum according to claim 6, further comprising a
releasable locking mechanism configured to selectively lock the
relative positions of the first, second and third dilator fingers,
and subsequently release the first, second and third dilator
fingers.
8. The speculum according to claim 7, wherein the releasable
locking mechanism comprises a first component provided on the
actuator and a second component provided on the main body, the
first and second components being arranged to engage each other
when the second ring like structure is advanced in a general
direction of insertion of the speculum into the body cavity.
9. The speculum according to claim 1, wherein the a plurality of
first dilator fingers comprises a pair of opposingly facing
fingers.
10. A speculum for dilating a body cavity comprising: a main body
comprising a handle having a ring structure attached thereto, the
ring structure bounding a first aperture; a pair of first dilator
fingers each having a proximal end and an opposing distal end, the
proximal end of each first dilator finger being movably coupled to
the ring structure of the main body; and an actuator bounding a
second aperture, the actuator being pivotally coupled to the main
body along an axis such that the second aperture is substantially
aligned with the first aperture, the actuator biasing against the
first dilator fingers so as to cause the distal ends of the first
dilator fingers to move away from each other when the actuator is
pivoted relative to the main body.
11. The speculum according to claim 10, further comprising a second
dilator finger having a proximal end and an opposing distal end,
the proximal end of the second dilator finger being coupled to the
actuator.
12. The speculum according to claim 11, further comprising a third
dilator finger having a proximal end and an opposing distal end,
the proximal end of the third dilator finger being coupled to the
main body, the third dilator finger being located adjacent to the
first dilator fingers and opposite the second dilator finger.
13. The speculum according to claim 12, wherein the distal ends of
the second dilator finger and third dilator finger extend beyond
the distal ends of the first dilator fingers.
14. The speculum according to claim 10, further comprising a
releasable locking mechanism configured to selectively lock the
relative positions of the first dilator fingers.
15. The speculum according to claim 14, wherein the releasable
locking mechanism comprises a first component provided on the
actuator and a second component provided on the main body, the
first and second components being arranged to selectively engage
each other when the actuator is pivoted relative to the main
body.
16. The speculum according to claim 10, wherein the a pair of first
dilator fingers are opposingly facing.
17. A speculum for dilating a body cavity comprising: a main body;
a plurality of first dilator fingers each having a proximal end and
an opposing distal end, the proximal end of each of the first
dilator fingers being movably coupled to the main body; and an
actuator pivotally coupled to the main body, the actuator biasing
against the first dilator fingers so as to cause the distal ends of
the first dilator fingers to move away from each other when the
actuator is pivoted relative to the main body; and a second dilator
finger having a proximal end and an opposing distal end, the
proximal end of the second dilator finger being coupled to the
actuator.
18. The speculum according to claim 17, wherein the first dilator
fingers are hingedly coupled to the main body.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/677,539, filed Oct. 2, 2000, which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/381,017, filed
Sep. 14, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 6,174,282 B1, which is a U.S.
nationalization of International Application No. PCT/AU98/00737,
filed Sep. 9, 1998 which claims priority to Australian Application
No. PO 9067, filed Sep. 9, 1997, which applications are
incorporated herein by specific reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. The Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to a speculum for dilating,
visualising and instrumenting a body cavity such as a vagina or
rectum.
[0004] 2. Background to the Invention
[0005] A conventional speculum comprises a plurality of dilator
members or arms which are spread by an actuator for enlarging a
body cavity. There are commonly two types of actuators, the lever
type and the cam or iris type. The lever type actuator typically
comprises a pair of handles each having one dilator arm arranged in
a manner so that when the handles are squeezed together the dilator
arms spread apart. An inherent drawback with most lever type
speculums is that the levers or handles are disposed in the line of
sight of the body cavity therefore obscuring a view of the cavity
under examination and/or interfering with the placement of medical
instruments.
[0006] In the iris type speculums, the dilator arms are moved
outwardly in a spiralling motion. As a result, the arms must slide
against the tissue in the cavity being examined which may cause
pinching of the tissue or discomfort to the patient. A further
disadvantage with the known iris type speculums is their relatively
complex construction and manufacture which increases costs to the
extent that the speculums are in general, intended for multiple
use. This therefore necessitates a strict hygiene and sterilisation
program to ensure that there is no cross infection between
patients. Accordingly, the use of iris type speculums is generally
inconvenient to practitioners and increases the cost of
service.
[0007] A further generation of speculums is known in which a
rotating annular cam bears against the side of pivotal dilator arms
causing the arms to pivot outwardly. An example of such a speculum
is shown in Applicant's International application no.
PCT/AU96/00125 (WO 96/28083). While this type of speculum has
several advantages over the lever and iris type speculums described
above, it is still relatively complex in manufacture requiring the
production of numerous separate components which must then be
assembled into the complete speculum.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a
speculum which is inexpensive to manufacture and assemble and thus
can be produced economically to facilitate once only disposable use
and does not adversely affect visualisation or instrumenting of a
body cavity.
[0009] According to the present invention there is provided a
speculum body for dilating a body cavity, said speculum including
at least:
[0010] a main body;
[0011] a plurality of first dilator fingers, each of said first
fingers having a proximal end and a distal end, said first dilator
fingers hinged at their proximal ends to said main body about
respective canted hinge axes to allow said first dilator fingers to
move with a combined upward and sideways motion; and
[0012] an actuator pivotally coupled to said main body so that said
actuator can be pivoted into abutment with said first dilator
fingers to cause said first dilator fingers to move outwardly with
said combined upward and sideways motion thereby dilating said body
cavity.
[0013] Preferably a short rib is provided on an inside surface
adjacent said proximal end of each of said first dilator fingers,
said rib being engaged by said actuator to effect said abutment of
said actuator with said first dilator fingers.
[0014] Preferably each rib is provided with a recess for receiving
said actuator when said actuator is pivoted into abutment with said
first fingers.
[0015] Preferably said rib and said hinge axis of a corresponding
first dilator finger are offset from each other in a direction
transverse to a longitudinal axis of said corresponding finger.
[0016] Preferably said hinge axis and said rib of corresponding
finger are disposed on opposite sides of said longitudinal axis of
said corresponding finger.
[0017] Preferably said main body includes a first ring-like
structure to which said first dilator fingers are hinged and said
actuator comprises a second ring-like structure which pivots inside
said first ring-like structure, said first and second ring-like
structures defining a window through which said cavity can be
viewed when said actuator is pivoted into abutment with said first
dilator fingers.
[0018] Preferably the speculum further includes a second dilator
finger located between adjacent first dilator fingers, said second
dilator finger having a proximal end attached to said actuator, a
distal end spaced from said proximal end, and opposite lateral
edges extending between said proximal end and said distal end, said
distal end of said second dilator finger extending beyond said
distal end of said first dilator fingers.
[0019] Preferably the speculum further includes a third dilator
finger coupled to said main body and located between adjacent first
dilator fingers opposite said second dilator finger, said third
dilator finger having a distal end that extends beyond said distal
end of said first dilator fingers and said distal end of said
second dilator finger.
[0020] Preferably said third dilator finger is coupled by an
integral hinge to said main body.
[0021] Preferably said actuator pivots through a first angle prior
to abutment with said first dilator fingers so that said second
finger commences to move before said first dilator fingers.
[0022] Preferably the speculum further includes a releasable
locking mechanism for locking said fingers in a desired
juxtaposition and subsequently releasing said fingers.
[0023] Preferring said releasable locking mechanism includes a
first component provided on said actuator and a second component
provided on said main body, said first and second components
arranged to engaged each other when said actuator is pushed in a
direction of insertion of said speculum into said body cavity, and
released from each other when a force is applied to said actuator
to a direction oblique to said direction of insertion.
[0024] Preferably said first component comprises one of a pawl and
a rack of teeth-like projections, and the second component
comprises the other of the pawl and the rack, said pawl and rack
being biased into engagement when said actuator is pushed in said
direction of insertion, and lifted apart to effect disengagement
when said force is applied.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described
by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which:
[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the front of a speculum in
accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the speculum shown in FIG. 1
from the rear;
[0028] FIG. 3 is a side view of the speculum;
[0029] FIG. 4 is a top view of the speculum;
[0030] FIG. 5 is a front end view of the speculum;
[0031] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the speculum; and,
[0032] FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of part of an actuator
of the speculum shown in FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0033] The speculum 10 comprises a main body 12 and a plurality (in
this instance two) first dilator fingers 14A and 14B (hereinafter
referred to collectively as "fingers 14"), which are each connected
at their respective proximal ends 16A and 16B to the main body 12.
The coupling of the fingers 14 to the main body 12 is in a manner
so that the fingers 14 and in particular their respective distal
ends 18A and 18B can move away from each other when acted upon by
actuator 20. The actuator 20 is pivotally coupled to the main body
12 so that when it is pushed in a direction of insertion of the
speculum into the body cavity, the actuator pivots into abutment
with the inside of the fingers 14 near their proximal ends 16
causing the distal ends 18 to move away from each other thereby
dilating the body cavity.
[0034] The body 12 comprises a handle 22 which terminates at its
upper end with a ring or annulus type structure 24. The fingers 14
are coupled to the structure 24 and extend in the axial direction
of the structure 24 and generally perpendicularly to the handle 22.
The fingers 14 are attached to the structure 24 by tabs which form
hinges 26. Located between the lower longitudinal edges of fingers
14A and 14B is a further finger 28. The finger 28 is fixed to the
ring like structure 24 and extends parallel to and beyond fingers
14. The main body 12, that is the handle 22, ring like structure
24, hinges 26 and fingers 14 and 28 are integrally formed as a
single unit. As is evident from FIG. 1, each hinge 26 has a hinge
axis 26H which is canted or inclined relative to its respective
fingers 14 so that when fingers 14 move they move with a combined
upwards and sideways motion. That is the hinge axis 26H about which
a finger 14 moves extends along a tangent to ring like structure 24
but is inclined from the perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of
that finger 14.
[0035] A rectangular cut-out 30 is formed on an upper part of the
structure 24 between the fingers 14A and 14B. On each side of the
cut-out 30 is an integrally formed detent 32. The detents 32
capture respective pins (not shown) formed on the actuator 20 to
provide a snap-fit pivotal connection between the actuator 20 and
the main body 12. The detents can be in the form of holes formed in
lobes provided on opposite sides of the cut-out 30 for receiving
the pins on the actuator 20.
[0036] A short rib 34 (see FIG. 2) is formed on the inside surface
of each finger 14 adjacent its proximal end 16. The rib 34 extends
in the direction of the length of its respective finger 14 and is
provided at an end adjacent the ring structure 24 with a recess 36
at its proximal end. Each rib 34 is offset from the hinge 26 of its
corresponding finger 14. Moreover, the hinge 26 and rib 34 of each
finger 14 are spaced on opposite sides of longitudinal axis 38 of
each finger 14, as seen most clearly in FIG. 6.
[0037] The actuator 20 also includes a ring like structure or shell
40 having an arcuate forward edge 42 and a rearward edge 44 which
is also arcuate but inclined to the forward edge 42 so that the
depth of the shell 40 generally increases from its top to its
bottom. Extending rearwardly and downwardly from the bottom of the
shell 40 is a thumb rest 46. The thumb rest 46 is in the form of a
concave depression formed in a downwardly depending flange 48
integrally provided on the actuator 20.
[0038] As best seen in FIG. 6, a releasable locking mechanism 52 is
provided for locking the relative positions of the fingers so as to
maintain a desired dilation of the body cavity and then allowing
subsequent release of the fingers. The locking mechanism 52
comprises a first component in the form of a pawl 54 which is
integrally formed with the actuator 20 and a rack 56 of teeth like
projections formed on the inside of the ring like structure 24 and
extending centrally along a length of the finger 28. The pawl 54 is
part of a spring like thumb actuated release mechanism 50 that is
integrally formed with forward edge 42 of the actuator 20 and
extends rearwardly to a location adjacent the rearward edge 44.
[0039] The pawl 54 includes a tongue 58 that extends in the forward
direction and disposed above the rack 56. The tongue 58 is biased
so as to normally press on the rack 56. The forward most and
rearward most ends of the tongue 58 are provided with a first barb
60 and second barb 62 respectively for engaging the rack 56. The
barbs 60 and 62 are spaced so that the second barb 62 does not
engage the rack 56 until the first barb has been pushed forward
beyond the rack 56. Ideally the second barb 62 engages the rack 56
when the speculum is approximately half fully open. In this
embodiment this corresponds roughly to the actuator 20 commencing
to push against the inside of fingers 14. The shape and location of
the second barb 62 provided for a greater bias against the rack 56
than the first barb 60.
[0040] The shape of the pawl 54, in combination with a nature of
the material from which it is made and the juxtaposition of the
actuator 20 to the main body 12 ensures that at all times at least
one of the barbs 60, 62 are maintained in bias contact with the
rack 56 when the actuator 20 is pivoted inwardly to spread the
fingers of the speculum 10. The purpose of the first barb 60 is
mainly to provide tactile feed back to the user rather than to
firmly hold the fingers in position. It is the second barb 62 that
enables the distal ends of the fingers to be held apart with
incrementally increasing spread as it engages successive teeth
along the rack 56.
[0041] To release the fingers, the release mechanism 50 is pushed
upwardly. This lifts the second barb 62 out of engagement with the
rack 56. By now also pushing backwardly the actuator can be pivoted
back in a controlled manner to close the speculum 10. The first
barb 60 can still lightly engage the rack 56 however its engagement
force is easily overcome by the upward and backward thumb pressure
applied to the mechanism 50.
[0042] The actuator 20 is provided with an integral finger 70. The
finger 70 extends from the forward edge 42 and is accommodated at
its proximal end in the cut-out 30. The previously mentioned pins
which are received in the detents 32 for pivotally coupling the
actuator 20 to the main body 12, extend laterally from opposite
sides of the proximal end of finger 70. The finger 70 is located
between the upper longitudinal edges of fingers 14A and 14B, and is
diametrically opposite the finger 28. The distal end of finger 70
together with the distal end of finger 28 form a duck bill like
structure when the actuator 20 is in the free or closed state. In
the embodiment shown, the distal end of the finger 28 extends
beyond that of the finger 70. A locating lug 71 (see FIGS. 6 and 7)
extends forward of edge 42 on opposite sides of the actuator 20 and
sits slightly above the rib 34 when the edge 42 is received in the
recess 36 of each rib 34.
[0043] The actuator 20 which includes the shell 40, thumb rest 46,
mechanism 50, pawl 54, lugs 71 and finger 70 is made as a single
integral component. Accordingly, the speculum 10 can be made from
two separate components which can be easily and quickly constructed
without the aid of any tools by pushing or otherwise locating the
pins formed on the sides of the finger 70 into the detents 32.
[0044] In order to use the speculum 10, it is simply gripped by the
handle 22 and slowly pushed into the cavity requiring dilation.
With the thumb of the operator located in the thumb rest 46, the
actuator 20 is pushed in the direction of insertion to cause the
actuator 20 to pivot about the pins located in the detents 32. This
pivoting motion results in the immediate pivoting of finger 70 so
that its distal end moves away from the distal end of finger 28.
While this occurs the barb 60 engages successive teeth on the rack
56 to provide tactile feedback of the motion of the finger 70.
After a predetermined degree of pivoting of actuator 20, further
pivoting results the barb 62 engaging the rack 56 and the forward
edge 42 seating in recess 36 and bearing against the rib 34 on each
of the fingers 14. As further thumb pressure is applied the
actuator 20 continues to pivot which results in the fingers 14A and
14B moving about their respective hinges 26 so that their distal
ends move away from each other. As the actuator 20 is pivoted, the
second barb 62 engages successive teeth on the rack 56. At any
time, if the thumb pressure is released once the barb 62 engages
one of the teeth, the fingers 14, 70 and 28 are held in a fixed
relationship to each other.
[0045] In order to allow the fingers to collapse and pivot back
toward each other, the mechanism 50 is pushed upwardly and
backwardly resulting in a lifting of the pawl 54 thereby
disengaging the barb 62 from the rack 56.
[0046] It will be appreciated that when in use, the cavity being
dilated can be visualised or instrumented through the shell 40 of
the actuator 20 and ring like structure 24 of the main body 12. As
the speculum 10 can be made from only two components and assembled
in a matter of seconds without the aid of any tools, it can be
manufactured at such a low cost that it can be used once and then
disposed of. Further, the actuator 20 is only in abutment with the
ends of fingers 14, therefore there is very little frictional
engagement of the components of the speculum 10. This avoids the
problem of the speculum "sticking open" due to high frictional
forces when in use. This may occur for example with speculums in
which an actuator pushes laterally against the inside surfaces of
dilator fingers to cause them to spread. In the present speculum,
the actuator only pushes against the proximal ends of the fingers,
essentially in the direction of insertion of the speculum.
[0047] Now that an embodiment of this invention has been described
in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant
arts that numerous modifications and variations may be made without
departing from the basic inventive concepts. For example, the
finger 28 is shown as being fixed to the main body 12 in a manner
so that it does not pivot. However, it will be possible to
construct the speculum 10 with the finger 28 supported by an
integral hinge similar to hinges 26 so that it can be pivoted away
from fingers 14 and 70. This will naturally require changes in the
design of the actuator 20 so that it also abuts the distal end of
the finger 28 to cause the pivoting motion. Further, the releasable
locking mechanism 52 is not a critical part of the invention and
can be dispensed with so that the fingers can be held apart by the
maintaining of thumb pressure on the thumb rest 46.
[0048] The speculum 10 can also be provided with one or more stops
to limit the pivoting motion of the actuator 20 and thus the degree
of spread of the fingers 14, 28 and 70. In its simplest form this
could be achieved by simply forming a stop bar or face on say the
actuator 20 to come into contact with the main body 12 after a
predetermined degree of pivoting with the actuator 20.
[0049] While the speculum 10 can be made from any material
including stainless steel, it is preferred that it be made from a
plastics material to facilitate low manufacturing cost and ease of
construction.
[0050] All such modifications and variations are deemed to be
within the scope of the present invention, the nature of which is
to be determined from the foregoing description and the appended
claims.
* * * * *