U.S. patent application number 13/998559 was filed with the patent office on 2015-05-14 for scalpel handle having a blade shield.
This patent application is currently assigned to Bosela Design LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Hien Vodinh. Invention is credited to Hien Vodinh.
Application Number | 20150133986 13/998559 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53038108 |
Filed Date | 2015-05-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150133986 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vodinh; Hien |
May 14, 2015 |
SCALPEL HANDLE HAVING A BLADE SHIELD
Abstract
A scalpel handle for holding a blade having a cutting edge
includes a handle member and a blade shield for covering the blade
cutting edge. The blade shield is connected to the handle member
for pivotal movement relative thereto between a blade-covering
condition and an out-of-the-way condition, and a movable shield
latch mechanism is capable of releasably locking the blade shield
in its blade-covering condition. A finger-operable actuator
mechanism is mounted upon the handle member for movement between
first and second conditions, and a spring is interposed between the
actuator mechanism and the handle member. During a first phase of
movement of the actuator mechanism from its first to its second
condition, the shield latch mechanism unlocks the blade shield from
its locked blade-covering condition, and during a second phase of
movement, the blade shield is moved from its blade-covering
condition to its out-of-the-way condition.
Inventors: |
Vodinh; Hien; (Knoxville,
TN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Vodinh; Hien |
Knoxville |
TN |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Bosela Design LLC
Chattanooga
TN
|
Family ID: |
53038108 |
Appl. No.: |
13/998559 |
Filed: |
November 8, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
606/172 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 2017/32113
20130101; A61B 17/3211 20130101; B26B 29/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
606/172 |
International
Class: |
A61B 17/3211 20060101
A61B017/3211 |
Claims
1. A scalpel handle for holding a blade having a cutting edge, the
scalpel handle comprising: a handle member to which a blade is
securable for use; a blade shield for covering the cutting edge of
the blade when the blade is secured to the handle member wherein
the blade shield is connected to the handle member for pivotal
movement relative thereto between a blade-covering condition at
which the blade shield covers the cutting edge of the blade and an
out-of-the way condition at which the cutting edge of the blade is
exposed for use; a manually-operable actuator mechanism which is
mounted upon the handle member for movement relative thereto
between a first condition and a second condition; and a linkage
assembly interposed between the actuator mechanism and the blade
shield, and the actuator mechanism is adapted to cooperate with the
linkage assembly so that by manually moving the actuator mechanism
from the first condition toward the second condition, the blade
shield is moved by way of the linkage assembly from its
blade-covering condition toward its out-of-the-way condition; and a
first biasing means for acting between the actuator mechanism and
the handle member so that the actuator mechanism is continually
biased from its second condition toward its first condition and so
that manual movement of the actuator mechanism from the first
condition toward the second condition moves the actuator mechanism
against the force of the first biasing means; means for releasably
locking the actuator mechanism in its second condition wherein the
means for releasably locking the actuator mechanism includes a
movable member which is mounted upon the handle member for movement
relative thereto between a locked condition at which the movable
member is interlocked with the actuator mechanism when in its
second condition for locking the actuator mechanism in its second
condition and an unlocked condition at which the movable member is
withdrawn from its interlocked relationship with the actuator
mechanism; and a second biasing means for biasing the movable
member from its unlocked condition toward its locked condition so
that upon movement of the actuator mechanism into its second,
condition, the movable member is automatically moved, by way of the
second biasing means, into its interlocked relationship with the
actuator mechanism for locking the actuator mechanism in its second
condition and thereby locking the blade shield in its
out-of-the-way condition.
2. (canceled)
3. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 1 wherein the linkage
assembly includes a lever arm which is connected to the handle
member for pivotal movement with respect thereto between a first
position which corresponds to the position of the blade shield when
in its blade-covering condition and a second position which
corresponds to the position of the blade shield when in its
out-of-the-way condition, and the actuator mechanism and the lever
arm cooperate with one another so that the return of the actuator
member from the second condition toward the first condition by way
of the first biasing means effects the movement of the blade shield
from its out-of-the-way condition to its blade-covering
condition.
4. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 1 further comprising a
shield latch mechanism for releasably locking the blade shield in
its blade-covering condition and being connected to the handle
member for movement relative thereto between one condition at which
the blade shield is releasably locked in its blade-covering
condition and another condition at which the blade shield is
released from its locked blade-covering condition; and wherein the
actuator member is adapted to be moved through a first phase of
movement and then through a second phase of movement as the
actuator mechanism is moved from the first condition to the second
condition; and the actuator mechanism is adapted to cooperate with
the shield latch mechanism and the linkage assembly so that by
manually moving the actuator mechanism through its first phase of
movement from the first condition to the second condition, the
shield latch mechanism is moved by the actuator mechanism from its
one condition to its another condition and so that by manually
moving the actuator mechanism through its second phase of movement
from the first condition to the second condition, the blade shield
is moved by way of the linkage assembly from the blade-covering
condition to the out-of-the-way condition.
5. (canceled)
6. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 4 wherein the linkage
assembly includes a lever arm which is connected to the handle
member for pivotal movement with respect thereto between a first
position which corresponds to the position of the blade shield when
in its blade-covering condition and a second position which
corresponds to the position of the blade shield when in its
out-of-the-way condition, and the actuator mechanism and the lever
arm cooperate with one another so that by permitting the actuator
member to return from its second condition toward its first
condition by way of the first biasing means effects the return of
the blade shield from its out-of-the-way condition to its
blade-covering condition.
7. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 6 wherein the linkage
assembly further includes a linkage element having a portion which
is pivotally joined to the lever arm and another portion which is
pivotally joined to the blade shield so that as the actuator
mechanism is moved through its second phase of movement from its
first condition toward its second condition, the lever arm and
linkage element act as a two-bar linkage assembly for transmitting
the movement of the actuator mechanism to the blade shield.
8. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 7 wherein the lever arm
includes a portion which is adapted to cooperatively interlock with
the blade shield when the blade shield is positioned in its
out-of-the-way condition so that as long as the lever arm portion
is cooperatively interlocked with the blade shield, the blade
shield is secured in its out-of-the-way condition.
9. (canceled)
10. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 1 wherein the movable
member includes an elongated member which is mounted upon the
handle member for sliding movement relative thereto between an
extended condition at which the elongated member cooperatively
interlocks with the actuator mechanism to secure the actuator
mechanism in its second condition and a retracted condition at
which the elongated member is withdrawn from its interlocked
relationship with the actuator mechanism.
11. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 10 wherein the second
biasing means biases the elongated member from its retracted
condition toward its extended condition so that upon movement of
the actuator mechanism into its second condition, the elongated
member is automatically moved by way of the second biasing means to
its extended condition for locking the actuator mechanism in its
second condition.
12. The shank member as defined in claim 11 wherein the elongated
member includes an accessible tab portion which accommodates the
manual movement of the elongated member from its extended condition
toward its retracted condition against the force of the second
biasing means for releasing the actuator mechanism from its second
condition.
13. A scalpel handle for holding a blade having a cutting edge, the
scalpel handle comprising: a handle member to which a blade is
securable for use; a blade shield for covering the cutting edge of
the blade when the blade is secured to the handle member wherein
the blade shield is connected to the handle member for pivotal
movement relative thereto between a blade-covering condition at
which the blade shield covers the cutting edge of the blade and an
out-of-the way condition at which the cutting edge of the blade is
exposed for use; a shield latch mechanism for releasably locking
the blade shield in its blade-covering condition and being
connected to the handle member for movement relative thereto
between one condition at which the blade shield is releasably
locked in its blade-covering condition and another condition at
which the blade shield is released from its locked blade-covering
condition; a manually-operable actuator mechanism which is mounted
upon the handle member for movement relative thereto between a
first condition and a second condition and wherein the actuator
member is moved through a first phase of movement and then through
a second phase of movement as the actuator mechanism is moved from
the first condition to the second condition; and a linkage assembly
interposed between the actuator mechanism and the blade shield; and
the actuator mechanism is adapted to cooperate with the shield
latch mechanism and the linkage assembly so that the manual
movement of the actuator mechanism through its first phase of
movement from the first condition to the second condition effects
the movement of the shield latch mechanism from its one condition
toward its another condition and so that the manual movement of the
actuator mechanism through its second phase of movement from the
first condition to the second condition effects the movement of the
blade shield by way of the linkage assembly from the blade-covering
condition toward the out-of-the-way condition; a first biasing
means for acting between the actuator mechanism and the handle
member so that the actuator mechanism is continually biased from
its second condition toward its first condition by way of the first
biasing means and so that manual movement of the actuator mechanism
from the first condition toward the second condition moves the
actuator mechanism against the force of the biasing means; and
means for releasably locking the actuator mechanism in its second
condition wherein the means for releasably locking the actuator
mechanism includes a movable member which is mounted upon the
handle member for movement relative thereto between a locked
condition at which the movable member is interlocked with the
actuator mechanism when in its second condition for locking the
actuator mechanism in its second condition and an unlocked
condition at which the movable member is withdrawn from its
interlocked relationship with the actuator mechanism; and a second
biasing means for biasing the movable member from its unlocked
condition toward its locked condition so that upon movement of the
actuator mechanism into its second condition, the movable member is
automatically moved, by way of the second biasing means, into its
interlocked relationship with the actuator mechanism for locking
the actuator mechanism in its second condition and thereby locking
the blade shield in its out-of-the-way condition.
14. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 13 wherein the actuator
mechanism and the shield latch mechanism define a first pair of
cooperating cam surfaces which are engageable with one another so
that movement of the actuator mechanism through its first phase of
movement from the first condition to the second condition urges the
actuator mechanism against the shield latch mechanism by way of the
first pair of cooperating cam surfaces so that the blade latch
mechanism is thereby moved from its one condition toward its
another condition.
15. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 14 wherein the linkage
assembly includes a lever arm which is connected to the handle
member for pivotal movement relative thereto, and the actuator
mechanism and the lever arm define a second pair of cooperating cam
surfaces which are engageable with one another so that movement of
the actuator mechanism through its second phase of movement from
the first condition to the second condition urges the actuator
mechanism against the lever arm by way of the second pair of
cooperating cam surfaces so that the lever arm is pivoted in one
direction relative to the handle member so that the blade shield is
thereby moved from its blade-covering condition toward its
out-of-the-way condition.
16. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 15 wherein the actuator
mechanism and the lever arm define a third pair of cooperating cam
surfaces which are engageable with one another so that movement of
the actuator mechanism from its second condition toward its first
condition urges the actuator mechanism against the lever arm by way
of the third pair of cooperating cam surfaces so that the lever arm
is pivoted in a direction opposite said one direction relative to
the handle member so that the blade shield is thereby moved from
its out-of-the-way condition toward its blade-covering
condition.
17. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 13 wherein the first
biasing means includes one spring for acting between the actuator
mechanism and the handle member so that the actuator mechanism is
continually biased from its second condition toward its first
condition and so that manual movement of the actuator mechanism
from the first condition and the second condition moves the
actuator mechanism against the force of the one spring.
18. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 17 further comprising
another spring for acting between the handle member and the shield
latch mechanism for continually biasing the shield latch mechanism
from its another condition toward its one condition so that the
movement of the actuator mechanism through its first phase of
movement from the first condition to the second condition moves the
shield latch mechanism from its one condition toward its another
condition against the force of the another spring.
19. The scalpel handle as defined in claim 13 wherein the handle
member is elongated in shape and each of the blade shield and the
actuator member is pivotally attached to the handle member for
pivotal movement with respect thereto about an axis of pivot which
is substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the handle
member.
20. A scalpel assembly comprising: a blade having a cutting edge; a
handle member to which the blade is secured; a blade shield for
covering the cutting edge of the blade wherein the blade shield is
connected to the handle member for pivotal movement relative
thereto between a blade-covering condition at which the blade
shield covers the cutting edge of the blade and an out-of-the way
condition at which the cutting edge of the blade is exposed for
use; a shield latch mechanism for releasably locking the blade
shield in its blade-covering condition and being connected to the
handle member for movement relative thereto between one condition
at which the blade shield is releasably locked in its
blade-covering condition and another condition at which the blade
shield is released from its locked blade-covering condition; a
spring for biasing the shield latch mechanism from its another
condition toward its one condition; a manually-operable actuator
mechanism which is mounted upon the handle member for movement
relative thereto between a first condition and a second condition
and wherein the actuator member is moved through a first phase of
movement and then through a second phase of movement as the
actuator mechanism is moved from the first condition to the second
condition; a first biasing means for acting between the actuator
mechanism and the handle member so that the actuator mechanism is
continually biased from its second condition toward its first
condition and so that manual movement of the actuator mechanism
from the first condition toward the second condition moves the
actuator mechanism against the force of the biasing means; a
linkage assembly interposed between the actuator mechanism and the
blade shield; and the actuator mechanism is adapted to cooperate
with the shield latch mechanism and the linkage assembly so that
the manual movement of the actuator mechanism through its first
phase of movement from the first condition to the second condition
effects the movement of the shield latch mechanism from its one
condition toward its another condition and so that the manual
movement of the actuator mechanism through its second phase of
movement from the first condition to the second condition effects
the movement of the blade shield by way of the linkage assembly
from the blade-covering condition toward the out-of-the-way
condition; means for releasably locking the actuator mechanism in
its second condition wherein the means for releasably locking the
actuator mechanism includes a movable member which is mounted upon
the handle member for movement relative thereto between a locked
condition at which the movable member is interlocked with the
actuator mechanism when in its second condition for locking the
actuator mechanism in its second condition and an unlocked
condition at which the movable member is withdrawn from its
interlocked relationship with the actuator mechanism; and a second
biasing means for biasing the movable member from its unlocked
condition toward its locked condition so that upon movement of the
actuator mechanism into its second condition, the movable member is
automatically moved, by way of the second biasing means, into its
interlocked relationship with the actuator mechanism for locking
the actuator mechanism in its second condition and thereby locking
the blade shield in its out-of-the-way condition.
21. (canceled)
22. The scalpel assembly as defined in claim 20 wherein the handle
member is elongated in shape and includes two opposite side
surfaces which are adapted to be grasped between the thumb and
fingers of the grasping hand of an operator during use, and at
least one of the side surfaces defines a plurality of circular
recesses disposed thereacross for accepting the tips of the thumb
or a finger of the grasping hand to facilitate the manual
manipulation of the assembly while the handle member is grasped.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to surgical scalpels and
relates, more particularly, to means and methods by which the
cutting edge of a scalpel blade is covered between periods of
use.
[0002] It is known that in order to reduce the risk of inadvertent
cuts from a scalpel in a surgical environment as, for example, the
scalpel is passed from one individual to another, the cutting blade
of the scalpel can be covered with a safety shield between periods
of use, and it is this class of shielded scalpels to which the
present invention is to be compared. One such shielded scalpel is
described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,810,241 as having an elongated handle,
a cutting blade which extends from the handle and a safety shield
which is attached to the handle for movement relative thereto
between a blade edge-covering position and an out-of-the way
position at which the cutting edge of the blade is exposed for use.
Furthermore, a manually-operable slide assembly is mounted upon the
handle for sliding movement along the length thereof, and gear
mechanisms are interposed between the slide mechanism and the
safety shield so that the movement of the shield between its
edge-covering and out-of-the-way positions is effected by the
movement of the slide assembly along the length of the handle.
[0003] It is an object of the present invention to provide a new
and improved scalpel handle having a safety shield for covering the
blade mounted upon the handle.
[0004] Another object of the present invention is to provide such a
scalpel handle having a safety shield which is movable between a
blade-covering position and an out-of-the-way position at which the
cutting edge of the blade is exposed for use and which employs an
improved scheme for moving the shield between its blade-covering
and its out-of-the-way position.
[0005] Still another object of the present invention is to provide
such a scalpel handle whose shield can be readily moved by an
operator between its blade-covering and its out-of-the-way
position.
[0006] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide
such a scalpel handle having an actuator mechanism which can be
depressed by a finger (e.g. the index finger) of the hand which
grasps the handle for moving the blade shield from its
blade-covering position to its out-of-the-way position and whose
blade shield can be releasably locked in its out-of-the-way
position.
[0007] A further object of the present invention is to provide such
a scalpel handle whose blade shield can be readily unlocked from
its locked, out-of-the-way position.
[0008] A still further object of the present invention is to
provide such a scalpel handle having a grip which is designed to
reduce the likelihood of slip between the handle and the grasping
hand and to facilitate the manipulation of the scalpel handle with
the grasping hand during use.
[0009] A yet further object of the present invention is to provide
such a scalpel handle which is uncomplicated in structure, yet
effective in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] This invention resides in a scalpel handle for holding a
blade having a cutting edge.
[0011] The scalpel handle includes a handle member to which a blade
is securable for use and a blade shield for covering the cutting
edge of the blade when the blade is secured to the handle member.
In addition, the blade shield is connected to the handle member for
pivotal movement relative thereto between a blade-covering
condition at which the blade shield covers the cutting edge of the
blade and an out-of-the way condition at which the cutting edge of
the blade is exposed for use. The handle further includes a
manually-operable actuator mechanism which is mounted upon the
handle member for movement relative thereto between a first
condition and a second condition, and a linkage assembly is
interposed between the actuator mechanism and the blade shield. The
actuator mechanism is adapted to cooperate with the linkage
assembly so that by manually moving the actuator mechanism from the
first condition toward the second condition, the blade shield is
moved by way of the linkage assembly from its blade-covering
condition toward its out-of-the-way condition.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a scalpel assembly within
which features of the present invention are embodied.
[0013] FIG. 2 is an alternative perspective view of the scalpel
assembly of FIG. 1, but having a portion cut-away.
[0014] FIGS. 3-5 are side elevation views of the FIG. 1 scalpel
assembly as seen generally from the left in FIG. 1 illustrating the
blade shield of the assembly when positioned in either its
blade-covering condition (FIGS. 3 and 4) or its out-of-the-way
condition (FIG. 5) and illustrating sequential positions of the
finger-depressible actuator mechanism when depressed for the
purpose of moving the blade shield from the blade-covering
condition to its out-of-the-way condition.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fragment of the scalpel
assembly of FIG. 1, shown exploded.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the blade shield of the FIG.
1 scalpel assembly.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the finger-depressible
actuator mechanism of the FIG. 1 scalpel assembly.
[0018] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the torsion spring of the
FIG. 1 scalpel assembly.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the actuator latch
mechanism of the FIG. 1 scalpel assembly.
[0020] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the shield latch mechanism
of the FIG. 1 scalpel assembly.
[0021] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a linkage element of the
linkage assembly of the FIG. 1 scalpel assembly.
[0022] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a lever arm of the linkage
assembly of the FIG. 1 scalpel assembly.
[0023] FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the componentry of the FIG. 1
scalpel assembly shown in the circle A of FIG. 3, but with the
lever arm removed therefrom.
[0024] FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the componentry of the FIG. 1
scalpel assembly shown in the circle B of FIG. 4, but with the
lever arm removed therefrom.
[0025] FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the componentry of the FIG. 1
scalpel assembly shown in the circle C of FIG. 5, but with the
lever arm removed therefrom and a fragment of the handle member and
blade shield shown in longitudinal cross section.
[0026] FIG. 17 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the FIG. 1
scalpel assembly corresponding to the position of the scalpel
assembly componentry depicted in FIG. 3.
[0027] FIG. 17a is an enlarged view of the fragment of the FIG. 1
scalpel assembly shown in the circle D of FIG. 17.
[0028] FIG. 18 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the FIG. 1
scalpel assembly corresponding to the position of the scalpel
assembly componentry depicted in FIG. 4.
[0029] FIG. 18a is an enlarged view of the fragment of the FIG. 1
scalpel assembly shown in the circle E of FIG. 18.
[0030] FIG. 19 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the FIG. 1
scalpel assembly corresponding to the position of the scalpel
assembly componentry depicted in FIG. 5.
[0031] FIG. 19a is an enlarged view of the fragment of the FIG. 1
scalpel assembly shown in the circle F of FIG. 19.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT
[0032] Turning now to the drawings in greater detail and
considering first FIGS. 1-5, there is illustrated an embodiment,
generally indicated 20, of a scalpel, or scalpel assembly, within
which features of the present invention are embodied. Briefly, the
scalpel 20 includes means, generally indicated 18, providing a
handle of the scalpel 20 and an elongated blade 24 which is
connected to the handle-providing means 18. The handle-providing
means 18 of the depicted scalpel 20 includes an elongated handle
member 22 to which the elongated blade 24 is fixedly secured
adjacent one end of the handle member 22 and further includes a
blade shield 26 which is joined to the handle member 22 for pivotal
movement of the shield 26 between a first condition, as illustrated
in FIGS. 1-4, at which the shield 26 covers the cutting edge of the
blade 24 and a second condition, as illustrated in FIG. 5, at which
the shield 26 is moved to an out-of-the-way position against the
underside (as viewed in FIGS. 1-5) of the handle member 22 so that
the cutting edge of the blade 24 is exposed for use.
[0033] The invention described herein can be embodied in both
reusable or disposable scalpels. Accordingly, the principles of the
present invention can be variously applied.
[0034] The scalpel 20 further includes a manually-operable, or a
finger-depressible, actuator mechanism 30 which is pivotally joined
to the handle member 22 for movement between a raised (or first)
condition, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and a fully-depressed (or
second) condition, as illustrated in FIG. 5, and a plurality of
components, described herein, for moving the shield 26 from its
first, or FIG. 3 blade-covering, condition to its second, or FIG. 5
out-of-the-way, condition upon depression of the actuator mechanism
30 from its FIG. 3 raised condition to its FIG. 5 fully-depressed
condition. Additional componentry (described herein) of the scalpel
20 enables the actuator mechanism 30 to be releasably locked in its
FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition and automatically return the
actuator mechanism 30 to its FIG. 3 raised condition and
automatically return the shield 26 to its FIG. 3 blade-covering
condition when the actuator mechanism 30 is unlocked (and thereby
released) from its fully-depressed FIG. 5 condition.
[0035] With reference to FIGS. 3-6, the handle member 22 includes
an elongated body 32 having opposite front and rear ends 34 and 36,
respectively, and defines two opposite side surfaces 38 and 40. The
handle member 22 is relatively thin as measured between its
opposite side surfaces 38 and 40 and includes a forwardly-extending
blade support 28 to which the blade 24 is rigidly secured. Inasmuch
as the scalpel 20 is intended to be grasped by an operator, or
user, as the handle member 22 rests atop of the web of the hand
which extends between the thumb and index finger of the grasping
hand and the tips of the index finger and thumb of the grasping
hand are positioned against the side surfaces 38 and 40 of the
handle member 22 during use, it is preferred that the side surfaces
38 and 40 are provided with a plurality of circular recesses 42
disposed thereacross to both reduce the likelihood that the scalpel
20 will slip in any direction relative to the grasping hand during
a surgical, or cutting, procedure and facilitate the manipulation
of the handle member 22 during a cutting process performed with the
scalpel 20. In this connection, the circular recesses 42 are sized
to accept the tips of the fingers or thumbs of the operator's hand
used to grasp the handle member 20 to reduce slip between the
handle member 22 and the operator's hand while permitting the
handle member 22 to be pivoted, as necessary, about the tips of the
fingers and thumb of the grasping hand to alter the angular
orientation of the handle member 22 during a cutting process.
[0036] In addition and as will be described herein, the body 32 of
the handle member 22 is provided with a plurality of
through-openings, post portions and other formations which
facilitate the attachment of other scalpel componentry to the
handle member 22. In this regard, the body 32 of the handle member
22 defines an elongated groove 31 (best shown in FIG. 6) in its
upper surface which extends along at least a portion of a segment
of the handle member body 32 and a pair of through-slots 33, 35
disposed along each side of the groove 31 which extend, or
communicate, between the interior of the groove 31 and the side
surfaces 38 and 40. In addition, the rearwardmost end of the
elongated groove 31 terminates at an abutment surface 37 whose
purpose will be apparent herein.
[0037] With reference still to FIG. 6, the front end 34 of the body
32 of the handle member 22 includes a first post portion 39 which
extends away from the side of the handle member 22 which defines
the side surface 40 and a second post portion 41 which extends away
from the side of the handle member 22 which defines the side
surface 38. Moreover, the front end 34 is provided with a circular
recess 45 which opens out of the side surface 38, a
transversely-extending through-opening 43 with which the blade
shield 26 is connected to the handle member 22 and a
transversely-extending through-opening 47 (of relatively small
diameter) with which the actuator member 30 is secured to the
handle member 22. In addition, the front end 34 of the body 32
defines a forwardly-facing abutment surface 64 disposed rearwardly
of the post portion 41 whose purpose will be apparent herein. If
the scalpel handle 18 is not intended to be reused, the body 32 of
the handle member 22 is preferably formed in one piece out of a
hard plastic material, but other materials can be used. In the
alternative and if the scalpel handle 18 is intended to be reused,
the handle member 22 is preferably constructed out of metal, such
as stainless steel.
[0038] As best shown in FIG. 6, the blade 24 of the scalpel 20 is
elongated and relatively thin in shape and defines a relatively
sharp cutting edge 44 which extends along one (i.e. the lower edge
as viewed in FIG. 6) of its edges. As is the case with common
scalpel blades, the blade 24 defines an elongated slot 25 which is
disposed medially of and extends along the blade body which enables
the blade 24 to be secured to the blade support 28. To this end and
for purposes of holding a replaceable blade 24, the blade support
28 (FIG. 6) is fashioned with a fitting 27 which is adapted to
cooperate with the blade 24 in a manner which is well-known in the
art to releasably attach the blade 24 to the blade support 28.
Suffice it to say that in order to secure the blade 24 to the
support 28, the blade 24 is positioned against the blade support 28
so that the elongated slot 25 accepts the fitting 27 of the support
28 and so that the blade 24 is thereby rigidly secured to the
handle member 22. If the scalpel handle 22 is constructed of
plastic and not intended to be reused (i.e. intended to be
discarded with the blade following its initial use), the slot 25 of
the blade 24 could be first positioned about the fitting 27, and
the fitting 27 can be subsequently heated to heat seal the blade 24
in place. The blade 24 is preferably constructed of metal, such as
stainless steel, but other materials can be used.
[0039] With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the blade shield 26
includes a body 46 having a bifurcated proximal portion 48 having a
pair of prongs 50, 52 through which is defined a through-opening 54
with which the shield 26 is pivotally connected to the handle
member 22 and further has an elongated distal portion 56 which
extends from the proximal portion 48. One prong 50 of the proximal
portion 48 also includes a boss 58 which is spaced radially from
the through-opening 54 and defines a through-bore 60 whose purpose
will be apparent herein. Meanwhile, the distal portion 56 is
somewhat arcuate in shape as a path is traced along the length
thereof and defines a blade-accepting groove 62 which extends
therealong. The groove 62 is provided with a bottom whose shape is
substantially complementary to the curvature of the blade cutting
edge 44 so that when the shield 26 is positioned in its FIG. 3
blade-covering condition, the groove 62 accepts, and thereby
covers, the blade cutting edge 44. Furthermore, there is provided
within the prong 50 of the proximal portion 48 a finger portion 49
which extends substantially radially of the through-opening 54 and
is provided with a tangentially-directed surface 72 adjacent the
(free) end of the finger portion 49. In addition, a V-shaped notch
51 is formed in the proximal portion 48 so as to open radially of
the through-opening 54. As will be apparent herein, the finger
portion 49 is used to hold the blade shield 26 in its FIG. 3 (of
FIG. 14) blade-covering condition, and the notch 51 is used to hold
the blade shield in its FIG. 5 out-of-the-way condition.
[0040] To pivotally secure the shield 26 to the handle member 22,
the prongs 50, 52 of the proximal portion 48 are positioned about
the body 32 of the handle member 22 adjacent the front end 34
thereof so that the through-opening 54 is aligned with the
through-opening 43 (FIG. 6) of the handle member 22, and then a
pivot pin 66 is inserted through and secured within the aligned
openings 54 and 43. If desired, the pin 66 can be molded so that
its shank is provided with an enlarged end portion 67 so that when
the pin 66 is inserted enlarged end portion-first through the
aligned openings 54 and 43, the pin 66 is secured through the
openings 54 and 43 in a snap-fit relationship therein.
[0041] It will be understood that with the blade shield 26 being
pivotally secured to the handle member 22 as aforedescribed by way
of the pivot pin 66, the shield 26 can be pivoted between the
condition illustrated in FIG. 3 at which the distal portion 56 of
the blade shield 26 extends forwardly of the handle member 22 and
the cutting edge 44 of the blade 24 is accepted by the groove 62 of
the distal portion 56 and the condition illustrated in FIG. 5 (and
FIG. 10) at which the distal portion 56 extends rearwardly of the
front end 34 of the handle member 22 so that the distal portion 56
is disposed remote of the cutting edge 44. In other words, when the
shield 26 is positioned in its FIG. 5 out-of-the-way condition, the
distal portion 56 is positioned against the underside of the handle
member 22, and the cutting edge 44 of the blade 24 is exposed for
use of the scalpel 20. In order that the distal portion 50 be
substantially hidden from view when positioned in its FIG. 5
condition, the underside of the handle member 22 has been provided
with a shield-accepting groove 61 (best shown in FIGS. 17, 18 and
19) having an arcuate surface 63 against which the distal portion
56 is adapted to rest. It will also be understood that the axis of
pivot, indicated 68 in FIGS. 3-5, about which the shield 26 is
pivotally moved between its FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 conditions is
oriented substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the
handle member 22, and as the shield 26 is moved between its FIG. 3
and FIG. 5 positions, the shield 26 moves through about 180 degrees
of movement.
[0042] As best shown in FIG. 8, the manually-operable actuator
mechanism 30 of the scalpel assembly 20 includes an elongated body
74 having a connection portion through which a through-opening 76
is defined and with which the actuator mechanism 30 is pivotally
connected to the body 32 of the handle member 22. To this end and
with reference again to FIG. 6, the actuator mechanism 30 is
positioned atop the handle member 22 so that the through-opening 76
is aligned with the through-opening 47 provided in the body 32 of
the handle member 22, and the end of a torsion spring 78 (FIG. 6)
is inserted through the aligned through-openings 76 and 47 to
pivotally secure the actuator mechanism 30 to the handle member 22.
The body 74 of the actuator mechanism 30 also includes a
finger-depressible end having a platform portion 80 whose upper
surface 82 is substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the
through-opening 76. Preferably, the upper surface 82 is bordered by
a rim which enhances the frictional grip between the upper surface
80 and a finger with which the upper surface 82 is intended to be
depressed.
[0043] The actuator mechanism 30 further includes a depending
portion 84 situated beneath the underside, as viewed in FIG. 8, of
the platform portion 80. The depending portion 84 defines a
C-shaped notch 86 which opens somewhat rearwardly of the handle
member 22 when the actuator mechanism 30 is secured to the handle
member 22 by way of the torsion spring 78 (FIG. 6), and the
depending portion 84 further includes a downwardly-directed boss 87
defining a cam surface 88 disposed along the underside thereof and
additional cam surfaces 224 (FIG. 17a) and 225 (FIG. 18a)
associated with the interior of the notch 86 whose purpose will be
apparent herein.
[0044] It will be understood that with the manually-operable
actuator mechanism 30 pinned, and thereby connected, to the handle
member 22 by way of the torsion spring 78, the body 74 of the
actuator mechanism 30 can be pivotally moved with respect to the
handle member 22 between a raised condition, as illustrated in FIG.
3, and a fully-depressed condition, as illustrated in FIG. 5. As
the actuator mechanism 30 is moved between its FIG. 3 and FIG. 5
conditions, its axis of pivot, indicated 94 in FIGS. 17, 18 and 19,
relative to the handle body 32 is substantially normal to the
longitudinal axis of the handle member body 32 and the path of
movement of the actuator mechanism 30 relative to the handle member
body 32 is substantially contained in a plane which contains the
longitudinal axis of the handle member body 32.
[0045] The scalpel 20 also includes biasing means, generally
indicated 100 in FIG. 6, for biasing the actuator mechanism 30 from
the FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition toward the FIG. 3 raised
condition. Within the depicted scalpel 20 and with reference to
FIGS. 6 and 9, the biasing means 100 is the torsion spring 78,
introduced earlier, having a coiled mid-portion 104 and a crooked
leg portion 106 (having a straight portion 107) and an elongated
portion 108 which are joined at opposite ends of the coiled
mid-portion 104. To secure the torsion spring 102 in place within
the scalpel 20, the actuator member 30 is positioned against the
handle member 22 so that the through-opening 76 of the actuator
member 30 is aligned with the through-opening 47 of the handle
member 22 and the coiled mid-portion 104 is directed over the first
post portion 39 (FIG. 6) of the handle member 22 while the straight
portion 107 of the crooked leg portion 106 is simultaneously
directed through the aligned through-openings 76 and 47. The
elongated portion 108 of the spring 78 is then moved (about the
post portion 39 in the direction indicated by the FIG. 6 arrow 102
in opposition to the biasing force of the coiled mid-portion 104)
and manipulated into position against the underside of the platform
portion 80 of the actuator mechanism 30. Preferably, the underside
of the platform portion 80 is provided with an elongated groove 110
(FIG. 8) for accepting, and thereby retaining, the elongated
portion 108 in place as it bears against the underside of the
platform portion 80. With the elongated attachment portion 108
bearing against the underside of the platform portion 80 and the
crooked leg portion 106 retainably positioned within the aligned
through-openings 76 and 47, the torsion spring 78 acts between the
handle member body 32 and the platform portion 80 to thereby urge
the actuator mechanism 30 about the pivot axis 94 (FIGS. 17, 18 and
19) from the FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition toward the FIG. 3
raised condition at which the forward end portion 240 (FIG. 6) of
the actuator mechanism 30 abuts (and thereby rests against) the
upper surface of the handle member 22.
[0046] It is also a feature of the scalpel 20 that it includes
means, generally indicated 114 in FIGS. 6, 18 and 19, for
releasably locking the actuator mechanism 30 in its FIG. 5
fully-depressed condition. To this end, the depending portion 84 of
the actuator member 30 includes a rearwardly-facing notch 112 (best
shown in FIG. 8) disposed directly beneath the platform portion 80,
and the scalpel 20 includes a spring-biased actuator latch
mechanism 122 (best shown in FIG. 10) which is accepted by the
groove 31 (FIGS. 6, 17, 18 and 19) for sliding movement therealong
between first and second limits of travel. To this end and with
reference again to FIG. 10, the latch mechanism 122 is in the form
of an elongated shank member having two opposite forward and
rearward end portions 124 and 126, respectively, and there is
provided at the forward end 124 a forwardly-extending tab 128 which
is adapted to be accepted by the rearwardly-facing notch 112 (FIG.
8) provided in the depending portion 84 of the actuator mechanism
30. In addition, there is provided at the rearward portion 126 of
the latch mechanism 122 a rearwardly-directed post 130 and an
upwardly-extending tab 132. An elongated compression spring 134
(FIGS. 6 and 17) is positioned about the post 130, and the latch
mechanism 122 is positioned within the groove 31 (FIG. 6) so that
the spring 134 abuts the abutment surface 37 of the groove 31 and
is thereby adapted to act between the abutment surface 37 of the
groove 31 and the rearward end portion 126 of the latch mechanism
122 so that the latch mechanism 122 is spring-biased forwardly
along the groove 31 of the handle member body 32.
[0047] The latch mechanism 122 is permitted to slidably move
relative to and along the length of the groove 31 between a first,
or forward, limit of travel, as shown in FIG. 19, at which the
forwardly-extending tab 128 is accepted by the rearwardly-facing
notch 112 of the actuator mechanism 30 and a second, or rearward
limit of travel at which the latch mechanism 122 has been forcibly
urged (against the force of the compression spring 134) rearwardly
along the groove 31 until the forwardly-extending tab 128 is fully
withdrawn from the notch 112. It therefore follows that the latch
mechanism 122 is urged by the compression spring 134 from its
second, or rearward, limit of travel toward its first, or forward,
limit of travel.
[0048] As the actuator mechanism 30 is depressed from its FIG. 1
raised condition, the base, indicated 116 in FIG. 8, of the
depending portion 84 is permitted to slide along the forward edge
of the forwardly-extending tab 128 so that the latch mechanism 122
is urged rearwardly along the groove 31. When the actuator
mechanism 30 reaches its FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition--at which
point the opening of the notch 112 is positioned in operative
registry (i.e. becomes aligned with) the tab 128 of the latch
mechanism 122, the tab 128 is urged, under the influence of the
spring 134, into the notch 112 (as best illustrated in FIGS. 19 and
19a) to thereby releasably secure the actuator mechanism 30 in its
FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition.
[0049] To release the actuator mechanism 30 from its FIG. 5 locked,
fully-depressed condition, the latch mechanism 122 is forcibly
urged rearward against the force of the spring 134 to withdraw the
tab 128 from the notch 112 so that the actuator mechanism 30 is
thereafter permitted to return to its FIG. 3 raised condition under
the influence of the torsion spring 78 (FIG. 6). The
upwardly-extending tab 132 provided along the length of the latch
mechanism 122 provides an operator with a convenient means, or
surface, against which the operator can urge the latch mechanism
122 rearwardly of the groove 31 with, for example, a finger (e.g.
the index finger) of the grasping hand for the purpose of releasing
the actuator mechanism 30 from its locked, fully-depressed
condition.
[0050] With reference again to FIGS. 6 and 10, the latch mechanism
122 is also provided with two pairs of tabs 136, 138 which project
from the sides thereof and which are accepted by the corresponding
pairs of slots 33, 35 (FIG. 6) provided along the sides of the
groove 31. These tabs 136, 138 are resilient in nature and are
appropriately located with respect to the through-slots 33, 35 so
that when the latch mechanism 122 is manipulated into place within
the groove 31, the tabs 136, 138 are accepted by the through-slots
33, 35 in a snap-fit relationship therewith and so that the latch
mechanism 122 is releasably held within the groove 31 by the tabs
136, 138. It will also be understood that each of the through-slots
33, 35 is provided with a length sufficient to accommodate the
sliding movement of the latch mechanism 122 between the
aforedescribed forward and rearward limits of travel along the
groove 31.
[0051] As will be apparent herein, the biasing force of the torsion
spring 78 exerted against the actuator mechanism 30 holds the blade
shield 26 in its FIG. 3 (and FIG. 17) blade-covering condition
until the platform portion 80 of the actuator mechanism 30 is
depressed by a finger (i.e. the index finger) of the operator.
Furthermore, once the actuator mechanism 30 has been unlocked from
its FIG. 5 (and FIG. 19) fully-depressed condition (by withdrawing
the tab 128 of the latch mechanism 122 from the notch 112), the
actuator mechanism 30 is automatically returned to its FIG. 3
raised condition by the torsion spring 78. In connection with the
foregoing, there is situated between the actuator mechanism 30 and
the blade shield 26 an arrangement of components, described herein,
which effect the movement of the blade shield 26 from its FIG. 3
(and FIG. 17) blade-coving condition to its FIG. 5 (and FIG. 19)
out-of-the-way, or blade-exposing, condition as the actuator
mechanism 30 is depressed and which also effects the return of the
blade shield 26 from its FIG. 3 (and FIG. 17) blade-exposing
condition to its FIG. 5 (and FIG. 19) out-of-the-way condition upon
release of the actuator mechanism 30 from its FIG. 5 (and FIG. 19)
fully-depressed condition.
[0052] With reference to FIG. 11, the aforementioned arrangement of
components situated between the actuator mechanism 30 and the blade
shield 26 includes a shield latch mechanism 150 which is disposed
between the actuator mechanism 30 and the blade shield 26 which, in
use, releasably locks the shield 26 in its FIG. 3 blade-covering
condition and cooperates with the actuator mechanism 30 so that
when the actuator mechanism 30 is depressed from its FIG. 3 raised
condition, the shield latch mechanism 150 releases the blade shield
26 from its FIG. 3 blade-covering condition. In this connection and
as illustrated in FIGS. 6, 11 and 14-16, the shield latch mechanism
150 includes a substantially platen-like body 152 having a
through-bore 154 with which the body 152 is pivotally joined to the
handle member body 32. To this end, the shield latch mechanism 150
is arranged against the handle member body 32 by directing the
through-bore 154 of the latch mechanism body 152 over the post
portion 41 (FIG. 6) of the handle member 22. It follows that when
positioned about the post portion 41, the shield latch mechanism
150 is capable of pivoting relative to the handle member 22 between
alternative angular positions (described herein).
[0053] The body 152 of the shield latch mechanism 150 includes a
forward portion 155 disposed forwardly of the through-bore 154 and
an opposite rearward portion 156. As best shown in FIGS. 6 and 11,
the forward portion 155 is provided with a shape along its
periphery so as to provide a hook-providing shoulder 158 which is
capable of being hooked about the tip of the finger portion 49
(FIGS. 7 and 14) of the blade shield body 46 for releasably locking
the blade shield 26 in its FIG. 3 blade-covering condition.
Meanwhile, the rearward portion 156 of the shield latch mechanism
150 is shaped so as to provide an arcuate-shaped cam surface 166
(along its uppermost portion) which is capable of being
cooperatively engaged by the cam surface 88 (FIG. 8) defined along
the boss 87 of the depending portion 84 of the actuator mechanism
30 as will be described herein. Furthermore, the rearward portion
156 (FIG. 11) is provided with a rearwardly-opening cutout 168
having a bottom 169, and a small leaf spring 170 is secured against
the bottom 169 of the cutout 168. More specifically and as best
shown in FIG. 11, the leaf spring 170 has two opposite ends 172,
174 and an arcuate mid-portion 176 which extends between the spring
ends 172, 174, and it is (at least one of) the spring ends 172, 174
which are glued (or otherwise secured) against the bottom 169 of
the cutout 168 to hold the spring 170 within the cutout 168. When
the shield latch 150 is mounted upon the handle member body 32
(i.e. positioned about the post portion 41 thereof), the forward
portion 155 of the shield latch body 152 is disposed forwardly of
the post portion 41, the cam surface 166 is disposed directly
beneath the cam surface 88 (FIG. 6) of the actuator member 30, and
the mid-portion 176 of the leaf spring 170 is positioned so as to
engage (and act against) the abutment surface 64 of the handle
member body 32, as best shown in FIGS. 14-16.
[0054] With the shield latch mechanism 150 positioned about the
post portion 41 of the handle member body 32 as aforedescribed, the
leaf spring 170 continually biases the shield latch mechanism 150
in one rotational, or pivotal, direction about the post portion 41
toward one condition, as illustrated in FIG. 14, at which the
hook-providing shoulder 158 is hooked about the tip of the finger
portion 49 of the blade shield 26--and thus releasably lock the
blade shield 26 in its FIG. 3 blade-covering condition, from
another condition, as illustrated in FIG. 15, at which the
hook-providing shoulder 158 is elevated above, so as to clear, the
tip of the finger portion 49 of the blade shield 26--and thereby
release the blade shield 26 from its FIG. 3 locked, blade-covering
condition. In other words, the leaf spring 170 continually urges
the shield latch 150 to rotate, or pivot, in a clockwise direction
(as viewed in FIGS. 14 and 15) about the post portion 41 from the
aforedescribed another (i.e. FIG. 15) condition toward the
aforedescribed one (i.e. FIG. 14) condition.
[0055] As mentioned above, the hook-providing shoulder 158 of the
shield latch 150 is adapted to hook about the tip of the finger
portion 49 of the blade shield body 46 to thereby releasably lock
the blade shield 26 in its FIG. 3 blade-covering condition.
Accordingly, the shield latch 150 is disposed in such a
relationship to the blade shield 26 so then when the blade shield
26 is positioned in its FIG. 3 blade-covering condition and the
shield latch mechanism 150 is positioned in its one (FIG. 14)
condition with respect to the handle member body 32, the
hook-providing shoulder 158 is hooked about the tip of the finger
portion 49. Therefore and when the shield latch 150 is subsequently
moved to its another (FIG. 15) condition with respect to the handle
member body 22 (and against the biasing force of the leaf spring
170), the hook-providing shoulder 158 of the latch mechanism 150 is
positioned above so as to clear the tip of the finger portion 49
and thereby release the blade shield 26 from its FIG. 3 locked,
blade-covering condition.
[0056] In addition and as mentioned earlier, the cam surface 88
(FIG. 6) of the actuator mechanism 30 is engageable with the cam
surface 166 (FIG. 11) provided along the rearward portion 156 of
the shield latch body 152, and these engageable cam surfaces 88 and
166 are shaped so that when the actuator mechanism 30 is depressed
from its FIG. 3 raised condition toward its FIG. 5 fully-depressed
condition, the cam surface 88 moves downwardly against the cam
surface 166 so that the shield latch mechanism 150 is forced to
rotate or pivot (e.g. counter-clockwise as viewed in FIG. 14) from
the depicted FIG. 14 condition toward the depicted FIG. 15
condition and against the biasing force of the leaf spring 170 and
so that the shield latch mechanism 150 (by way of the
hook-providing shoulder 158) releases the blade shield 26 from its
FIG. 5 blade-covering condition. As will be apparent herein and
within the depicted scalpel 20, it is during a first phase of
movement of the actuator mechanism 30 from its FIG. 3 raised
condition toward its FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition that the
shield latch mechanism 150 releases the tip of the finger portion
49 and thus releases the blade shield 26 from its locked,
blade-covering condition of FIG. 14.
[0057] With reference again to FIG. 6, the scalpel 20 further
includes a linkage assembly, generally indicated 180, with which
the downwardly-directed movement of the actuator member 30 from the
FIG. 3 raised condition to the FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition is
transmitted to the blade shield 26 so that the blade shield 26 is
rotated about the FIG. 6 pivot pin 66 (i.e. the pivot axis 68 of
FIGS. 17, 18 and 19) from the FIG. 3 blade-covering condition to
the FIG. 5 out-of-the-way condition. Within the depicted scalpel
20, the linkage assembly 180 includes a lever arm 182 (FIGS. 6 and
13) and a linkage element 184 (FIGS. 6 and 12) which are joined to
one another and between the actuator member 30 and the blade shield
26 so that upon movement of the actuator mechanism 30 downwardly
from the position at which the shield latch mechanism 150 is
released by the hook-providing shoulder 158, the actuator mechanism
30 urges the lever arm 182 to move in a manner described herein
which, in turn, effects a desired movement of the linkage element
184 which, in turn, effects the desired rotation of the blade
shield 26 from its FIG. 3 blade-covering condition to its FIG. 5
out-of-the-way condition.
[0058] With regard to the foregoing and as best shown in FIG. 13,
the lever arm 182 includes an elongated body 190 having two
opposite ends 192 and 194, and one end 192 of the lever arm 182
defines a through-opening 196 with which the linkage element 184 is
pivotally connected to the lever arm 182, as will be explained
herein. The body 190 of the lever arm 182 includes a post portion
198 situated adjacent the end 194 of the body 190 opposite the end
192 so as to extend substantially normal to the longitudinal axis
of the body 190 and a finger portion 200 which extends radially
from the post portion 198. The lever arm 182 is pivotally attached
to the handle member body 32 by way of the post portion 198 as the
post portion 198 is directed endwise into the circular recess 45
(FIG. 6) which opens from one side surface 38 of the handle member
body 32. With the post portion 182 positioned within the circular
recess 45 in this manner, the end 192 of the lever arm 182 is
capable of being pivoted about the circular recess 45 (i.e. the
pivot axis 201 of FIGS. 14-16), and thus relative to the handle
member 22, between a first condition, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and
4, at which the end 192 of the lever arm 182 is in an elevated
condition and a second condition, as illustrated in FIG. 5, at
which the end 192 has dropped (from the position illustrated in
FIGS. 3 and 4) to a lowered condition.
[0059] Meanwhile and with reference to FIG. 12, the linkage element
184 includes a body 206 which is formed somewhat in the shape of a
U having a base portion 208 and a pair of parallel pin portions 210
and 212 which extend from the base portion 208 and thereby provide
the legs of the U shape of the linkage element body 206. With
reference again to FIG. 6, the linkage element 184 is pivotally
joined to both the lever arm 182 and the blade shield 26 as the pin
portion 210 is positioned and secured within the through-opening
196 of the lever arm 182 and as the pin portion 212 is positioned
and secured within the through-bore 60 defined within the proximal
portion 48 of the blade shield 26. Preferably, each of the ends of
the pin portions 210 and 212 are slightly enlarged in size to
accommodate a snap-fit relationship within the through-opening 196
or through-bore 60 when positioned therein.
[0060] With the end 194 of the lever arm 182 anchored to (i.e.
pivotally mounted upon) the handle member 22 by way of the circular
recess 45 and the blade shield 26 anchored to (i.e. pivotally
mounted upon) the handle member 22 by way of the pivot pin 66,
movement of the actuator mechanism 30 between the raised condition
of FIG. 3 and the fully-depressed condition of FIG. 5 forces the
lever member 182 and linkage element 184 to operate as a two-bar
linkage assembly whose paths of movement are fixed according to the
location to which the lever member 182 and linkage element 184 are
connected to one another and to the blade shield 26. Within the
depicted scalpel 20, the location of the pivot axis, indicated 204
in FIG. 14, about which linkage element 194 is permitted to pivot
relative to the lever arm 182 (by way of the pin portion 210) and
the location of the pivot axis, indicated 206 in FIG. 14, about
which the blade shield 26 is permitted to pivot relative to the
linkage element 194 (by way of the pin portion 212) have been
predetermined so that as the end 192 of the lever arm 182 is
pivoted about its post portion 198 (i.e. the pivot axis 201)
between the elevated condition of FIG. 3 and the lowered condition
of FIG. 5, the linkage element 184 is forced to rotate the blade
shield 26 through about 180 degrees of movement or, in other words,
between the blade-covering condition of FIG. 3 and the
out-of-the-way condition of FIG. 5. In connection with the
foregoing and as best shown in FIG. 14, a first imaginary line
which is drawn between the pivot axes 204 and 206 is spaced by a
distance 214 (FIGS. 14 and 16) from a second imaginary line drawn
parallel to the first imaginary line which intersects the pivot
axis 68.
[0061] When the scalpel 20 is used in a cutting, or surgical,
operation, it is desirable that the blade shield 26 be maintained
in a relatively secure condition against the underside (i.e. the
arcuate groove surface 63 of FIGS. 17, 18 and 19) of the handle
member 22. With this in mind and to prevent the blade shield 26
(or, more specifically, the distal portion 56 of the blade shield
26) from unintentionally falling downwardly from its position
against the groove surface 63 of the handle member 22, one end 192
of the lever arm 182 is provided with a V-shaped hook portion 220
(FIGS. 6 and 13) which is accepted by the V-shaped notch 51 defined
in the proximal portion 48 of the blade shield 26 when the blade
shield 26 is positioned in its FIG. 5 out-of-the-way condition, as
best shown in FIG. 5. As long as the end 192 of the lever arm 194
is positioned within its FIG. 5 lowered condition, the hook portion
220 and notch 51 cooperate to prevent the blade shield 26 from
dislodging or inadvertently falling from its position against the
groove surface 63 of the handle member 22 when the shield 26 is
positioned in its FIG. 5 out-of-the-way condition.
[0062] It is a feature of the scalpel 20 that the end 192 of the
lever arm 182 is forcibly moved downwardly from the raised
condition of FIG. 3 to the lowered condition of FIG. 5 to thereby
move the blade shield 26 from the blade-covering condition of FIG.
3 to the out-of-the-way condition of FIG. 5 upon movement of the
actuator mechanism 30 from its FIG. 3 raised condition to the FIG.
5 fully-depressed condition. To this end and with reference to
FIGS. 17-19 and 17a-19a, the actuator mechanism 30 and the finger
portion 200 define a first set of engageable cam surfaces
(described herein) which cooperate in such a fashion so that the
manual depression of the platform portion 80 of the actuator
mechanism 30 from the FIG. 3 raised condition to the FIG. 5
fully-depressed condition urges the lever arm end 192 downwardly as
aforedescribed. Furthermore, the actuator mechanism 30 and the
finger portion 200 define a second set of engageable cam surfaces
(described herein) which cooperate in such a fashion so that upon
return of the platform portion 80 of the actuator mechanism 80 from
the FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition toward the FIG. 3 raised
condition, the finger portion 200, and thus the lever arm end 192,
is returned upwardly from its FIG. 19 lowered condition to its FIG.
17 raised condition.
[0063] In connection with the foregoing and as best shown in FIGS.
17a, 18a and 19a, the tip of the finger portion 200 is accepted, or
captured, by the notch 86 defined in the depending portion 84 of
the actuator mechanism 30, and the tip of the finger portion 200
remains captured by the notch 86 throughout the movement of the
actuator mechanism 30 between its FIG. 3 raised condition and its
FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition. Furthermore, the aforementioned
first set of cam surfaces include a cam surface 222 (FIG. 17a)
which is defined along the upper surface (as viewed in FIG. 17a) of
the finger portion 200 and a cam surface 224 (introduced earlier)
which is defined along the upper edges of the notch 86, and the
aforementioned second set of cam surfaces include a cam surface 223
(FIG. 18a) which is defined along the lower surface (or underside)
of the finger portion 200 and a cam surface 225 (introduced
earlier) which is defined along the lower edges of the notch 86.
When the actuator mechanism 30 is positioned in its FIG. 17 (and
FIG. 17a) raised condition--as would be the case before the
actuator mechanism 30 is begun to be depressed toward its FIG. 19
(and FIG. 19a) fully-depressed condition, the cam surfaces 224 and
222 are spaced from one another.
[0064] As the actuator mechanism 30 is depressed from its FIG. 17
(and FIG. 17a) raised condition to the FIG. 18 (and FIG. 18a)
partially-depressed condition, the notch cam surface 224 moves
downwardly, as well, and engages the finger portion cam surface 222
at a contact point, indicated 232 in FIG. 18a. Meanwhile, the
opening of the notch 86 is large enough so that between the moment
that the cam surface 224 begins to move downwardly until the moment
that the cam surface 224 engages the cam surface 222, the finger
portion 200, and thus the lever arm 182 are not moved relative to
the handle member 22. Therefore and through the first phase of
downward movement of the actuator mechanism 30 toward its
fully-depressed condition, the finger portion 200, and thus the
lever arm 182, remains in a stationary condition in relation to the
handle member 22 by virtue of the (relatively large) shape, or
opening, of the notch 86. However and while the lever arm 182
remains stationary during this aforedescribed first phase of
movement, the cam surface 166 (FIGS. 6 and 11) of the shield latch
mechanism 150 is acted upon by the cam surface 88 (FIG. 8) of the
actuator mechanism boss 87 to pivotally move the shield latch
mechanism 150 to its FIG. 14 shield-locking condition to its FIG.
15 shield-release condition. Therefore and until the blade shield
26 is unlocked by the shield latch mechanism 150 (i.e. at the end
of the first phase of downward movement of the actuator mechanism
30), the blade shield 26 is maintained in its blade-covering
condition as depicted in each of the views of FIGS. 4, 15, 18 and
18a.
[0065] Continued movement of the actuator mechanism 30 downwardly
from the FIG. 18 (and FIG. 18a) partially-depressed condition to
the FIG. 19 (and FIG. 19a) fully-depressed condition moves the cam
surface 224 of the notch 86 downwardly against (and into sliding
movement along with) the cam surface 222 of the finger portion 200
from a contact point 232 (FIG. 18a) to a contact point 234 (FIG.
19a) to thereby forcibly move the lever arm 182 from its FIG. 18
raised condition to its FIG. 19 lowered condition and so that the
blade shield 26 is forcibly moved by way of the linkage assembly
180 from the FIG. 18 blade-covering condition to the FIG. 19
out-of-the-way condition. It also follows that as the actuator
mechanism 30 travels the full length of its movement from the FIG.
18 partially-depressed condition to the FIG. 19 fully-depressed
condition, the cam surfaces 222 and 224 remain engaged with one
another between the FIG. 18a contact point 232 and the FIG. 19a
contact point 234. In addition and when the lever arm 184 has been
moved downwardly to its FIG. 19 lowered position, the forward end
portion 124 of the lever latch mechanism 122 is accepted by the
rearwardly-facing notch 112 defined within the actuator mechanism
30 to thereby releasably hold the actuator mechanism 30 in its FIG.
19 (and FIG. 19a) fully-depressed condition.
[0066] Upon release of the actuator mechanism 30 from its FIG. 19
fully-depressed condition (by manually moving the lever latch
mechanism 122 rearwardly along the handle member groove 31 to
thereby withdraw the forward end portion 124 of the latch mechanism
122 from the actuator mechanism notch 112), the torsion spring 78
(FIGS. 6 and 9) is permitted to urge the actuator mechanism 30
upwardly from its FIG. 19 fully-depressed condition toward its FIG.
17 raised condition. As the actuator mechanism 30 is urged upwardly
from the FIG. 19 fully-depressed condition, the cam surface 225 of
the notch 86 moves upwardly against (and slides along) the cam
surface 223 of the finger portion 200 (from an initial contact
point, indicated 235 in FIG. 19a) to forcibly move the lever arm
182 from its FIG. 19 lowered condition to its FIG. 18 raised
condition and so that the blade shield 26 is forcibly moved by way
of the linkage assembly 180 from its FIG. 19 out-of-the-way
condition to its FIG. 18 blade-covering condition. It also follows
that as the actuator mechanism 30 travels the full length of its
movement from the FIG. 19 fully-depressed condition to the FIG. 18
partially-depressed condition, the cam surfaces 223 and 225 remain
engaged with one another between the FIG. 19a contact point 235 and
a contact point, indicated 230 in FIG. 17a.
[0067] Continued movement of the actuator mechanism 30 upwardly
from the FIG. 18 (and FIG. 18a) partially-depressed condition to
the FIG. 17 (and FIG. 17a) raised condition permits the shield
latch mechanism 150 to move, by way of the leaf spring 170, to
pivot about the post portion 41 to its FIG. 14 shield-locking
condition while the finger portion 200, and thus the lever arm 182,
remains stationary with respect to the handle member 22. Therefore
and whereas the downward movement of the actuator mechanism 30 from
its raised condition toward its fully-depressed condition effects
the movement of the blade shield 26 from its blade-covering
condition to its out-of-the-way condition in a two-stage process of
movement--the first of which unlocks the blade shield 26 from the
blade shield latch mechanism 150 and the second of which bodily
moves the blade shield 26 to its out-of-the-way condition, the
upward movement of the actuator mechanism 30 from its
fully-depressed condition to its raised condition returns the blade
shield 26 to its blade-covering condition in a two-stage process of
movement. That is to say, a first stage of upward movement of the
actuator mechanism 30 effects the bodily movement of the blade
shield 26 to its blade-covering condition and a second stage of
upward movement of the actuator mechanism 30 permits the blade
shield 26 (i.e. in its blade-covering condition) to be locked in
place with the blade shield locking mechanism 150.
[0068] It also follows that whether the actuator mechanism 30 is
moved upwardly or downwardly between its FIG. 17 (and FIG. 17a)
raised condition and its FIG. 19 (and FIG. 19a) condition, the
actuator mechanism 30 and the lever member 182 to act as cam and
cam follower, respectively, since it is the downwardly-directed
movement of the actuator mechanism 30 which effects the downward
movement of the lever arm end 192 (by way of the finger portion
200) from the raised condition of FIGS. 3 and 4 to the lowered
condition of FIG. 5 and it is the upwardly-directed movement of the
actuator mechanism 30 which effects the upward movement of the
lever arm end 192 (by way of the finger portion 200) from the
lowered condition of FIG. 5 to the raised condition of FIGS. 3 and
4.
[0069] The operation of the scalpel 20 in order to move the blade
shield 26 between its FIG. 3 blade-covering condition and its FIG.
5 out-of-the-way conditions can be summarized as follows:
[0070] Before the actuator mechanism 20 is depressed, the actuator
mechanism 30 is held in its FIG. 3 raised condition by the torsion
spring 78, the lever arm end 192 is held in its FIG. 3 elevated
condition by the upwardly-directed urging of the cam surface 225 of
the actuator mechanism 30 against the cam surface 223 of the finger
portion 200, and the shield latch mechanism 150 is held in its FIG.
14 blade shield-locking condition by way of the leaf spring 170,
and the blade shield 26 is held in its FIG. 3 blade covering
condition by way of the hook-providing shoulder 158 of the shield
latch mechanism 150. It will therefore be understood that it is the
torsion spring 78 which both biases the actuator mechanism 30 to
its FIG. 3 raised condition and biases the lever arm end 192 (by
way of the action of the cam surface 225 against the cam surface
223) to the FIG. 14 shield-locking condition. As the actuator
mechanism 30 is depressed manually (e.g. with the index finger of
the operator's hand used to grasp the handle member 22 about the
sides thereof) through its first phase of downward movement, the
shield latch mechanism 150 is rotated (against the biasing force of
the leaf spring 170) to its shield-release condition depicted in
FIG. 15 by way of the action of the cam surface 88 against the cam
surface 166.
[0071] As the actuator mechanism 30 continues to be depressed
manually through its second phase of downward movement, the lever
arm end 192 is rotated from its FIGS. 3 (and 4) elevated condition
toward its FIG. 5 lowered position by way of the action of the cam
surface 224 (FIG. 17a) against the cam surface 222 of the finger
portion 200 which, in turn, effects the movement (by way of the
linkage element 184) of the blade shield 26 from its FIGS. 3 and 4
blade-covering condition to its FIG. 5 out-of-the-way condition.
Upon movement of the blade shield 26 to its FIG. 5 out-of-the-way
condition, the V-shaped hook portion 220 of the lever arm 182 is
accepted by the V-shaped notch 51 to maintain the distal portion 56
of the blade shield 26 against the underside of the handle member
22.
[0072] As the actuator mechanism 30 is depressed downwardly from
its FIG. 2 raised condition, the forwardly-extending tab 128 of the
lever latch mechanism 122 is simultaneously urged rearwardly along
the groove 31 of the handle member 22 as the depending portion 84
of the actuator mechanism 30 bears against the upper surface of the
tab 128 and urges the latch mechanism 122 rearwardly along the
groove 31. However and upon eventual movement of the actuator
mechanism 30 downwardly to its FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition,
the notch 112 is disposed in registry with the tab 128 so that the
tab 128 is directed forwardly into the notch 112 by the compression
spring 134 to thereby releasably secure the actuator mechanism 30
in its FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition (and as best shown in FIG.
19a) and thereby retain the blade shield 26 in its FIG. 5
out-of-the-way condition to enable the blade 24 of the scalpel 20
to be used by an operator. If desired, the underside of the tab 128
can be appropriately sloped, or chamferred, so that the biasing
force of the spring 134 continually urges the actuator mechanism 30
downwardly from its FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition which, in
turn, (and due to the cooperating engagement of the cam surface 224
against the cam surface 222 at contact point 234) spring-biases the
V-shaped hook portion 220 of the lever arm 182 into the V-shaped
notch 51 of the blade shield 26 to aid in the maintaining of the
blade shield 26 against the groove surface 63 (FIG. 19) of the
handle member 22.
[0073] To return the blade shield 26 from the FIG. 5 out-of-the-way
condition to its FIG. 3 blade-covering condition, the lever latch
mechanism 122 is manually slid rearwardly along the groove 31 of
the handle member 22 so that the forwardly-extending tab 128 of the
lever latch mechanism 122 is withdrawn from the notch 112 of the
actuator mechanism 30 to thereby release the actuator mechanism 30
from its locked, fully-depressed condition of FIG. 19. Upon release
of the actuator mechanism 30 from its locked, fully-depressed
condition, the torsion spring 78 is permitted to return the
actuator mechanism 30 to its FIG. 3 raised condition so that the
cam surface 225 (FIG. 18a) of the notch 86 bears upwardly against
the cam surface 223 of the finger portion 200 and so that the blade
shield 26 is rotated about its pivot axis 68 to its FIG. 3
blade-covering condition. Furthermore and upon the release of the
actuator mechanism 30 from its locked condition, the cam surface 88
of the actuator mechanism 30 ceases to exert downwardly-directed
forces upon the cam surface 166 of the shield latch mechanism 150
so that the shield latch mechanism 150 is permitted to return (by
way of the leaf spring 170) to its FIG. 14 shield-locking condition
to complete the readiness of the scalpel 20 for any subsequent
depression of the actuator mechanism 30 in order to move the blade
shield 26 to its FIG. 5 out-of-the-way condition.
[0074] In an exemplary scalpel 20 and when the actuator mechanism
30 is disposed in its FIG. 3 raised condition, the various
components of the scalpel 20 are provided with dimensions which
enable the upper surface 82 of the platform portion 80 of the
actuator mechanism 30 to form an angle 242 (FIG. 3) with the (e.g.
horizontally-disposed) upper surface of the handle member 22 of
about 18.8 degrees. Meanwhile, when the actuator mechanism 30 is
disposed in its FIG. 4 partially-depressed condition, the upper
surface 82 of the platform portion 80 forms an angle 244 (FIG. 4)
with the (e.g. horizontally-disposed) upper surface of the handle
member 22 of about 12.6 degrees. Upon depressing the actuator
mechanism 30 to its FIG. 5 fully-depressed condition, the upper
surface 82 of the platform portion 80 is substantially parallel
with the (e.g. horizontally-disposed) upper surface of the handle
member 22.
[0075] It follows from the foregoing that a scalpel
handle-providing means (or handle) 18 has been described for
holding a blade 24 having a cutting edge 44 which, includes a
handle member 22 and a blade shield 26 for covering, when desired,
the blade cutting edge 44. The blade shield 26 is connected to the
handle member 22 for pivotal movement relative thereto about a
pivot axis 68 between a blade-covering condition and an
out-of-the-way condition, and a movable shield latch mechanism 150
is capable of releasably locking the blade shield 26 in its
blade-covering condition. A finger-operable actuator mechanism 30
is mounted upon the handle member 22 for pivotal movement between a
first (i.e. raised) condition and a second (i.e. fully-depressed)
condition, and a torsion spring 78 is interposed between the
actuator mechanism 30 and the blade shield 26 for biasing the
actuator mechanism 30 from the second (i.e. fully-depressed)
condition toward its first (i.e. raised) condition. During a first
phase of movement of the actuator mechanism 30 from its first
condition to its second condition, the shield latch mechanism 150
unlocks the blade shield 26 from its locked blade-covering
condition, and during a second phase of movement of the actuator
mechanism 30 from its first condition to its second condition, the
blade shield 26 is moved from its blade-covering condition to its
out-of-the-way condition.
[0076] It will be understood that numerous modifications and
substitutions can be had to the aforedescribed embodiment 20
without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly,
the aforedescribed embodiment 20 is intended for the purpose of
illustration and not as limitation.
* * * * *