Surgical instrument particularly useful as tweezers for grasping and holding objects of different thicknesses

• US 20080243178A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: T.A.G. Medical Products A Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: T.A.G. Medical Products A Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Oren, Ran, Zakai, Eran, Moor, Dan
• Application Number:
  US11/729,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243178A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/210
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0483 Hand-held instruments for holding sutures A61B17/0469 takes precedence; other holders for needles or sutures A61B17/06061; surgical forceps A61B17/28; surgical pincettes A61B17/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/062 Needle manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/08 Wound clamps or clips, i.e. not or only partly penetrating the tissue suture bridges A61B17/0466; Devices for bringing together the edges of a wound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/122 Clamps or clips , e.g. for the umbilical cord for the vas deferens A61F6/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/30 Surgical pincettes without pivotal connectionsfor holding suture needles or materials A61B17/0483; wound clamps A61B17/08 ; hand-held gripping tools without pivotal connections in general B25B9/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00438 connectable to a finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2946 Locking means

Abstract

A surgical instrument useful as a tweezers for grasping and holding objects of different thicknesses includes: an elongated arm having a distal end defining a fixed jaw; a pivotal jaw having a distal end movable towards and away from the fixed jaw to a fully open position, a fully closed position, and at least one intermediate position, with respect to the fixed jaw; and a locking member carried by the pivotal jaw and manually movable into engagement with a locking surface carried by the elongated arm, when the pivotal jaw is in its fully-closed position or in any intermediate position with respect to the fixed, to lock the pivotal jaw in the fully-closed or intermediate position with respect to the fixed jaw.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument useful as a tweezers for grasping and holding objects of different thicknesses, comprising:

an elongated arm having a proximal end, and a distal end defining a fixed jaw;

a pivotal jaw having a distal end pivotal towards and away from said fixed jaw to a fully open position, a fully closed position, and at least one intermediate position, with respect to said fixed jaw;

and a locking member carried by said pivotal jaw and manually movable with respect thereto into engagement with a locking surface carried by said elongated arm, when the pivotal jaw is in its fully-closed position and in any intermediate position with respect to said fixed jaw, to lock said pivotal jaw in said fully-closed or intermediate position with respect to said fixed jaw.

2. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a spring manually urging said pivotal jaw to its fully open position.

3. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said elongated arm includes a short arm extending between said elongated arm and said pivotal jaw and carrying said locking surface engageable by said locking member.

4. The surgical instrument according to claim 3, wherein said short arm is formed with spaced bifurcations each carrying a said locking surface.

5. The surgical instrument according to claim 4, wherein said locking member includes a button slidably mounted on said pivotal jaw, and a locking element extending from said slidable button into the space between said bifurcations and engageable with the locking surfaces thereof.

6. The surgical instrument according to claim 5, wherein said pivotal jaw is pivotally mounted between said bifurcations at the proximal end of said elongated arm.

7. The surgical instrument according to claim 5, wherein said locking surfaces of said bifurcations are teeth formed in in-turned ends of said bifurcations effective to lock said pivotal jaw in any one of a plurality of intermediate positions.

8. The surgical instrument according to claim 7, wherein said locking element includes a stem fixed to said slidable button and formed with an out-turned flange receivable between said teeth.

9. The surgical instrument according to claim 6, wherein said stem is of a cylindrical configuration.

10. The surgical instrument according to claim 7, wherein said teeth have inclined faces facing said pivotal jaw, and perpendicular faces facing said fixed jaw.

11. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said distal end of the pivotal jaw is bent towards said fixed jaw so as to be approximately parallel thereto in all pivotal positions of the pivotal jaw.

12. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said proximal end of elongated arm is fixed to a sleeve dimensioned to be received on the outer end of a finger of a user.

14. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said elongated arm is fixed to a short arm extending between said elongated arm and said pivotal jaw and parallel to said elongated arm, said short arm carrying said locking surface engageable by said locking member.

15. The surgical instrument according to claim 14, wherein said short arm is formed with spaced bifurcations each carrying a said locking surface;

and said locking member includes a locking element extending from said slidable button into the space between said bifurcations and engageable with the locking surfaces thereof.

16. The surgical instrument according to claim 15, wherein said locking element includes a stem fixed to said slidable button and formed with an out-turned flange receivable between said teeth.

17. The surgical instrument according to claim 16, wherein said stem is of a cylindrical configuration, and said out-turned flange is formed at the end thereof proximal to said fixed jaw.

18. The surgical instrument according to claim 15, wherein said pivotal jaw is pivotally mounted between said bifurcations, and said locking surfaces of said bifurcations are teeth formed in in-turned ends of said bifurcations effective to lock said pivotal jaw in any one of a plurality of intermediate positions.

19. The surgical instrument according to claim 5, wherein said teeth have inclined faces facing said pivotal jaw, and perpendicular faces facing said fixed jaw.

13. A surgical instrument useful as a tweezers for grasping objects, comprising:

an elongated arm having a proximal end and a distal end defining a fixed jaw;

a pivotal jaw pivotally mounted to the proximal end of said elongated arm and having a distal end movable towards and away from said fixed jaw to a fully open position, a fully closed position, and at least one intermediate position, with respect to said fixed jaw;

a spring normally urging said pivotal jaw to its fully open position;

and a locking member carried by a button slidable on said pivotal jaw and manually slidable with respect thereto into engagement with a locking surface fixed to said elongated arm when the pivotal jaw is in its fully-closed position or in any intermediate position with respect to said fixed jaw, to lock said pivotal jaw in said fully-closed or intermediate position with respect to said fixed jaw.

20. The surgical instrument according to claim 13, wherein the proximal end of said elongated arm is fixed to a sleeve dimensioned to be received on the outer end of a finger of a user.