Insertion device
First Claim
1. Device for inserting a helical and radially elastically expandable spiral spring element into a space which is difficult to access, particularly for medicinal use in implanting the helical spring in a living organism, which device includes an elongate probe, having at an insertion end a mandrel coaxial with the probe, said mandrel carrying two axially separate fasteners for respective ends of the spring element, said fasteners being mutually, relative rotatable about the axis of the mandrel for permitting the spring element to be wound tightly round the mandrel while the radial configuration of said element contracts, before insertion into the space, wherein the fasteners are mutually connected by a transmission in the region of the mandrel, the transmission including a freewheel allowing relative rotation for the fasteners solely in a first rotational direction for winding the spring element round the mandrel, the transmission further including a clutch which, when activated, permits mutual relative rotation of the fasteners in a second opposite rotational direction for allowing the spring element to be unwound so that the radial configuration expands to an original state as the spring returns towards an unstressed state, one of the fasteners including a triggering member which, when activated, releases one of the respective ends of the spring element tightly wound up on the mandrel from said one of the fasteners to allow the spring element to unwind while said radial configuration expands towards said original state with the spring returning towards said unstressed state, the triggering member being actuable from an end of the device remote from the mandrel, the mandrel including two parts rotatable relative to each other about the axis of the mandrel, each part carrying one of the fasteners, the freewheel including a helical spring which, in an unbiased state, has a sliding fit round a rotationally symmetric surface on one of the mandrel parts at least along a portion of said surface, one end of the helical spring being connected to the second of the mandrel parts.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided a device for inserting an object in the form of a helical spring element with a radially variable configuration into a space which is difficult to access, particularly for medicinal use in implanting such an object in a living organism, which device includes an elongate probe, having at its insertion end a mandrel coaxial with the probe, the mandrel carrying two axially separate fasteners for the respective ends of the element, the fasteners being mutually, relatively rotatable about the axis of the mandrel for permitting the spring element to be wound tightly round the mandrel while the radial configuration of said element contracts, before insertion into the space. The fasteners are mutually connected by a transmission in the area of the mandrel. The transmission includes a freewheel which allows relative rotation for the fasteners solely in a first rotational direction for winding the spring element round the mandrel, and also includes a clutch, adapted such that on activation it allows mutual relative rotation of the fasteners, in a second opposite rotational direction. As an alternative to the clutch, one of the fasteners includes a triggering member, which is adapted such that on activation it releases the end of the spring element, tightly wound up on the mandrel, from this fastener to allow the spring element to unwind, while its radial configuration expands toward its original state. The clutch of triggering member is actuable from the end of the device remote from the mandrel.
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Citations
19 Claims
- 1. Device for inserting a helical and radially elastically expandable spiral spring element into a space which is difficult to access, particularly for medicinal use in implanting the helical spring in a living organism, which device includes an elongate probe, having at an insertion end a mandrel coaxial with the probe, said mandrel carrying two axially separate fasteners for respective ends of the spring element, said fasteners being mutually, relative rotatable about the axis of the mandrel for permitting the spring element to be wound tightly round the mandrel while the radial configuration of said element contracts, before insertion into the space, wherein the fasteners are mutually connected by a transmission in the region of the mandrel, the transmission including a freewheel allowing relative rotation for the fasteners solely in a first rotational direction for winding the spring element round the mandrel, the transmission further including a clutch which, when activated, permits mutual relative rotation of the fasteners in a second opposite rotational direction for allowing the spring element to be unwound so that the radial configuration expands to an original state as the spring returns towards an unstressed state, one of the fasteners including a triggering member which, when activated, releases one of the respective ends of the spring element tightly wound up on the mandrel from said one of the fasteners to allow the spring element to unwind while said radial configuration expands towards said original state with the spring returning towards said unstressed state, the triggering member being actuable from an end of the device remote from the mandrel, the mandrel including two parts rotatable relative to each other about the axis of the mandrel, each part carrying one of the fasteners, the freewheel including a helical spring which, in an unbiased state, has a sliding fit round a rotationally symmetric surface on one of the mandrel parts at least along a portion of said surface, one end of the helical spring being connected to the second of the mandrel parts.
Specification