Surgical scalpel with retractable blade guard

• US 5,071,426 A
• Filed: 04/06/1989
• Issued: 12/10/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stuart Dolgin
• Original Assignee: Stuart Dolgin
• Inventors: Dolgin, Stuart, Torbet, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, C. Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, William W.
• Application Number:
  US07/334,633
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 606/167, 606/172, 606/181, 606/182, 606/185, 30/162, 30/335, 30/151, 30/167, 30/286, 30/164, 128/751
• US Class Current: 606/167
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3211 Surgical scalpels, knives; Accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/32113 with extendable or retractable guard or blade

Abstract

A scalpel is provided with a blade guard which is mounted for movement between a blade-guarded position and a blade-exposed position and an actuating mechanism for the blade guard is positioned in such a way that the fingers of the surgeon automatically engage the mechanism when the scalpel is held in its normal position of use. The actuating mechanism is coupled to the blade guard through a linkage assembly which causes the blade guard to move over a substantially greater distance than the distance which the surgeon'"'"'s fingers move in operating the actuating mechanism. In a preferred embodiment, the blade guard slides over a linear path, the actuating mechanism comprises a tongue-like structure integral with the scalpel, and the linkage assembly comprises a plurality of pivotally interconnected lever arms. One of the lever arms is positioned so as to be captured in a detent mechanism when the blade guard is fully retracted to its blade-exposed position.

Claims

1. A scalpel comprising:

an elongated handle having front and rear ends;

a substantially planar surgical blade secured at the front end of said handle, said blade having a direction of cut extending along the length of the handle;

actuating means disposed in a position to be engaged by the fingers of a user when holding the scalpel in a position of normal use and mounted for movement generally perpendicular to the plane of said blade and the direction of cut thereof relative to said handle;

a blade guard constructed to cover at least any sharp portions of said blade and mounted for movement between a blade-guarded position in which said blade is covered and a blade-exposed position in which said blade may be used for cutting; and

linkage means for coupling the movement of said actuating means to said blade guard so as to move the same between said blade-guarded and blade-exposed positions, said linkage means including means for causing the amount of movement of said blade guard to be substantially greater than the amount of movement of said actuating means.

2. A scalpel in accordance with claim 1 wherein said actuating means comprises a resilient actuating arm mounted at the rear of said handle so that a forward portion of said actuating arm is at a distance from said handle, whereby said actuating arm and said handle cooperate in the manner of a pair of tongs, said linkage means being connected to the forward end of said actuating arm.

3. A scalpel in accordance with claim 1 wherein said blade guard is mounted for sliding movement along said handle.

4. A scalpel in accordance with claim 1 wherein said linkage means comprises first rack means coupled to be moved by movement of said actuating means, second rack means on said blade guard, and pinion means for coupling movement of said first rack means to said second rack means so that the amount of movement of said second rack means is substantially greater than the amount of movement of said first rack means.

5. A scalpel in accordance with claim 4 wherein said actuating means comprises a resilient actuating arm mounted at the rear of said handle so that a forward portion of said actuating arm is at a distance from said handle, whereby said actuating arm and said handle cooperate in the manner of a pair of tongs, said linkage means being connected to the forward end of said actuating arm.

6. A scalpel in accordance with claim 5 wherein said blade guard is mounted for sliding movement along said handle.

7. A scalpel in accordance with claim 4 wherein said blade guard is mounted for sliding movement along said handle.

8. A scalpel in accordance with claim 4 wherein said pinion means comprises a first pinion meshed with said first rack means, a second pinion meshed with said second rack means and means coupling said first and second pinions for rotation together, the ratio of the number of teeth between said first and second pinions being selected to achieve substantially greater movement of said second rack means than said first rack means.

9. A scalpel in accordance with claim 1 further comprising locking means mounted on said handle for adjustment relative to said handle so as to prevent movement of said blade guard from said blade-guarded position to said blade-exposed position, said locking means being also adjustable to permit free movement of said blade guard between said blade-guarded and said blade-exposed positions.

10. A scalpel comprising:

a handle having front and rear ends;

a surgical blade secured at the front end of said handle;

actuating means disposed in a position to be engaged by the fingers of a user when holding the scalpel in a position of normal use and mounted for movement relative to said handle;

a blade guard constructed to cover at least any sharp portions of said blade and mounted for movement between a blade-guarded position in which said blade is covered and a blade-exposed position in which said blade may be used for cutting, said blade guard being mounted for sliding movement along said handle; and

linkage means for coupling the movement of said actuating means to said blade guard so as to move the same between said blade-guarded and blade-exposed positions, said linkage means being constructed so that the amount of movement of said blade guard is substantially greater than the amount of movement of said actuating means;

said linkage means

comprising an L-shaped arm having one leg of said L substantially shorter than the other, the vertex of said L-shaped arm being mounted for pivotal movement with respect to said handle at a distance laterally thereof, the shorter leg of said L-shaped arm being coupled to receive the movement of said actuating means and the longer leg of said arm being connected to said blade guard so as to impart a sliding movement thereto when said L-shaped arm is pivoted.

11. A scalpel in accordance with claim 10 wherein said actuating means comprises a resilient actuating arm mounted at the rear of said handle so that a forward portion of said actuating arm is at a distance from said handle, whereby said actuating arm and said handle cooperate in the manner of a pair of tongs, said linkage means being connected to the forward end of said actuating arm.

12. A scalpel in accordance with claim 10 further comprising detent means for capturing a portion of one of said L-shaped arm and said actuating arm when said blade is in its blade-exposed position.

13. A scalpel comprising:

a handle having front and rear ends;

a surgical blade secured at the front end of said handle;

actuating means disposed in a position to be engaged by the fingers of a user when holding the scalpel in a position of normal use and mounted for movement relative to said handle;

a blade guard constructed to cover at least any sharp portions of said blade and mounted for movement between a blade-guarded position in which said blade is covered and a blade-exposed position in which said blade may be used for cutting; and

linkage means for coupling the movement of said actuating means to said blade guard so as to move the same between said blade-guarded and blade-exposed positions, said linkage means being constructed so that the amount of movement of said blade guard is substantially greater than the amount of movement of said actuating means;

said linkage means

comprising

a first arm having a first end mounted for pivotal movement relative to said handle at a distance laterally thereof and a second end connected to said blade guard so as to couple pivotal movement of said first arm as sliding movement of said blade guard;

shuttle means mounted for sliding movement along said handle;

means coupling said actuating means to said shuttle means for converting the movement of said actuating means to sliding movement of said shuttle means; and

means coupling said shuttle means to said first arm for converting the sliding movement of said shuttle means to proportionate rotational movement of said arm.

14. A scalpel in accordance with claim 13 wherein said actuating means comprises a resilient actuating arm mounted at the rear of said handle so that a forward portion of said actuating arm is at a distance from said handle, whereby said actuating arm and said handle cooperate in the manner of a pair of tongs, said linkage means being connected to the forward end of said actuating arm.

15. A scalpel in accordance with claim 14 wherein said blade guard is mounted for sliding movement along said handle.

16. A scalpel in accordance with claim 13 wherein said blade guard is mounted for sliding movement along said handle.

17. A scalpel in accordance with claim 13 wherein said blade guard is mounted for rotational movement relative to said handle, said linkage means comprising means for converting the movement of said actuating means to proportionate rotational movement of said blade guard.

18. A scalpel in accordance with claim 17 wherein said actuating means comprises a resilient actuating arm mounted at the rear of said handle so that a forward portion of said actuating arm is at a distance from said handle, whereby said actuating arm and said handle cooperate in the manner of a pair of tongs, said linkage means being connected to the forward end of said actuating arm.

19. A scalpel in accordance with claim 17 wherein said coupling means comprises a rod having a polygonal cross sectional shape extending between said actuating arm and said blade guard, said blade guard having an aperture therein conforming in shape and size to the cross section of said rod, said rod having been axially twisted so as to impart of permanent spiral distortion thereto.

20. A method for automatically guarding and exposing the substantially planar blade of a surgical scalpel having an elongated handle and a direction of cut extending along the length of the handle comprising the steps of:

providing a blade guard over said blade which is mounted so as to be moved from a blade-guarded position to a blade-exposed position;

positioning an actuating member on said scalpel so as to be moved generally perpendicular to the plane of the blade and the direction of cut by the fingers of a user when the scalpel is grasped for normal use; and

coupling the actuator member movement to said blade guard so that the blade guard is moved over a substantially greater distance than said actuating member.