Surgical laser handpiece

• US 5,836,939 A
• Filed: 10/25/1995
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PLC Medical Systems, Inc. (Viveve Medical, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PLC Medical Systems, Inc. (Viveve Medical, Inc.)
• Inventors: Negus, Charles Christopher, Linhares, Stephen J., Morrell, Scott Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Lacyk, John P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARRIS, SONYA C
• Application Number:
  US08/548,268
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 606/14, 606/15, 606/16, 606/17, 606/19
• US Class Current: 606/11
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/24 for use in the oral cavity, larynx, bronchial passages or nose for medical inspection of cavities or tubes in the body A61B1/00; Tongue scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/201 with beam delivery through a hollow tube, e.g. forming an articulated arm through a flexible conduit A61B18/22; Hand-pieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/008 for smoke evacuation

Abstract

A surgical laser handpiece comprising: an outer barrel having an inner chamber; an inner zoom barrel movable in said chamber relative to said outer barrel; at least a first lens device in said zoom barrel for propagating and focusing a laser beam; and a drive member externally accessible on said outer barrel for moving said zoom barrel with one hand relative to said outer barrel for varying the focus of the laser beam.

Claims

1. A surgical laser handpiece comprising:

an outer barrel having a longitudinal axis and an inner chamber said outer barrel connected to a surgical laser device providing a laser beam;

an inner zoom barrel movable in the chamber relative to the outer barrel;

at least a first lens device in the zoom barrel for propagating and focusing a laser beam;

an opening in the outer barrel;

a drive member disposed through the opening and externally accessible on the outer barrel, the drive member engaging the inner zoom barrel for moving the inner zoom barrel and said first lens device with one hand in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the outer barrel thereby varying the focus of the laser beam.

2. The surgical laser handpiece of claim 1 in which there is a second lens device mounted in the outer barrel optically aligned with the first lens device.

3. The surgical laser handpiece of claim 1 in which the drive member includes a rotatable wheel and the inner zoom barrel includes a friction drive surface which is engaged by the wheel to move the inner zoom barrel as the rotatable wheel is rotated.

4. The surgical laser handpiece of claim 1 in which the drive member includes a tab attached to the inner zoom barrel and extending through the outer barrel through the opening in the outer barrel.