Apparatus and method for cutting a surface at a repeatable angle
First Claim
1. A tool for cutting a surface comprising:
- a cutter having an operable portion for cutting the surface;
a probe slidably disposed with respect to a longitudinal axis of the cutter for contacting the surface in a region of the operable portion of the cutter; and
an indicator coupled to the probe, the indicator designating an angular orientation of the surface relative to the longitudinal axis of the cutter.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A tool for cutting surfaces at repeatable angles relative to the surface being cut is provided. In one embodiment, the tool is used for cutting a bone in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the bone. The tool includes a cylindrical bone cutter having an operable portion located at a proximal end of the cutter for cutting bone. The bone cutter has an internal surface and the internal surface defines an internal bore extending along a longitudinal axis of the cutter from a proximal end to a distal end. A probe, slidably mounted within the bore of the cutter, extends beyond the operable portion of the cutter, and is biased towards the bone surface. An indicator coupled to the probe designates the position of the probe relative to the operable portion of the cutter. When the indicator is maximally displaced away from the proximal end of the cutter, while maintaining the probe and the cutter in contact with the bone surface, the longitudinal axis of the cutter will be substantially perpendicular to the surface of the bone. At this point of maximum displacement, force may be applied to the cutter to make a cut into the bone that is orthogonal to the bone surface. Methods for using the tool are also provided.
83 Citations
64 Claims
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1. A tool for cutting a surface comprising:
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a cutter having an operable portion for cutting the surface; a probe slidably disposed with respect to a longitudinal axis of the cutter for contacting the surface in a region of the operable portion of the cutter; and an indicator coupled to the probe, the indicator designating an angular orientation of the surface relative to the longitudinal axis of the cutter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A tool for cutting bone comprising:
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a bone cutter having an operable portion for cutting a bone; a probe slidably disposed with respect to a longitudinal axis of the cutter for contacting a surface of the bone in a region of the operable portion of the bone cutter; and an indicator coupled to the probe, the indicator designating an angular orientation of the surface relative to the longitudinal portion of the bone cutter. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A tool for cutting bone in a direction substantially normal to a bone surface comprising:
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a cylindrical bone cutter having an operable portion at a proximal end for cutting the bone; a probe mounted within the cutter and slidable along a longitudinal axis of the cutter for contacting the bone surface; a cylindrical housing connected to a distal end of the probe; biasing means coupled between the cylindrical housing and the probe for biasing the probe beyond the proximal end of the cutter towards the bone surface; an indicator connected to an outside surface of the cutter and connected to the cylindrical housing, the indicator slidably movable along the bone cutter and the cylindrical housing; and a pin disposed within a longitudinal slot in the cutter, the pin connecting the probe to the indicator; wherein when the probe and the operable portion of the cutter are in contact with the bone surface, a longitudinal axis of the cutter is approximately perpendicular to the bone surface when the indicator is maximally displaced away from the proximal end of the cutter. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A tool for cutting bone comprising:
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a drill having a drill bit with an operable portion for cutting the bone; a probe surrounding the drill bit and slidable with respect to the bit along a longitudinal axis of the bit for contacting a surface of the bone in a region of the operable portion of the bit; and an indicator coupled to the probe, the indicator designating an angular orientation of the surface relative to the longitudinal axis portion of the bit. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A tool for orientation on a bone surface comprising:
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a tube cutting having a first end for contacting the bone surface; a probe slidably disposed with respect to a longitudinal axis of the tube for contacting a surface of the bone in a region of the first end of the tube; and an indicator coupled to the probe, the indicator designating an angular orientation of the relative to a surface of the bone the longitudinal axis of the tube. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. A tool for cutting a surface comprising:
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a cutter having an operable portion for cutting the surface; a plurality of probes slidably disposed with respect to a longitudinal axis of the cutter for contacting the surface in a region of the operable portion of the cutter; and an indicator coupled to at least one of the probes, the indicator designating an angular orientation of the surface contacted by that probe relative to the longitudinal axis of the cutter. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64)
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Specification