Clasp structure for biomedical electrodes

• US 5,944,562 A
• Filed: 04/28/1997
• Issued: 08/31/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Curbell Medical Products, Inc. (Curbell, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Eddy K.G. Christensson
• Inventors: Christensson, Eddy K. G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley, Paula
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gilman, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US08/848,593
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 439/729, 439/859, 439/854, 439/259, 439/261, 439/909, 439/465, 439/456, 439/332, 439/337, 439/445, 439/764, 439/933, 439/781, 439/863, 439/864, 439/338, 439/342, 439/374
• US Class Current: 439/729
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/17 Comprising radiolucent components
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/274 using snap or button fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 11/11 End pieces or tapping pieces for wires, supported by the wire and for facilitating electrical connection to some other wire, terminal or conductive member H01R11/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 11/24 with gripping jaws, e.g. crocodile clip
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/88 acting manually by rotating or pivoting connector housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/035 Plated dielectric material
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/11 Resilient sockets carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/62933 Comprising exclusively pivoting lever
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/12 for medicine and surgery
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/50 utilising a cam, wedge, cone or ball also combined with a screw
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/909 Medical use or attached to human body

Abstract

A clasp for a biomedical electrode includes opposed cooperating jaw members. The jaw members can be end portions of a U-shaped leaf spring. A lever is pivotally mounted for engagement with the jaws for forcing the jaws together to grip an electrode placed between them. An opening is provided within the clasp for receiving the stud of a different style electrode and an electrical contact is provided for establishing an electrical connection with the stud. Longitudinally distributed lug secure upper and lower portions of the clasp together. A telescoping connector at the free end of a lead wire removably secures the lead wire to the clasp and is rotated after insertion to lock the lead wire in place. An electrically conductive, optionally non-metallic, x-ray transparent plastic contact is described for establishing an electrical connection between a biomedical electrode and the lead wire.

Claims

1. A universal clasp structure for establishing electrical connection to either a) a tab-style medical electrode with a lateral tab on an edge thereof or b) a snap-style electrode having stud projecting upwardly from a top surface thereof, said clasp structure comprising,

a pair of opposed and aligned cooperating jaws that move apart or together for grasping a tab portion of an electrode placed therebetween when the jaws are engaged in a closed position for establishing electrical contact with the tab,

said clasp structure having a member with an opening therein that extends from an outer surface thereof to an inner portion thereof and the opening is sized to receive a stud of a snap-style medical electrode, and

an electrical conductor formed from electrically conductive plastic material is positioned interiorally of the opening for establishing electrical contact with the stud when the stud is positioned to extend through the opening.

2. The clasp of claim 1 wherein the conductor formed from electrically conductive plastic material is a generally U-shaped resilient member wherein one of said jaws comprises an upper jaw at a top end thereof, and another of said jaws comprises a lower jaw at a bottom end thereof and said member has an electrically conductive terminal for establishing an electrical connection with a lead wire to carrying current to or from the clasp structure.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein a conductive portion of the electrically conductive terminal is a pin, and the lead wire has connected thereto an electrically conductive sleeve adapted to slide telescopically over the pin for establishing an electrical connection between the terminal and the lead wire.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein a connector is attached to a free end of the lead wire, said connector has an end portion at a free end thereof adapted to be slid into the clasp structure through a passage therein, the clasp has a slot to receive the end portion and for permitting the connector to be rotated about a longitudinal axis of the connector after the end portion thereof has entered the slot to thereby locate the connector in an installed position within the clasp.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the connector has an outer end portion that is aligned with adjacent exterior walls of the clasp when the connector has been rotated on its central longitudinal axis to said installed position.

6. A clasp structure capable of being releasably secured to a planar tab-type contact of a biomedical monitoring or stimulating electrode for carrying current to or from the body of a patient comprising,

a) a clasp body having a front end and an outwardly opening connector-receiving passage,

b) a pair of opposed cooperating jaw members at the front end of the clasp body with a jaw opening therebetween,

c) at least one jaw member having an electrical contact at a free end thereof and the jaw members being aligned in opposed relationship confronting each other at the front end of the clasp,

d) a resilient spring means operatively supported by the clasp body and associated with the jaw members for biasing the jaw members toward an open position wherein the jaw members are spaced apart from one another,

e) an operating lever movably mounted as a part of the clasp structure and operatively associated with the jaw members, said lever having an exposed portion to which pressure can be applied with a finger or the thumb for closing the clasp,

f) said lever is movably supported on the clasp body and has a jaw-actuating portion operatively associated with at least one of the jaws,

g) a terminal electrically connected to the electrical contact, and

h) a removable connector member, said removable connector being sized to be slid into the passage within the clasp structure, said connector having a electrically conductive member adapted for contacting the terminal when the removable connector is inserted into the passage within the clasp body.

7. The clasp structure of claim 6 wherein the connector has an inner end portion at a free end thereof, the clasp has a slot to receive the end portion of the connector and to permit the connector to be rotated about a central longitudinal axis thereof after the inner end portion has entered the slot for locating the connector in an installed position within the clasp structure.

8. The clasp structure of claim 7 wherein the connector has an outer end portion, both end portions have a predetermined outline and at least said outer end portion of the connector is polygonal in outline, said polygonal outline is offset from the outline of the inner end portion about the central longitudinal axis of the connector by a predetermined angular offset, and said installed position is reached when the rectangular outline of the outer portion of the connector is aligned with an adjacent surface portion of the clasp structure.

9. The clasp structure of claim 8 wherein the polygonal outline of the outer end portion is rectangular.

10. A biomedical clasp for establishing electrical contact with a patient-contacting electrode comprising,

a clasp structure having a front end and a rear end and being adapted to be connected to a stud of a biomedical electrode,

an operating lever mounted on the clasp structure for movement relative thereto for causing the biomedical electrode to be held by the clasp,

the clasp structure includes an upper body housing portion and a lower body housing portion,

the upper and lower body housing portions are connected together by longitudinally distributed connecting members that extend between said upper and lower body portions of the clasp structure for securing the upper and lower portions to one another,

the operating lever is journaled between said upper and lower body portions for pivotal movement, and

at least some of the connecting members are positioned proximate the journals for the operating lever.

11. The clasp structure of claim 10 wherein the longitudinally distributed connecting members comprise a pair of laterally spaced apart lugs located proximate the journals of the operating lever and a second pair of laterally spaced apart lugs located proximate the rear end of the clasp structure, and each of the lugs has a catch at the free end thereof for engaging a mating portion of the clasp structure to hold together the upper and lower portions thereof.

12. The clasp structure of claim 11 wherein the lugs comprise four extensions that are integral with the upper portion of the clasp structure and project downwardly from the upper portion of the clasp structure for engaging said lower portion thereof.

13. A clasp structure for establishing electrical connection to a medical electrode, said clasp structure comprising,

a clasp body having a front end, a longitudinally extending sliding connection for a removable connector, and said clasp structure including a pair of opposed cooperating jaws at the front end of the clasp body that move apart or together for grasping the electrode when placed therebetween to establish electrical contact with the electrode,

a terminal supported by the clasp body for establishing an electrical connection to the electrode,

a removable connector member,

said removable connector member being sized to provide a sliding connection with the connector on the clasp body and rotated to an installed position,

said connector member having an electrically conductive member adapted to contact the terminal when the connector member is in contact with the connector on the clasp body,

the connector member has an outer end portion, said outer end portion of the connector has a multiple-sided outline, and said installed position is reached when the multiple-sided outline of the outer portion of the connector is aligned with an adjacent surface portion of the clasp body.

14. The clasp structure of claim 13 wherein the multiple-sided outline is rectangular.

15. The clasp structure of claim 13 wherein the connector member has an inner end portion and the inner end portion engages a locking member within the clasp body for holding the connector member therein when in the installed position.

16. A biomedical clasp structure for establishing electrical contact with a patient-contacting electrode comprising,

a clasp body defining a housing,

said clasp body having a receptacle for receiving a stud of the patientcontacting biomedical electrode,

an operating lever mounted on the clasp body for movement relative thereto for causing the biomedical electrode to be held by the clasp body,

the clasp body includes first and second adjacent body housing portions, and

two spaced apart pairs of lugs, each pair of lugs being supported by the clasp body, each lug of each pair being spaced apart from the other lug of the same pair, and each lug having a member thereon for connecting the lug to an adjacent body housing portion to hold the clasp structure together.

17. The clasp structure of claim 16 wherein the member on the lug comprises a catch proximate the free end of each lug for engaging a the adjacent body housing portion of the clasp body to hold the first and second portions of the clasp body together.