Gas-assisted electrosurgical accessory connector and method with improved gas sealing and biasing for maintaining a gas tight seal
First Claim
1. A gas-assisted electrosurgical accessory connector formed by two mating pieces connectable to one another with a relative connection movement along an axis toward one another, comprising:
- a sealing surface formed on one mating piece and extending generally parallel with the axis for a distance along the axis;
a resilient radial sealing member carried on the other mating piece at a location which contacts and seals against the sealing surface with radial force upon the two mating pieces connecting with relative connection movement;
a retention mechanism operative between the mating pieces when connected with relative connection movement, the retention mechanism restraining the connected mating pieces against separation from one another with movement away from one another along the axis, wherein the retention mechanism further comprises;
a recess formed on one of the mating pieces; and
a retention member carried on the other one of the mating pieces, the retention member moving into the recess upon the two mating pieces connecting with relative connection movement, the retention member moving out of the recess with manual force applied between the two connected mating pieces to separate the connected mating pieces from one another.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Male and female mating pieces of a gas-assisted electrosurgical accessory connector are connectable together by radially contacting a sealing surface formed on one mating piece with a resilient radially-compressible sealing member carried on the other mating piece. A gas-tight seal exists along a length of the sealing surface as the two mating pieces connect with relative connection movement. The existence of the gas-tight seal over a range of relative connection movement maintains the seal if the mating pieces should become slightly disconnected. The mating pieces are also restrained against separation from one another. A recess is formed in one of the mating pieces and a retention member carried on the other one of the mating pieces is biased into contact with the recess. Separation of the two connected members requires manual force to extract the retention member from the recess. The amount of manual force required is greater than that normally experienced from movement during use, thereby inhibiting unintentional separation.
251 Citations
35 Claims
-
1. A gas-assisted electrosurgical accessory connector formed by two mating pieces connectable to one another with a relative connection movement along an axis toward one another, comprising:
-
a sealing surface formed on one mating piece and extending generally parallel with the axis for a distance along the axis; a resilient radial sealing member carried on the other mating piece at a location which contacts and seals against the sealing surface with radial force upon the two mating pieces connecting with relative connection movement; a retention mechanism operative between the mating pieces when connected with relative connection movement, the retention mechanism restraining the connected mating pieces against separation from one another with movement away from one another along the axis, wherein the retention mechanism further comprises; a recess formed on one of the mating pieces; and a retention member carried on the other one of the mating pieces, the retention member moving into the recess upon the two mating pieces connecting with relative connection movement, the retention member moving out of the recess with manual force applied between the two connected mating pieces to separate the connected mating pieces from one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A gas-assisted electrosurgical accessory connector having a male mating piece and a female mating piece which interconnect together to conduct RF electrical energy and a gas flow from a gas-assisted electrosurgical unit to an electrosurgical accessory;
- the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit including an electrosurgical generator which generates RF electrical energy and a gas delivery apparatus which delivers the gas flow;
the electrosurgical accessory including the male mating piece, an accessory hose, an accessory conductor, a nozzle connected to receive the gas flow from the accessory hose and to issue the gas flow as a flow stream, and an electrode positioned within the nozzle and connected to the accessory conductor to transfer the RF energy to ionize conductive pathways within the flow stream;
the male mating piece including a gas passageway that is adapted to be fluidly connected to the accessory hose, the male mating piece also including a connector electrode, that is adapted to be electrically connected to the accessory conductor;
the female mating piece including an electrical terminal that is adapted to receive the RF energy generated by the electrosurgical generator and to electrically contact the connector electrode of the male mating piece upon interconnection of the female and male mating pieces, the female mating piece also including an internal gas flow path that is adapted to receive the gas flow delivered from the gas delivery apparatus and to conduct the gas flow to the gas passageway of the male mating piece upon interconnection of the female and male mating pieces;
the accessory connector further comprising;an annular and radially compressible gas seal member attached to the male mating piece and surrounding the gas passageway; and an outer wall attached to the female mating piece and surrounding the internal gas flow path, the outer wall defining a cylindrical recess therein, the cylindrical recess receiving the annular gas seal member in radial compression against the cylindrical recess to create a gas tight connection between the gas flow path and the gas passageway upon interconnection of the male and female mating pieces. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit including an electrosurgical generator which generates RF electrical energy and a gas delivery apparatus which delivers the gas flow;
-
13. A gas-assisted electrosurgical accessory connector formed by two mating pieces connectable to one another with a relative rotational connection movement along an axis toward one another, the accessory connector conducting a gas flow and RF electrical energy between the two mating pieces comprising:
-
a retention mechanism operative between the mating pieces when connected with relative connection movement, the retention mechanism restraining the connected mating pieces against rotation with respect to one another to separate from one another along the axis, wherein the retention mechanism comprises; a recess formed on one of the mating pieces; a retention member carried on the other one of the mating pieces, the retention member moving into the recess upon the two mating pieces connecting with relative connection movement, the retention member moving out of the recess from manual rotational force applied between the two mating pieces to separate the mating pieces from one another. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
-
-
16. A method of connecting together two mating pieces of a gas-assisted electrosurgical accessory to a gas-assisted electrosurgical unit by interconnecting a male mating piece and a female mating piece to conduct RF electrical energy and a gas flow from the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit to the electrosurgical accessory;
- the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit generating the RF electrical energy and delivering the gas flow;
the electrosurgical accessory including the male mating piece, an accessory hose, an accessory conductor, a nozzle connected to receive the gas flow from the accessory hose and to issue the gas flow as a flow stream, and an electrode positioned within the nozzle and connected to the accessory conductor to transfer the RF energy to ionize conductive pathways within the flow stream;
the male mating piece including a gas passageway that is fluidly connected to the accessory hose, the male mating piece also including a connector electrode that is electrically connected to the accessory conductor;
the female mating piece including an electrical terminal that is connected to receive the RF energy generated by the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit and to electrically contact the connector electrode of the male mating piece upon connection of the female and male mating pieces, the female mating piece also including an internal gas flow path that is connected to receive the gas flow delivered from the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit and to conduct the gas flow to the gas passageway of the male mating piece upon interconnection of the female and male mating pieces;
said method comprising;connecting the two mating pieces by moving the two mating pieces together along an axis in a relative axial connection movement; contacting a sealing member carried on one mating piece with a sealing surface formed on the other mating piece, the sealing surface extending generally parallel with the axis for a distance along the axis; and resiliently compressing the sealing member in a radial direction relative to the axis in contact with the sealing surface to establish a gas tight seal over a range of relative axial connection movement extending from before the mating pieces achieve a fully connected relationship. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit generating the RF electrical energy and delivering the gas flow;
-
24. A method of connecting together and disconnecting two mating pieces of gas-assisted electrosurgical accessory in a connected together relationship, comprising:
-
connecting the two mating pieces by moving the two mating pieces together along an axis in a relative connection movement; contacting a sealing member carried on one mating piece with a sealing surface formed on the other mating piece, the sealing surface extending generally parallel with the axis for a distance along the axis; conducting a gas flow and RF electrical energy between the two connected mating pieces; restraining the connected mating pieces against separation by moving a retention member carried by one mating piece into a recess formed in the other mating piece upon the two mating pieces connecting with relative connection movement; and moving the retention member out of the recess with manual force applied between the two mating pieces to separate the mating pieces from one another. - View Dependent Claims (25)
-
-
26. A method of connecting a gas-assisted electrosurgical accessory to a gas-assisted electrosurgical unit by interconnecting a male mating piece and a female mating piece to conduct RF electrical energy and a gas flow from the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit to the electrosurgical accessory;
- the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit generating the RF electrical energy and delivering the gas flow;
the electrosurgical accessory including the male mating piece, an accessory hose, an accessory conductor, a nozzle connected to receive the gas flow from the accessory hose and to issue the gas flow as a flow stream, and an electrode positioned within the nozzle and connected to the accessory conductor to transfer the RF energy to ionize conductive pathways within the flow stream;
the male mating piece including a gas passageway that is fluidly connected to the accessory hose, the male mating piece also including a connector electrode that is electrically connected to the accessory conductor;
the female mating piece including an electrical terminal that is connected to receive the RF energy generated by the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit and to electrically contact the connector electrode of the male mating piece upon connection of the female and male mating pieces, the female mating piece also including an internal gas flow path that is connected to receive the gas flow delivered from the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit and to conduct the gas flow to the gas passageway of the male mating piece upon interconnection of the female and male mating pieces;
said method comprising;radially sealing the interconnected female and male mating pieces to create a gas-tight seal between the gas flow path and the gas passageway when the mating pieces are interconnected with one another. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
- the gas-assisted electrosurgical unit generating the RF electrical energy and delivering the gas flow;
Specification