Vaginal speculum
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vaginal speculum comprising:
- a lower blade portion comprising a handle portion having a receiving cavity, said receiving cavity being fully enclosed with the exception of an open end in a lower end of said handle portion, said receiving cavity being configured for receiving an illumination assembly having at least one LED as a light source, wherein at least one feature provided in said receiving cavity is configured to retain said illumination assembly; and
a curved light pipe formed in said lower blade portion, said light pipe having a proximal end disposed in an upper end of said handle portion and a distal end disposed along an elongate portion of said lower blade portion; and
means for coupling said at least one LED to the proximal end of said light pipe wherein said at least one retaining feature is configured to permit automatic energization of said at least one LED when said illumination assembly is axially inserted at least a predetermined distance into said receiving cavity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vaginal speculum includes an upper blade member and a lower blade member that is movably connected with respect to the upper blade. The lower blade member includes an integrated handle portion having a receiving cavity configured for interchangeably receiving one of a first illumination assembly and a substantially different second illumination assembly. The first illumination assembly differs from the second illumination assembly by at least one structural and/or functional aspect, such as the form of power supply, the type of light source and physical size of the assembly housing.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A vaginal speculum comprising:
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a lower blade portion comprising a handle portion having a receiving cavity, said receiving cavity being fully enclosed with the exception of an open end in a lower end of said handle portion, said receiving cavity being configured for receiving an illumination assembly having at least one LED as a light source, wherein at least one feature provided in said receiving cavity is configured to retain said illumination assembly; and a curved light pipe formed in said lower blade portion, said light pipe having a proximal end disposed in an upper end of said handle portion and a distal end disposed along an elongate portion of said lower blade portion; and means for coupling said at least one LED to the proximal end of said light pipe wherein said at least one retaining feature is configured to permit automatic energization of said at least one LED when said illumination assembly is axially inserted at least a predetermined distance into said receiving cavity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A vaginal speculum comprising:
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an upper blade; a lower blade including a handle portion having a receiving cavity, said upper blade being movably connected to said lower blade, said speculum including a proximal end defining an aperture between proximal ends of said upper and lower blade and a distal end through which illumination is projected toward a target, said lower blade further including a light pipe having a proximal end disposed at an upper portion of said receiving cavity, said light pipe being curved and axially extending substantially along at least an axial portion of said lower blade, and in which said speculum is configured to receive an illumination source in said receiving cavity such that said illumination source is optically coupled to a proximal end of said light pipe, said speculum further including means for reducing the amount of light reflected from said lower blade to a user through said aperture wherein the distal end of said light pipe is contoured, said contour being defined by substantially one of an angled surface having an angle proximal to the handle portion of between about 55 degrees and about 80 degrees and a radiused surface of at least less than about 5.0 inches. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification