Surgical saw blade coupler

• US 7,833,241 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2003
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: Gant, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Anhtuan T
• Assistant Examiner(s): YABUT, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US10/700,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20040204731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,570 Days
• Field of Search: 606176-180, 606/82, 606167-172, 606/187, 303/31, 30335-339, 301/80, 303/51, 303/55, 303/33, 301/663, 301/56, 303/88, 128/317, 279/76, 279/96, 279/101, 279/102, 279/44, 279/46.1, 279 196- 197, 279/79, 279/80, 279/147, 279/16, 279/18, 279/97, 279/904, 403/92, 403/96, 403/97, 403/101
• US Class Current: 606/176
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1637 Hollow drills or saws producing a curved cut, e.g. cylindrical A61B10/025, A61B17/1695 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B27B 19/006 with oscillating saw blades; Hand saws with oscillating saw blades
• CPC Class Codes: B27B 5/32 Devices for securing circular saw blades to the saw spindle

Abstract

A surgical saw blade coupler for removably holding a surgical saw blade. The surgical saw blade may be of various shapes and sizes, including, but not limited to straight or crescentic. The surgical saw blade coupler includes a cap, a pin and a driver. The driver is rotatably coupled to a motor within a housing. A cup is located within the housing within a bearing. The cap and the pin form a slot which receives a first end of the surgical saw blade. The cap and the pin also form a groove for receiving a back edge of the surgical saw blade. The surgical saw blade coupler is moveable between an open position in which the surgical saw blade may be removed, exchanged or inserted, and a closed position. A biasing spring acts against a button and the pin to close the coupler.

Claims

1. A surgical saw assembly, said assembly including:

a housing shaped to receive a motor;

a head located forward of said housing, said head having a bore;

a drive plate disposed over said head, said drive plate having;

at least one feature that connects said drive plate to the motor so that said drive plate oscillates around an axis concentric with the head bore;

an outer surface spaced from said head;

a plurality of spaced apart prongs that extend upwardly from the drive plate outer surface a first distance, said prongs spaced apart from each other so as to seat in openings formed in a saw blade; and

at least one rigid raised member that extends upwardly from the drive plate outer surface a second distance, the second distance being less than the first distance, said raised member positioned so that when said prongs are disposed in the blade openings, said raised member is seated under the saw blade;

a pin disposed in the head bore so as to move longitudinally in the bore, said pin having an upper end located above said drive plate;

a collar mounted to the upper end of said pin so as to move with said pin, said collar being located above said drive plate and having openings through which said drive plate prongs and said at least one raised member can extend through;

a cap mounted to the upper end of said pin to move with said pin so as to be spaced above said collar so as to define a slot between said collar and said cap for receiving a saw blade, said cap shaped to extend radially outwardly beyond the drive plate prongs and having an inner surface that faces said collar and an opening that extend inwardly from the inner surface for receiving the drive plate prongs; and

a biasing member that extends between said head and said pin that displaces said pin so that said cap is urged towards said drive plate,

wherein said drive plate prongs and said at least one raised member are further dimensioned and said pin, said cap and said collar are further arranged so that;

when a saw blade is disposed in the slot and said cap is positioned proximal to said drive plate, said at least one raised members abuts the saw blade so that the saw blade is compressed between said raised member and said cap and said drive plate prongs extend through and above said collar, through the saw blade openings and into the opening in said cap; and

said pin can be moved relative to said head so that said collar can be positioned at least partially above said drive plate prongs.

2. The surgical saw assembly of claim 1, wherein a plurality of said raised members extend above the outer surface of drive plate.

3. The surgical saw assembly of claim 1, wherein a plurality of said raised members extend above the outer surface of said drive plate and each said raised member is integral with at least one said prong.

4. The surgical saw assembly of claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of said raised members extend above the outer surface of drive plate; and

said prongs and said raised members are arranged and said collar is shaped so that each collar opening receives at least one said prong and at least one said raised member.

5. The surgical saw assembly of claim 1, wherein said drive plate prongs are arcuately spaced apart from each other around a common circle.

6. The surgical saw assembly of claim 1, wherein:

said drive plate is formed with a bore concentric with the head bore;

said pin extends through the drive plate bore; and

said drive plate prongs are arcuately spaced apart from each other around a circle that is concentric with the drive plate bore.

7. The surgical saw assembly of claim 1, wherein said biasing member is a spring that extends between said head and said pin.

8. A surgical saw assembly, said assembly including:

a housing shaped to receive a motor;

a head located forward of said housing;

a drive plate, said drive plate having;

a locking portion with an outer surface disposed above said head; and

a drive portion configured to be driven by the motor so that when the motor is actuated the drive portion oscillates the locking portion around an axis that extends through the locking portion;

a collar located above the drive plate locking portion outer surface that is longitudinally moveable relative to the drive plate locking portion, said collar shaped to have a plurality of openings;

a cap integral with said collar that is located above said collar so as to define a slot between said collar and cap that is dimensioned to receive a saw blade, said cap having an inner face that is directed towards said collar and an opening that extends inwardly from the inner face;

a retaining assembly that extends between said cap and said head for releasably holding said cap in a position proximal to the drive plate locking portion;

a plurality of prongs integral with the drive plate locking section, said prongs having positioned to extend through the collar openings into the cap opening and having a height so that,

when said cap is located proximal to the drive plate locking portion, said prongs extend through the collar openings and the slot into the cap opening; and

when said cap is displaced relative to the drive plate locking portion so as to spaced from the drive plate locking portion, said collar rises above said prongs;

at least one rigid raised member integral with the drive plate locking section that has height less than the height of said prongs and positioned to extend through one of the collar openings; and

a saw blade having a first end with teeth and a second end spaced from the first end, the second end dimensioned to seat in the slot between said collar and cap, the saw blade second end shaped to have a plurality of openings arranged so that, when the second end is in the slot and said cap is located proximal to the drive plate locking portion;

said prongs extend through the saw blade openings; and

the at least one drive raised member abuts the saw blade so that the saw blade is compressed between said at least one raised member and said cap.

9. The surgical saw assembly of claim 8, wherein said at least one raised member is positioned on said drive plate locking portion and said collar is shaped so that said at least one raised member extends through a collar opening through which at least one said prong extends.

10. The surgical saw assembly of claim 8, wherein a plurality of said of said raised members extend above the outer surface of the drive plate locking portion and said raised members extend through the collar openings through which said prongs extend.

11. The surgical saw assembly of claim 8, wherein:

a pin integral with said collar and said cap extends away from said collar across the drive plate locking section into said head and is moveably mounted to said head; and

said retaining assembly extends between said head and said pin so as to releasably hold said pin in said head in position in which said cap is located proximal to the drive plate locking portion.

12. The surgical saw assembly of claim 8, wherein:

a pin integral with said collar and said cap extends away from said collar across the drive plate locking section into said head; and

said retaining assembly includes a spring that extends between said pin that biases said pin so that said pin holds said cap proximal to the drive plate locking portion.

13. The surgical saw assembly of claim 8, wherein said retaining assembly includes a spring that extends between said head and said cap that holds said cap proximal to the drive plate locking portion.

14. The surgical saw assembly of claim 8, wherein a plurality of said of said raised members extend above the outer surface of the drive plate locking portion, said prongs and said raised members being arranged so that two prongs are integral with each said raised member, said prongs being located at opposed ends of the said raised member with which said prongs are integral.

15. A surgical saw assembly, said assembly including:

a housing shaped to receive a motor;

a head located forward of said housing;

a drive plate, said drive plate having;

a locking portion with an outer surface disposed above said head;

a drive portion configured to be driven by the motor so that, when the motor is actuated, the drive portion oscillates the locking portion around an axis that extends through the locking portion; and

a plurality of rigid raised members that extend upwardly from the outer surface of the locking portion;

a collar located above the drive plate locking portion that is longitudinally moveable relative to the drive plate locking portion, said collar shaped to have a plurality of openings, the openings being positioned so that said raised members can extend therethrough;

a cap integral with said collar that is located above said collar so as to define a slot between said collar and cap, the slot dimensioned to receive a saw blade, said cap having an inner face that is directed towards said collar and an opening that extends inwardly from the inner face;

a retaining assembly that extends between said collar and said head for releasably holding said cap in a position in which said cap is proximal to the drive plate locking portion so that when said cap is so positioned, a saw blade disposed in the slots is compressed between said raised members and said cap; and

a plurality of prongs integral with the drive plate locking section that extend upwardly from the outer surface of the drive plate locking section so as to extend above said raised members, said prongs positioned to extend through the collar openings into the cap opening and having a height so that,

when said cap is positioned proximal to the drive plate locking portion, said prongs extend through said collar openings, openings in the saw blade seated in the slot and into the cap opening; and

when said cap is displaced from the position proximal to the drive plate locking portion to a position distal to the drive plate locking portion, said collar rises at least partially above said prongs so that the saw blade can be removed from the slot.

16. The surgical saw assembly of claim 15, wherein each said raised member is integral with at least one said prong.

17. The surgical saw assembly of claim 15 wherein said prongs are arcuately spaced apart from each other around a common circle.

18. The surgical saw assembly of claim 15, wherein:

the drive plate locking section is formed with a through bore;

said prongs are arcuately spaced apart from each other around a common circle centered on the through plate bore;

a pin integral with said cap and said collar extends from said collar through said drive plate through bore into the head; and

said retaining assembly extends between said head and said pin so as to releasably hold said pin in said head in position in which said cap is positioned proximal to the drive plate locking portion.

19. The surgical saw assembly of claim 15, wherein said retaining assembly includes a spring that holds said cap in the position proximal to the drive plate locking portion.

20. The surgical saw assembly of claim 15, wherein:

the drive plate locking section is formed with a through bore;

said raised members and said pins are arranged in a common circle centered on the through plate bore and are further arranged so that one said prong extends upwardly from each arcuately opposed end of each said raised member;

said collar is shaped so that each said member and the two said prongs associated with said raised member extend through a separate opening forming in said collar;

a pin integral with said cap and said collar extends from said collar through said drive plate through bore into the head; and

said retaining assembly extends between said head and said pin so as to releasably hold said pin in said head in position in which said cap is positioned proximal to the drive plate locking portion.