The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 05, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 06, 1999
John R. Bookwalter, Brattleboro, VT (US);
Rene J. Cabrera, Stoughton, MA (US);
Wesley C. Walker, Marion, MA (US);
Kenneth R. Hayes, Fall River, MA (US);
Codman & Shurtleff, Inc., New Brunswick, NJ (US);
Abstract
A retractor blade mounts on a shaft having a controlled degree of rotation and swings down to grip and retract tissue from bone or a hard tissue structure. The retractor blade includes a blade portion and a handle portion which may be integrally joined or may fit together in a modular way to allow different blades to be removably and interchangeably affixed to the handle assembly. A dovetail may mount the blade in a plane substantially transverse or perpendicular to the shaft. The shaft translates within a multi-position locking mechanism to allow adjustment of the handle extension along one or more axes, while the in-plane swing of the blade about the shaft conveniently positions the tip of the blade under tissue to be retracted when bone or hard tissue impedes access along the retraction direction parallel to the axis of the shaft. The retractor handle has a regular cross-section with one or more protruding lobes or ridges extending along the axial direction such that the edge-to-edge diameter of the handle varies with angular position about the axis, and peaks at one or more lobes or opposed pairs of lobes so that the ridges jam by interference against the walls of a channel in a clamping assembly. Preferably the blade is formed of a radiolucent polymer and may have its surface dished or curved in one or more directions, or may have a lip or flare adapted for contacting or retracting a particular tissue or structure.