Patent ID: 9498202
Filing Date: 2016-11-22
CPC Classification: A61B,A61F,B65D,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A device for securing one or more sutures, comprising: a generally disk-shaped body having an annular outer body that defines an annular outer edge, a first tab extending radially inwardly from a first side of the annular outer body and a second tab extending radially inwardly from a second side of the annular outer body; first and second curved slots passing through the disk-shaped body within the annular outer body, wherein the first and second curved slots define sides of the first and second tabs; and a middle slit connecting the curved slots and separating the first and second tabs, the slit and curved slots generally forming a closed H-shaped opening through the body within the annular outer body, the slit being sized to receive and hold one or more sutures, and opposed edges of the first and second tabs positioned across the slit from each other form suture engagement portions; wherein each of the first and second tabs has a base end that connects to the annular outer body and a free end that borders the slit, the base ends having a width that extends between an end of the first curved slot and an opposing end of the second curved slot, and the widths of the base ends of the first and second tabs are shorter than widths of the free ends of the first and second tabs, such that the first and second tabs are encouraged to articulate relative to the annular outer body along the width of their base ends; wherein the device comprises an elastically resilient material and has a flat natural configuration when no sutures are positioned in the slit; wherein the device has an active configuration wherein the first and second tabs are elastically deformed out of a plane defined by the annular outer body when one or more sutures are positioned through the slit in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane defined the annular outer body; wherein the elastically deformable first and second tabs allow the device to change from the natural configuration to the active configuration to receive and secure one or more sutures between the suture engagement portions; and wherein, in the active configuration, the suture engagement portions exert a pinching force on the one or more sutures that restricts the sutures from sliding through the slit in at least one longitudinal direction of the sutures.