Patent ID: 8070764
Filing Date: 2011-12-06
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. A blade shuttle for packaging a microkeratome blade and loading the blade into a cavity of a head of a microkeratome, the blade shuttle comprising: a housing having a housing interior; a blade disposed in the housing interior; a plunger disposed in the housing interior and engaging the blade at least a portion of the plunger being accessible from outside the housing for manipulation by a user, and the plunger being slidable relative to the housing in a blade-loading direction; and a drawer having a drawer opening and slidable relative to the housing in the blade-loading direction from a closed position to an open position wherein, at the closed position, the drawer opening and the blade are enclosed by the housing, and at the open position, the drawer opening is adjacent to the housing interior and accessible from outside the housing, and the drawer opening is configured to receive the microkeratome head at a head position at which the head cavity is aligned with the blade along the blade-loading direction, wherein the plunger is mounted to the housing and slidable independently of the drawer, and sliding of the plunger in the blade-loading direction toward the drawer at the open position loads the blade from the housing interior into the drawer and into the head cavity.