Patent ID: 7758593
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A medical instrument handle comprising: a medical-instrument-handle body having a longitudinal axis, a proximal body portion, and a distal body portion; a medical-instrument-member comprising a first articulation cable and a second articulation cable; a manually-slidable first slide slidably attached to the handle body; the first articulation cable of the medical-instrument-member including a first proximal cable portion which has a first centerline and which is connected to the first slide; a manually-slidable second slide slidably attached to the handle body; the second articulation cable of the medical-instrument-member including a second proximal cable portion which is connected to the second slide; a ring forming a portion of the medical-instrument-handle body and housing at least a portion of the first proximal cable portion of the first articulation cable; a first rod having a first proximal rod portion rotatably attached to the first slide and having a first rod lumen and having a first distal rod portion having a longitudinally-elongated first keyed outer surface, wherein the first proximal cable portion is disposed within the first rod lumen and is non-rotatably attached to the first rod; and a first pinion gear having longitudinally-elongated first teeth and having a first keyhole lumen engaging the first keyed outer surface of the first distal rod portion; wherein the ring has an inner circumferential array of longitudinally-elongated ring teeth engaging the first teeth; wherein the ring is operatively connected to the first proximal cable portion to rotate the first proximal cable portion substantially about its centerline relative to the medical-instrument-handle body as the ring is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the medical-instrument-handle body relative to any other portion of the medical-instrument-handle body.