Patent ID: 7874839
Filing Date: 2011-01-25
Classification: A61C

Abstract:
1. A powered surgical instrument, comprising: a housing having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion; a receiver having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, at least a portion of the receiver is movably received within the housing, the distal end portion of the receiver being configured to receive an expander adapted to expand a tooth socket within a treatment area, wherein the receiver is configured to move between a first receiver position in which the distal end portion of the receiver is adjacent the distal end portion of the housing, and a second receiver position in which the distal end portion of the receiver is spaced from the distal end portion of the housing relative to the first receiver position, wherein a larger part of at least one of the expander and the receiver extends external the housing in the second receiver position relative to the first receiver position; an actuator disposed within the housing and configured to move the receiver from the first receiver position toward the second receiver position, the actuator including a biasing member and a plunger configured to move from a first position in which the plunger is retracted and spaced from the proximal end portion of the receiver, to a second position in which the plunger contacts the proximal end portion of the receiver when the receiver is in the first receiver position, and to a third position in which the plunger is fully extended and moves the receiver from the first receiver position toward the second receiver position when the plunger contacts the proximal end portion of the receiver in the second position, the biasing member configured to return the plunger from the third position toward the first position; and a bias assembly operatively connected to the receiver and configured to urge the receiver toward the second receiver position when the actuator is configured to move the receiver from the first receiver position toward the second receiver position, wherein the actuator is configured to move the receiver from the first receiver position toward the second receiver position independent of the bias assembly, and the bias assembly is configured to urge the receiver toward the second receiver position independent of the actuator.