A surgical support structure joint includes a shaft having an axis, a first support member rotatably supported about the axis of the shaft and a camming member coupled to the first support member. The camming member is movable between a first clamped position and a second unclamped position. In the first clamped position, the camming member applies greater force to the first support member than in the second unclamped position to prevent rotation of the first support member in the first clamped position and to permit rotation of the first support member in the second unclamped position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a surgical support structure. In 
particular, the present invention relates to a clamping mechanism for a 
surgical support structure such as a retractor support. 
In abdominal and chest surgery, it is customary to use a retractor that is 
mounted to a retractor support that extends over an operating table. The 
retractor is used to hold back tissue proximate a surgical incision 
enabling the surgeon to work in areas such as the abdominal area or chest 
cavity. 
Retractors typically include a blade and a handle which is typically a 
shaft to which the blade is attached. The retractor is attached to the 
retractor support by some type of clamping mechanism that engages the 
handle of the retractor. 
It is desirable that the retractor be movable since the position of the 
retractor will depend on the surgery being undertaken and the particular 
patient. In addition, it is desirable that the position and orientation of 
the retractor be easily movable and adjustable during surgery. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is a surgical support structure joint for a surgical 
support structure such as a retractor clamp. The joint includes a shaft 
having an axis, a first support member rotatably supported about the axis 
of the shaft and a camming member coupled to the first support member. The 
camming member is movable between a first clamped position and a second 
unclamped position. The camming member applies greater force to the first 
support member in the first clamped position than in the second unclamped 
position to prevent rotation of the first support member in the first 
clamped position and to permit rotation of the first support member in the 
second unclamped position. 
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first support 
member includes a first leg portion and a second leg portion rotatably 
supported about the shaft. The first leg portion and the second leg 
portion define a clamping bore therebetween. In the first clamped 
position, the camming member forces the first and second leg portions 
towards one another to reduce the diameter of the clamping bore for 
frictionally clamping an object within the clamping bore. The preferred 
surgical support structure joint of the present invention additionally 
includes a second support member, preferably similar to the first support 
member. The preferred joint also includes a collar encircling the shaft in 
engagement with the first support member. The camming member preferably 
comprises a camming pin journaled to the collar through the shaft. The 
camming pin has an eccentric outer circumferential surface in engagement 
with the shaft for forcing the collar along the shaft towards the first 
support member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 1 illustrates surgical support structure joint 10 supporting support 
rods 12, 14 in one of various positions. Surgical support structure joint 
10, exemplifying the present invention, generally includes support members 
16, 18, shaft assembly 20 and camming mechanism 22. Support members 16, 18 
receive and hold support rods 12, 14, respectively. Preferably, support 
members 16, 18 releasably clamp about support rods 12, 14, respectively, 
so as to enable support rods 12 and 14 to be moved and adjusted along and 
about the axes of support rods 12, 14, respectively, when desired. 
Alternatively, support members 16, 18 may be fixedly or permanently 
coupled to support rods 12, 14, respectively. 
Support members 16, 18 are pivotally coupled to and about shaft assembly 
20. At the same time, each of support members 16, 18 are held in place 
along the axis of shaft assembly 20. In particular, support member 16 is 
substantially held in place along the axis of shaft assembly 20 by a 
retaining member 96 and a spacer 38 (shown in FIG. 2) on opposite sides of 
support member 16. Support member 18 is substantially held in place along 
the axis of shaft assembly 20 by spacer 38 (shown in FIG. 2) and camming 
mechanism 22 on opposite sides of support member 18. Support members 16 
and 18 are separated from one another along the axis of shaft assembly 20 
by spacer 38 (shown in FIG. 2). Alternatively, support members 16, 18 may 
abut one another along the axis of shaft assembly 20. 
Shaft assembly 20 is an elongate supporting structure extending through 
support members 16, 18. Shaft assembly 20 pivotally supports support 
member 16, 18 to permit support members 16, 18 to individually rotate 
about an axis of shaft assembly 20. As a result, support rods 12, 14 
carried by support members 16, 18 may also be positioned in one of a 
variety of angular positions about the axis of shaft assembly 20. 
Camming mechanism 22 includes collar 32, camming member 34 and handle 36. 
Collar 32 encircles shaft assembly 20 and is coupled to camming member 34. 
Collar 32 includes a generally flat surface 37 in frictional engagement 
with a top surface of support member 18 to increase frictional contact 
between collar 32 and support member 18. Collar 32 abuts support member 18 
and retains support members 16 and 18 along shaft assembly 20. 
Camming member 34 is journaled to collar 32 through shaft assembly 20. 
Camming member 34 engages both collar 32 and shaft assembly 20 to move 
collar 32 and shaft assembly 20 relative to one another along the axis of 
shaft assembly 20. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, neither collar 
32 nor shaft assembly 20 are fixed. However, as can be appreciated, either 
shaft assembly 20 or collar 32 may alternatively be fixed. Accordingly, if 
shaft assembly 20 is fixed, actuation of camming member 34 moves collar 32 
along the axis of shaft assembly 20. Conversely, if collar 32 is fixed, 
actuation of camming member 34 moves shaft assembly 20 upward and downward 
through collar 32. 
Actuation of camming member 34 moves collar 32 and shaft assembly 20 
relative to one another between a clamped position and an unclamped 
position. In the clamped position, collar 32 is forced towards retaining 
member 96 and retaining member 96 is forced towards collar 32 to increase 
the force and corresponding degree of friction between collar 32 and 
support member 18 and between support member 16 and retaining member 96. 
Actuation of camming member 34 also increases the forces and corresponding 
degree of friction between support members 16 and 18 and spacer 38. 
Preferably, camming member 34 moves collar 32 and shaft assembly 20 
relative to one another so as to sufficiently increase the amount of force 
and friction between surfaces of members 16 and 18 and adjacent surfaces 
to prevent unintended rotational movement of support members 16 and 18 
about shaft assembly 20. Movement of camming member 34 also compresses 
support members 16 and 18 about support rods 12 and 14, respectively, to 
frictionally clamp support rods 12 and 14 in selected rotational and axial 
positions. 
In the unclamped position, collar 32 and retaining member 96 are forced 
away from one another to decrease the force and corresponding degree of 
friction between collar 32 and support member 18, between support member 
16 and retaining member 96, and between support members 16 and 18 and 
spacer 38. Preferably, in the unclamped position, camming member 34 
sufficiently moves collar 32 and shaft assembly 20 relative to one another 
to sufficiently decrease the amount of force and friction between surfaces 
of members 16 and 18 and adjacent surfaces to allow rotational adjustment 
of support members 16 and 18 about shaft assembly 20. In addition, 
actuation of camming member 34 into the unclamped position also releases 
support rods 12 and 14 within support members 16 and 18, respectively, to 
enable the physician to rotate and reposition support rods 12 and 14 with 
respect to support members 16 and 18. Thus, camming member 34 moves shaft 
assembly 20 and collar 32 relative to one another to enable a physician to 
easily and quickly clamp and unclamp support members 16 and 18 in 
rotational positions about shaft assembly 20 and to clamp and unclamp 
support rods 12, 14 in selected rotational and axial positions with 
respect to support members 16, 18. 
In the embodiment illustrated, camming member 34 is moved between a clamped 
position and an unclamped position by handle 36. Handle 36 is coupled to 
camming member 34 and provides a lever arm for rotation of camming member 
34. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, handle 36 is generally 
L-shaped and integrally extends from one side of camming member 34. Once 
support members 16 and 18 are positioned in a desired rotational 
orientation about the axis of shaft assembly 20 and once support rods 12 
and 14 are also positioned within support members 16, 18 at desired 
rotational and axial positions, selected actuation of camming mechanism 22 
by handle 36 secures and clamps support rods 12 and 14 in their selected 
positions. 
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of joint 10 illustrating support 
members 16, 18, spacer 38, shaft assembly 20 and camming mechanism 22 in 
greater detail. As best shown by FIG. 2, support member 16 is a generally 
U-shaped unitary body including a pair of resilient leg portions 42, 44 
separated by slot 46 and clamping bore 48. Slot 46 extends from a first 
end 52 towards a second end 54 of support structure 16, between leg 
portions 42, 44 towards clamping bore 48. Clamping bore 48 extends through 
and between leg portions 42 and 44 and preferably defines a 
cylindrical-shaped bore sized for receiving support rod 12. Clamping bore 
48 preferably has a diameter sized sufficiently larger than a diameter of 
support rod 12 to enable support rod 12 to be rotationally and axially 
moved within clamping bore 48 when camming mechanism 22 is in the 
unclamped position. Leg portions 42 and 44 are sized and are resiliently 
movable with respect to each other so that the diameter of clamping bore 
48 may be reduced sufficiently to frictionally clamp support rod 12 within 
clamping bore 48 upon actuation of camming mechanism 22. Leg portions 42 
and 44 additionally define a pair of aligned pivot bores 56, 58 extending 
through leg portions 42, 44, respectively, towards first end 52 of support 
member 16. Pivot bores 56, 58 are sized for receiving shaft assembly 20 to 
enable support member 16 to pivot about shaft assembly 20. Pivot bore 56 
has a counterbore 57, preferably frusto-conical in shape, extending into 
support member 16 towards slot 46. Counterbore 57 is configured and sized 
for receiving a corresponding frusto-conical surface of spacer 38. Pivot 
bore 58 additionally includes a counterbore 89 (shown in FIG. 3) extending 
into support member 16 towards slot 46. Counterbore 89 is sized for 
receiving retaining member 96. 
Support member 18 is substantially similar to support member 16. Support 
member 18 includes a pair of resilient leg portions 62, 64 separated from 
one another by slot 66 and clamping bore 68. Similar to support member 16, 
slot 66 of support member 18 separates leg portions 62 and 64 and extends 
from a first end 72 towards a second end 74 of support member 18. Leg 
portions 62 and 64 further define aligned pivot bores 76, 78. Pivot bores 
76 and 78 are aligned with one another and are sized for receiving shaft 
assembly 20 to enable support member 18 to pivot about shaft assembly 20. 
Pivot bore 78 has a counterbore 79, preferably frusto-conical in shape, 
extending into support member 18 towards slot 66. Counterbore 79 is sized 
for receiving a corresponding frusto-conical surface of spacer 38. 
As best shown by FIG. 2, spacer 38 is a generally annular ring encircling 
shaft assembly 20. Spacer 38 is preferably slidable along shaft assembly 
20 so as to forcefully couple support member 16 and 18. As a result, 
movement of one support member along shaft assembly 20 also moves the 
other support member for compression or expansion of both support members. 
Spacer 38 preferably includes opposing frusto-conical surfaces 84, 86. 
Frusto-conical surface 84 has a lower edge 88 which has an outer diameter 
smaller than the outer diameter of bore 56 extending through leg portion 
42 of support member 16. Frusto-conical surface 84 extends upward towards 
centerline 90 and widens as it approaches centerline 90. Centerline 90 has 
an outer diameter larger than the diameter of bore 56. As a result, 
frusto-conical surface 84 is partially received within counterbore 57 of 
support member 16 and provides a high level of surface-to-surface contact 
between support member 16 and spacer 38 for frictionally clamping support 
member 16 about shaft assembly 20. Frusto-conical surface 86 extends from 
centerline 90 opposite frusto-conical surface 84 and has a diameter which 
narrows towards upper edge 92. Centerline 90 has an outer diameter larger 
than the inner diameter of bore 78 while upper edge 92 has an outer 
diameter smaller than the inner diameter of bore 78. As a result, 
frusto-conical surface 86 partially extends into counterbore 79 and 
engages support member 18 to provide a high degree surface-to-surface 
contact between spacer 38 and support member 18. Spacer 38 spaces support 
member 16 from support member 18 and transmits forces along the axis of 
shaft assembly 20 between support members 16 and 18 for frictionally 
clamping support members 16 and 18 along shaft assembly 20 in selected 
rotational orientations. 
As further shown by FIG. 2, shaft assembly 20 preferably comprises an 
elongate retaining bolt 94 and retaining member 96. Bolt 94 includes a 
threaded end portion 98, an intermediate portion 100 and a head 102. 
Threaded end portion 98 is externally threaded for threadably engaging 
retaining member 96. Head 102 of bolt 94 is located opposite threaded end 
portion 98 and defines bore 104 which extends through head 102 and which 
is sized for receiving camming member 34. Head 102 is sized for being 
received within an elongate slot extending through collar 32 of camming 
mechanism 22. 
Retaining member 96 of shaft assembly 20 comprises an annular ring or 
washer which is fixedly coupled to a lower end of threaded end portion 98 
of bolt 94. Retaining member 96 is received within counterbore 89. 
Retaining member 96 is preferably threaded and swaged onto a lower end of 
threaded end portion 98 of bolt 94. Retaining member 96 includes a 
retaining surface 106 which engages and abuts support member 16 to limit 
vertical movement of support member 16 along the axis of bolt 94 while 
permitting support member 16 to freely rotate about bolt 94. As can be 
appreciated, retaining member 96 may have a variety of different 
configurations or structures having retaining surfaces for allowing 
rotation of support member 16 while holding support member 16 
substantially in place along the axis of bolt 94. For example, bore 58 may 
alternatively include interior threads which act as retaining surfaces by 
threadably engaging threaded end portion 98 of bolt 94. Such an 
alternative arrangement would also permit rotational movement of support 
member 16 about bolt 94 and would also limit vertical movement of support 
member 16 along the axis of bolt 94. 
As further shown by FIG. 2, collar 32 of camming mechanism 22 defines an 
elongate slot 110, bore 112 and bore 114. Slot 110 extends through collar 
32 along the axis of collar 32 and is sized for receiving head 102 of bolt 
94. Preferably, slot 110 has a length longer than a length of head 102 of 
bolt 94 so as to permit head 102 of bolt 94 to move within slot 110 as 
collar 32 and bolt 94 are moved relative to one another by camming 
mechanism 22. 
Bores 112 and 114 extend through collar 32 generally perpendicular to slot 
110. Bores 112 and 114 extend through opposite sides of collar 32 and are 
in axial alignment with one another. Bores 112 and 114 are sized for 
receiving camming member 34 of camming mechanism 22. 
As best shown by FIG. 2, camming member 34 is preferably a camming pin 
including end portions 118, 120 and intermediate portion 122. End portion 
118, end portion 120 and intermediate portion 122 are generally 
cylindrical in shape and are located adjacent to one another. End portion 
118 has a diameter sized for being received within bore 112 of collar 32. 
End portion 120 has a diameter sized for being received within bore 114 of 
collar 32. End portions 118 and 120 are centered about rotational axis 130 
and are journaled within bores 112 and 114, respectively, so as to 
rotatably support intermediate portion 122 within collar 32 and through 
bore 104 of bolt 94. 
Intermediate portion 122 is eccentrically coupled between end portions 118 
and 120. Intermediate portion 122 includes an outer circumferential 
surface 132 having an axis 134 which is spaced from axis 130 by a 
distance, D. The distance D separating axis 130 and 134 of end portions 
118, 120 and intermediate portion 122 generally determines the maximum 
distance which camming member 34 moves bolt 94 and retaining member 96 of 
shaft assembly 20 relative to collar 32. Preferably, the distance D 
separating axis 130 and 134 is sufficient to frictionally secure support 
member 16 and 18 about bolt 94 and to clamp support rods 12 and 14 within 
clamping bores 48 and 68, respectively. 
Upon assembly, intermediate portion 122 is located within bore 104 of bolt 
94. End portion 118 projects out of bore 112 and is fixedly coupled to 
retaining washer 136 to rotatably couple and secure camming member 34 
through collar 32 and head 102 of bolt 94. 
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of joint 10 supporting support rods 12 and 
14. As best shown by FIG. 3, bolt 94 extends through collar 32, support 
member 18, spacer 38, support member 16 and retaining member 96. Head 102 
of bolt 94 engages an upper surface of support member 18 while retaining 
member 96 of shaft assembly 20 engages a lower surface of support member 
16 to secure support members 16 and 18 between head 102 and retaining 
member 96 along the axis of bolt 94. Frusto-conical surfaces 84, 86 of 
spacer 38 extend into bores 56 and 78 of support members 16, 18, 
respectively, to space apart and forcefully interconnect support members 
16 and 18 so that forces are transferred between support members 16 and 
18. At the same time, spacer 38 permits support members 16 and 18 to 
independently rotate about the axis of bolt 94 prior to clamping actuation 
of camming mechanism 22. Frusto-conical surfaces 84 and 86 also provide a 
larger surface area of contact between spacer 38 and support members 16 
and 18 to frictionally clamp support members 16 and 18 relative to one 
another. 
Head 102 of bolt 94 is encircled by collar 32. Collar 32 rotatably supports 
camming member 34 through and across head portion 102 of bolt 94. 
As shown by FIG. 3, intermediate portion 122 of camming member 34 extends 
through bore 104 of bore 94 in close tolerance with the inner 
circumferential surface of bore 104. Intermediate portion 122 is journaled 
to collar 32 by end portions 118 and 120 (shown in FIG. 2) and rotates 
about the axial centerline 130 of end portions 118 and 120. As a result, 
rotation of handle 36 in the direction shown by arrow 140 rotates 
intermediate portion 122 about the axial centerline 130 of end portions 
118 and 120 to move bolt 94 relative to collar 32 through slot 110. As a 
result, collar 32 applies a force against support member 18, spacer 38 and 
support member 16 while retaining member 96 applies a corresponding 
opposite force to support member 16, spacer 38 and support member 18 to 
frictionally clamp support members 16 and 18 between retaining member 96 
and collar 32 to frictionally secure support members 16 and 18 in a 
selected rotational orientation about bolt 94. In addition, as collar 32 
and retaining member 96 are drawn towards one another by rotation of 
camming mechanism 22, leg portion 62 is moved towards leg portion 64 and 
leg portion 44 is moved towards leg portion 42 to compress support members 
16, 18 to frictionally clamp support rods 12 and 14 within clamping bores 
48 and 68 of support members 16 and 18, respectively. Thus, simple 
actuation of handle 36 and camming mechanism 22 frictionally clamps 
support members 16 and 18 in selected rotational orientations about bolt 
94 and further frictionally clamps support rods 12 and 14 within support 
members 16 and 18 in selected rotational and axial positions. Conversely, 
continued or opposite rotation of handle 36 and camming member 34 moves 
head portion 102 of bolt 94 relative to collar 32 to move retaining member 
96 and collar 32 away from one another to reduce forces frictionally 
binding support members 16 and 18 to spacer 38, collar 32 and retaining 
member 96 to allow support members 16 and 18 to be rotatably adjusted 
about bolt 94 and to allow support rods 12 and 14 to be rotated and 
axially moved within clamping bores 48 and 68, respectively. 
Surgical support structure joint 10 enables a physician to quickly and 
easily adjust and readjust the rotational positions of support members 16 
and 18 as well as the rotational and axial positions of support rods 12 
and 14 by simply moving and rotating handle 36 and camming member 34 
between a first clamped position and a second unclamped position. As a 
result, positioning and adjustment of support member 16 and 18 as well as 
support rods 12 and 14 is simple, quick and does not tie up the 
physician's hands. 
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of surgical support structure joint 
200, an alternate embodiment of surgical support structure joint 10. 
Surgical support structure joint 200 is illustrated as supporting a pair 
of support rods 12, 14. Surgical support structure joint 200 is similar to 
surgical support structure joint 10 except that surgical support structure 
joint 200 includes handle 236 in lieu of handle 36, camming member 234 in 
lieu of camming member 34 and pin 336 in lieu of retaining washer 136. For 
ease of illustration, the remaining elements of joint 200 which are 
similar to corresponding elements of joint 10 are numbered similarly. 
Camming member 234 is similar to camming member 34 except that end portion 
120 of camming member 234 includes a pin receiving bore 235 extending 
through end portion 120. Pin receiving bore 235 is sized for receiving 
registered pin 336 to couple camming member 234 to handle 236. 
Handle 236 is generally an elongate lever arm having a wishbone shaped end 
237. End 237 generally includes arm portions 239 and 240 which are 
separated by slot 242. Arm portion 239 defines bore 244 which extends 
through arm portion 239. Bore 244 has a diameter sized for receiving end 
portion 118 of camming member 234. Arm portion 240 defines bore 246 which 
extends through arm portion 240. Bore 246 has a diameter sized for 
receiving end portion 120 of camming member 234. Bores 244 and 246 are 
concentrically aligned with one another. Arm portion 240 additionally 
defines a pair of aligned bores 248 which have diameters sized for 
receiving pin 336. 
Upon assembly, head 102 of bolt 94 fits within slot 110 of collar 32 so as 
to align bores 112 and 104. Collar 32 and head 102 of bolt 94 are located 
within slot 242 of handle 236 so as to further align bores 244 and 246 
with bores 112 and 104. Camming member 234 extends through bores 104, 112, 
114, 244 and 246. End portion 118 extends across and fits within bores 112 
and 244 while end portion 120 extends across and fits within bores 114 and 
246. Intermediate portion 122 is located within bore 104 of bolt 94. Once 
bore 235 is brought into alignment with bores 248 of arm portion 240 of 
handle 236, registered pin 336 is inserted through and across bores 235 
and bores 248 to couple handle 236 to camming member 234. 
Handle 236 rotates about axis 130 which concentrically extends through 
bores 112, 114, 244, 246 and 104. Handle 236 rotates over and about head 
102 of bolt 94. As with handle 36, rotation of handle 236 rotates camming 
member 234 to in turn apply force to support members 16 and 18 so as to 
frictionally secure and clamp support member 16 and 18 in selected 
rotational positions about the axis of bolt 94. Continued or opposite 
rotation of handle 236 causes camming member 234 to apply a smaller degree 
of force to support members 16 and 18 to permit rotation of support 
members 16 and 18 about bolt 94 for necessary repositioning of support 
members 16 and 18 as well as support rods 12 and 14. As with surgical 
support structure joint 10, surgical support structure joint 200 enables a 
physician to quickly and easily adjust and readjust the rotational 
positions of support members 16 and 18 as well as the rotational and axial 
positions of support rods 12 and 14 by simply moving and rotating handle 
236 and camming member 234 between a first clamped position and a second 
unclamped position. As a result, positioning and adjustment of support 
member 16 and 18 as well as support rods 12 and 14 is simple, quick and 
does not tie up the physician's hands. 
Joints 10 and 200 of the present invention enable the physician to quickly 
and easily adjust and readjust the positioning of a retractor coupled to 
support rods 12 and 14. For ease of illustration, joint 10 has been 
illustrated as supporting two support rods 12, 14 with two corresponding 
support members 16 and 18 rotatably coupled between collar 32 and 
retaining member 96. As can be appreciated, any number of support members 
and support rods may be located between retaining member 96 and collar 32. 
For example, joint 10 may alternatively rotatably support a single support 
member and a single corresponding support rod about the axis of bolt 94. 
Moreover, as can be appreciated, spacer 38 may be omitted so that support 
members 16 and 18 directly frictionally engage one another. In addition, 
additional spacing members such as washers or the like may be utilized 
along the axis of bolt 94 between collar 32 and retaining member 96. 
More notably, camming mechanisms 22 and 222 may have a variety of different 
configurations, make-up and dimensions. For example, in lieu of 
intermediate portion 122 of camming members 34 and 234 engaging bolt 94 
and end portions 118, 120 engaging collar 32 to move collar 32, bolt 94 
and retaining member 96 relative to one another for clamping support 
members 16 and 18 therebetween, camming mechanism 22 may be configured so 
as to support a camming surface in direct engagement with support member 
18, whereby rotation of the camming member directly applies force to an 
upper surface of support member 18 to move or force support members 16 and 
18 towards a retaining member to frictionally clamp support member 18 and 
support member 16. Furthermore, although camming members 34 and 234 have 
been illustrated as having a plurality of cylinders eccentrically coupled 
to one another, camming members 34 and 234 may alternatively have any one 
of a variety of camming structures such as irregularly shaped lobes, 
guidance surfaces, or other well-known camming structures such as 
actuatable levers or wedges which are capable of moving one member 
relative to another by simple actuation of the camming structure. 
Although the present invention has been described with reference to 
preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that 
changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit 
and scope of the invention.