Scalpel blade guard

A scalpel shield system for a scalpel that has a handle and a blade with a sharp cutting edge. The system is mountable on the scalpel and provided with a blade guard member having a pivot component engagable with a pivot component on the blade or the handle. The blade guard member is manually pivotable relative to the scalpel between a guard position for preventing injury by the sharp cutting edge and a retracted position for exposing the sharp cutting edge.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to scalpels, and particularly to arrangements for preventing accidental contact with the cutting edge of the scalpel blade.

A variety of devices of this type, known generally as blade guards, are already known in the art. For example, devices of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,676,677 and 5,843,107, as well as in a number of other issued patents. The known devices are generally capable of only limited movement away from the blade edge, thus placing certain limitations on the use of the scalpel.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an improved scalpel shield system for a scalpel that has a handle and a blade with a sharp cutting edge, the system comprising an adapter mountable on the scalpel and provided with a first pivot component; and a blade guard member having a second pivot component engagable with the first pivot component and manually pivotable relative to the adapter between a guard position for preventing injury by the sharp cutting edge and a retracted position for exposing the sharp cutting edge.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2show a portion of an exemplary scalpel equipped with one preferred embodiment of a scalpel shield system according to the invention. The scalpel is composed of a conventional handle12, only the distal end of which is shown, and a conventional blade14having a cutting edge16. Handle12has a blade supporting member18and blade14has a mating slot into which supporting member18is inserted to hold blade14in place on handle12.

The blade guard system according to the invention is composed of two basic parts: an adapter20and a blade guard member22pivotally mounted on adapter20, shown inFIGS. 3,4and5. In the illustrated embodiment, adapter20is molded around the rear end of blade14, as shown most clearly inFIG. 5. Alternatively, adapter20could be bonded to blade14or could be provided with a slot into which blade14is force-fitted.

Since adapter20is mounted on blade14, the blade guard assembly can be packaged together with blade14, with guard member22being in the blade guard position shown inFIG. 1. This will then prevent injury when blade14is first unpacked and placed on handle12.

Adapter20is provided with a through hole26, shown inFIG. 5, for receiving a pin30that is integral with guard member22. Guard member22is further composed of a blade cover portion34and a manually engageable control portion36from which pin30extends. Pin30is slotted along a plane containing the longitudinal axis of the pin.

As will become apparent from the detailed description herein, guard member22can pivot through a substantial angle, up to 180°, to fully expose blade14. Cover portion34has a side wall40, a lower edge carrying a lip42and an upper edge carrying a projecting element, or retaining member44that helps to retain guard member22adjacent blade14when member22is in the guard position shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, in which lip42is located alongside and slightly below cutting edge16to prevent any contact with that cutting edge.

The surface of wall40that faces blade14carries a longitudinally extending, laterally projecting rib48. As best seen inFIG. 2, blade supporting member18and rib48cooperate to retain guard member22in the guard position. When member22is in this position, rib48is located directly below a portion of blade supporting member18that projects from blade14toward side wall40. Such a portion of blade supporting member18is shown inFIGS. 2and, as element124, inFIGS. 10-12, which illustrate a third embodiment of the invention. When guard member22is pivoted away from the guard position, counterclockwise inFIG. 1, rib48is deflected laterally by supporting member18to prevent guard member22from ever touching cutting edge16.

Control portion36is fixed to cover portion34and the two portions34and36are preferably formed as a unitary molded component. Each basic part20,22of the blade guard system is preferably a molded plastic, the preferred material being polypropylene or polyethylene.

Control portion36is shaped to extend away from cover portion34and has a generally curved form that is concave toward the free end of guard member22. The exact shape of control portion36can be varied, but should be selected to facilitate the various manipulations to be performed, including moving blade guard member22between the guard position shown inFIGS. 1 and 2and one or more retracted positions, as will be described in greater detail below, and removing guard member22completely from adapter20. All of these manipulations may conveniently be performed with the index finger of the hand holding the scalpel, thereby causing minimum interference with the surgical procedure.

To move guard member22away from the guard position, the user, for example a surgeon, can press a surface region52of control portion36, and to move guard member22back to the guard position, the user can press on a surface region54. In situations where it is desired to remove guard member22completely, the user need only press on a surface region56(FIG. 3) in a direction generally parallel to the axis of rotation of pin30. Pin30and hole26are formed, as will be described in greater detail below, to allow pin30to snap out of hole26in response to pressure applied to surface region56. Pin30and hole26will be configured and dimensioned to allow this action to be performed by a level of force that can easily be applied by the user but that is sufficient to avoid inadvertent removal of guard member22.

As is particularly apparent from a consideration ofFIG. 2, adapter20can be dimensioned so that the surface thereof that faces control portion36is flush with, or projects past, the associated side surface of handle12. As a result, control portion36can be moved past handle12and guard member can be pivoted through an angle of up to 180° from the guard position.

The functional relation between pin30and hole26will be described with reference toFIGS. 5 and 6.

Hole26has two V-shaped indents, or recesses,70and72that will cooperate with a rib80on pin30to define detent positions for guard member22. Each detent position is defined by engagement of rib80in a respective one of indents70and72.

When guard member22is in the guard position shown inFIG. 1, rib80cooperates with indent70to define a first detent position. When guard member has been rotated through an angle of about 135° from the guard position, rib80comes to cooperate with indent72to define a second detent position. However, the interaction between pin30and hole26are such that guard member22can remain in essentially any angular position when no manual force is being applied. The detent positions are somewhat more stable than the other positions and give the user a tactile sense that guard member22is in one of the detent positions.

The free end of pin30has a bifurcated rim, or lip,82that helps to retain pin30in place in hole26. Rim82and the slot in pin30are dimensioned, along with the other parts of pin30, to reliably retain pin30in hole26while allowing pin30to be forced out of hole26by the application of an appropriate force to surface region56.

According to one variation, cover portion34can be modified to provide a lock that will hold blade guard member22in the guard position.

One example of such a lock is shown inFIGS. 7A,7B and8, where element44is replaced by an element90that is composed of a support portion92and a lock portion94. Preferably, element90is formed as an integral part of blade guard member22.

Support portion92extends from the upper edge of cover portion34and performs the same function as element44. Support portion92has the form of a frame and includes a lower frame strip96.

Lock portion94is joined to frame strip96along a reduced thickness line that provides an integral hinge97. The end of lock portion94that is remote from frame strip96is provided with a laterally projecting leg98that carries a latch element, or finger,100. Lock portion94can be manually engaged, at leg98, and pivoted about hinge97to move leg98beneath lip42so that latch element100engages side wall40. Thus, guard member22will be locked in the guard position, as shown inFIG. 8.

FIGS. 7A and 7Bfurther show cutouts included in side wall40and lock portion94to permit guard member22to be molded in one piece.

A third embodiment of a scalpel shield system according to the invention is illustrated inFIGS. 9-16and differs from the embodiments previously described in that it has a guard member102that is secured to a handle sleeve104, rather than to a blade106, or blade adapter.

Blade106is carried by a scalpel handle110in the same manner that blade14is carried by blade supporting member18of handle12in the embodiments ofFIGS. 1-8. Specifically, in the embodiment shown inFIGS. 9-16, handle110has a blade supporting member with a portion124that projects laterally from the blade supporting member and engages a slot in blade106. Configurations of the slot in blade106and of portion124to securely but removably hold blade106in place are already well known in the art. Handle sleeve104is internally configured to be securely but removably attached to handle110, as for example with elements that provide a snap fit therebetween.

Guard member102is composed of two longitudinally extending side members112pivotally mounted at the their ends to the forward end of handle sleeve104and connected together at their front ends by a web116.

To provide the pivotal mounting, each side member112of guard member102is provided with a pin117and these pins engage in pin holes118in sleeve104(seeFIG. 14)

Handle sleeve104is provided with two protuberances120, each located at a respective side of sleeve104. Protuberances120extend in the longitudinal direction of handle sleeve104, starting from a point spaced from the rear end of sleeve104.

The blade supporting member of handle110is provided with a similar pair of protuberances, one of which is constituted by portion124, extending from each side of blade106.

The inner walls of side members112, i.e. the walls that face one another, are provided with detent portions130,132each located adjacent and upper edge or lower edge of a respective member112. Detent portions130are separated from detent portions132by narrowed wall portions that form a region134having an enlarged width. The structure provided by elements130,132and134is located and dimensioned to engage either protuberances120when guard member102is in a fully retracted position, or protuberances such as124when guard member102is in the guard position. When guard member102is pivoted to its retracted position, detent portions132are moved past protuberances120until protuberances120come to engage in region134. On the other hand, when guard member102is moved to its guard position, detent portions130are moved passed protuberances124until the latter come to engage in region134.

Guard member102is further provided with control elements140having operating surfaces that, like surface regions52and54of the first embodiment, can be manually engaged by the user's finger to move guard member102between its guard position and its retracted position, while the user continues to grasp handle104.

A fourth embodiment of the invention is illustrated inFIGS. 17-20. It will be noted that this embodiment is generally similar to the first embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1-5. Therefore, many of the structural features of the fourth embodiment that are identical to those of the first embodiment will not be provided with reference numerals inFIGS. 17-20.

The fourth embodiment is composed essentially of an adapter20′ (FIGS. 18 and 20), a blade guard member22′ (FIG. 17) and a biasing spring24.

The fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment essentially in that the through hole26′ of adapter20′ and the outer surface of pin30′ on guard member22′ are essentially circular. Thus, pin30′ is not provided with a rib, such as rib80of the first embodiment, but is provided with a rim82that serves to retain pin30′ in place in hole26′. As in the first embodiment, pin30is slotted along a plane containing the longitudinal axis the pin.

Adapter20′ is provided with a circularly cylindrical sleeve202, the outer edge of which will bear against rim82when member22′ is assembled to adapter20′. Therefore, pin30is made longer than pin30of the first embodiment by an amount equal to the height of sleeve202.

The fourth embodiment is further provided with a biasing element, which is here in the form of a torsion spring24. Spring24will be seated around sleeve202with one end of spring24being bent to be seated in a post hole204provided in adapter20′. Then, when pin30′ is inserted through hole26with an orientation corresponding to the blade guard position, the opposite end of spring24will slide into the slot provided in pin30′. During insertion of pin30into hole26, the two halves of pin30′ will be deflected toward one another to allow passage of rim82. When pin30′ has been fully inserted, its two halves will snap outwardly so that rim82will bear against the outer edge of sleeve202. Rim82is also preferably dimensioned to cover spring24and thus to retain spring24in position. Pin30′, adapter20′, and sleeve202will be dimensioned to eliminate any noticeable play between adapter22and guard member22′ in the direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of pin30′. In addition, pin30′ is dimensioned to fit snugly in hole26′ to assure that guard member22′ will pivot relative to adapter20′ over a precisely defined path, thereby assuring that when guard member22′ is moved to its blade guard position, it will properly engage the scalpel blade.

Spring24is configured and dimensioned to bias guard member22′ toward and into the blade guard position. Therefore, guard member22′ must be actively held in its retracted position by the user. When the user releases guard member22it will automatically pivot into the guard position.

It should be readily apparent that a biasing member can also be incorporated into the other embodiments disclosed herein and that the biasing member can have a form other than a torsion spring.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without undue experimentation and without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. The means, materials, and steps for carrying out various disclosed functions may take a variety of alternative forms without departing from the invention. Thus the expressions “means to . . . ” and “means for . . . ”, or any method step language, as may be found in the specification above and/or in the claims below, followed by a functional statement, are intended to define and cover whatever structural, physical, chemical or electrical element or structure, or whatever method step, which may now or in the future exist which carries out the recited function, whether or not precisely equivalent to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed in the specification above, i.e., other means or steps for carrying out the same functions can be used; and it is intended that such expressions be given their broadest interpretation.