Abstract:
A polyaxial tool, including an elongate body defining a first end, a second and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween; the elongate body defining a cavity at the first end; a plurality of arcuate gear teeth circumferentially arranged in the cavity and movable with respect to the elongate body; a socket coupled to the housing and coaxial with the plurality of gear teeth; and a handle coupled to the second end, where an angular position of at least one of the elongate body and handle is adjustable with respect to the plurality of gear teeth.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     n/a 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     n/a 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to driving or rotary tools, and, more particularly, to tools and devices for driving fasteners or other hardware. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many hand tools (electric and manual) include a unitary body and handle having a longitudinal axis collinear with the axis of rotation of a drive member (e.g. screwdriver head), which presents an obstacle to use when attempting to secure or drive a fastener in a difficult or small working area—which is particularly prevalent in medical or surgical procedures. Attempts to address this problem have included providing a head of the hand tool that may pivot or rotate on the handle. However, such previous tools are typically limited to a small number of discrete angular positions along a single plane, e.g., adjustments are limited to perpendicular, straight or 45-degree angles. Such devices further typically include a pivoting joint that is offset or spaced away from a fastener to be driven, thus requiring some extended degree of clearance or space to be used, which can still pose difficulties to use in tortuous working spaces. In addition, tools having torque-limiting assemblies often compound the lack of maneuverability or usefulness in tight spaces because of their associated bulk and complexity. 
     Accordingly, in view of the above, it is desirable to provide a surgical or medical practitioner with an improved driving tool or wrench with a wide range of angular adjustability and compactness at a fastener or hardware engagement site that is readily usable in tortuous anatomical spaces and surgical sites. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention advantageously provides tools and devices for a surgical or medical practitioner, the tools having a wide range of angular adjustability and compactness at a fastener or hardware engagement site that is readily usable in tortuous anatomical spaces and surgical sites. In particular, a polyaxial driver is provided, including a socket adapted to couple to a fastener; a plurality of arcuate gear teeth circumscribing the socket; and a driver body engageable with the gear teeth to rotate the socket, where the driver body forms a ball-and-socket joint with the gear teeth. The driver body may engage the gear teeth to rotate the socket until a maximum torque threshold is reached, causing the driver body to disengage the gear teeth. The driver may include a pin coupled to the driver body, where the pin engages the gear teeth to rotate the socket. The pin may disengage the gear teeth when the maximum torque threshold is exceeded. The maximum torque threshold may be adjustable. The socket may include a passage therethrough adapted to receive the fastener from either side of the passage. The driver may include an adapter coupled to the socket to couple to the fastener and/or a handle attached to the driver body. 
     A wrench is provided, including an elongate body defining a passage through a first end thereof; a plurality of gear teeth arranged in a substantially spherical configuration and movable with respect to the elongate body, the gear teeth substantially surrounding the passage; a pin movably disposed within the elongate body and engageable with the plurality of gear teeth, where the elongate body is operable to rotate the plurality of gear teeth when the pin engages the plurality of gear teeth. The wrench may include a spring coupled to the pin and the elongate body, and a compression of the spring may be selectively adjustable. The wrench may include a cap coupled to the elongate body and operable to selectively adjust the compression of the spring. The elongate body may include a handle. 
     A polyaxial tool is provided, including an elongate body defining a first end, a second and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween; the elongate body defining a cavity at the first end; a plurality of arcuate gear teeth circumferentially arranged in the cavity and movable with respect to the elongate body; a socket coupled to the housing and coaxial with the plurality of gear teeth; and a handle coupled to the second end, where an angular position of at least one of the elongate body and handle is adjustable with respect to the plurality of gear teeth. The elongate body may be releasably engageable with at least one of the plurality of gear teeth. The tool may include a pin movably coupled to the elongate body, where the pin releasably engages the elongate body to the at least one of plurality of gear teeth. The pin may engage the at least one of plurality of gear teeth until a maximum torque threshold is reached. The tool may include a spring coupled to the pin. The elongate body may be rotatable about the plurality of arcuate gear teeth along three different axes. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example of a polyaxial tool constructed in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the polyaxial tool of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 3  is another side view of the polyaxial tool of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention advantageously provides tools and devices for a surgical or medical practitioner, the tools having a wide range of angular adjustability and compactness at a fastener or hardware engagement site that is readily usable in tortuous anatomical spaces and surgical sites. Now referring to the figures in which like reference designators refer to like elements, there is shown in  FIGS. 1-3  an exemplary medical tool or device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, designated generally as “ 10 .” The tool  10  may include a driver, wrench and/or ratchet tool  10  operable to turn a fastener or other hardware at a variety of different angles with a limited and/or selectable amount of applied torque. 
     The tool  10  generally includes an elongate driver body  12  or housing sized and dimensioned to couple to one or more fasteners or hardware. The body  12  may generally define a longitudinal axis  14  and include a first end  16  adapted to couple to a particular fastener or range of fasteners and a second end  18  graspable or operable by a user to impart torque and or rotation to an engaged fastener or hardware component. The body  12  may define or include a handle  20  in proximity to the second end  18 . For example, the handle  20  may include an integral length or portion of the body  12  itself, or alternatively may include a construct that is removable or releasable from the driver body  12 . The handle  20  may include one or more contoured surfaces easing manipulation of the tool  10  and may be constructed from one or materials that enhance grip. 
     The first end  16  of the body  12  of the tool  10  may define a passage  22  therethrough extending substantially transversely to the longitudinal axis facilitating engagement of the tool  10  body  12  to a fastener. The tool  10  may include a plurality of gears  24  movably coupled to the driver body  12  and substantially surrounding or circumscribing the passage  22 . The gears  24  may each define an arcuate shape or curvature, and may be circumferentially spaced or arranged around the passage  22  such that the plurality of gears  24  presents a substantially spherical shape or configuration. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , the gears  24  terminate in an upper edge or plane and a lower edge or plane to present a truncated spherical shape substantially coaxial with the passage  22  of the driver body  12 . The driver body  12  may define a cavity or hollowed-out recess around the passage sized to movably accommodate the plurality of gears  24  therein. The plurality of gears  24  may form a ball-and-socket  26  joint with the handle  20  and/or driver body  12  to permit movement or manipulation with respect to one another about a plurality of axes. For example, the body  12  and/or handle  20  may be movably with respect to the gears  24  around three different axes, e.g., the handle  20  and/or body  12  may pivot “up” and “down” as shown by the arrow “A” in  FIG. 2 , may rotate about the longitudinal axis as shown by the arrow “B”, and may turn or rotate around a diameter of the passage and/or plurality of gears  24 , as shown by the arrow “C” in  FIG. 3 . 
     The tool  10  may include a socket  26  at the first end of the driver body  12  that is releasably engageable with a fastener. The socket  26  may be coaxially disposed with the passage  22  and/or the plurality of gears  24  such that rotation of the gears  24  results in rotation of the socket  26 . The socket  26  may present a shape or dimensioned series of walls to abut varying sides of a fastener or piece of hardware. For example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the socket  26  may define a hexagonal interface. The socket  26  may also include one or more adaptors or intermediary components (not shown) to facilitate engagement to a fastener. 
     The plurality of gears  24  may be selectively engageable with the driver body  12  to limit a torque or wrenching force transmitted from the driver body  12  and/or handle  20  to the socket  26 , and thus an engaged fastener. For example, the tool  10  may include a pin  28  movably disposed within at least a portion of the driver body  12  and operable to releasably couple the driver body  12  and/or handle  20  to at least one of the plurality of gears  24 . The pin  28  may be positioned within an interior cavity or hollowed portion of the driver body  12  and/or handle  20  such that a portion of the pin  28  is positionable between any two of the plurality of gears  24  at the first end. The tool  10  may include a biasing element  30 , such as a spring or other resilient and/or resistive component that urges the pin  28  into contact and engagement with the gears  24 . The tool  10  may also include a feature limiting the range of movement of the pin past a certain point towards or away from the gears  24 . For example, the tool may include a rod  29  that passes through an oversized opening in the pin  28  to limit or define a movable range of motion of the pin  28 . 
     When the pin  28  is engaged or positioned between two spaced gears  24 , rotation of the driver and/or handle  20  imparts torque to the gears  24 , and thus the socket  26 , to rotate an engaged fastener. However, when a maximum torque threshold is reached or exceeded, the force causes the pin  28  to skip or step across the gears  24  without substantial movement of the gears  24 , and thus the socket  26 . The force required to cause a step or skip of the pin  28  with respect to the gears  24  may be selected or affected at least in part by a slope or angled interface between one or more of the gears  24  and a profile of the pin  28 . The maximum torque threshold may further be manipulated by adjusting a compression or resistive state of the biasing element  30 —for example, by tightening or loosening a compression of the spring. The tool  10  may include a cap or other actuator  32  coupled to the biasing element and the elongate body  12  and/or housing, and operable to adjust or select a pre-set compression or expansion of the spring, and thus the particular torque threshold transferable to the gears  24 , the socket  26 , and a connected fastener. The cap or actuator  32  may include indicia or indicators reflecting a particular selected torque based on a position of the actuator and/or the spring. 
     The tool  10  may also include a secondary engagement feature  34  at the second end  18  that can be used to rotate or drive a fastener or hardware without a torque limitation and/or to couple to an auxiliary bar or tool (not shown) to aid in rotating the body  12  and/or handle  20  of the tool  10 . For example, the secondary engagement feature may define a cavity or second socket matable to a fastener and/or an auxiliary tool. 
     In an exemplary method of use, the tool  10  may be used to selectively rotate or tighten a fastener or hardware component to a pre-selected torque threshold. The cap or actuator  32  may be manipulated to establish a desired maximum torque threshold that the handle  20  and/or driver body  12  can impart to the gears  24 , the socket  26 , and thus an engaged fastener. This may include, for example, placing a predefined compression on the biasing element  30  known to result in a maximum torque threshold at which the pin  28  skips gears  24 . Once selected, the socket  26  may be coupled to the fastener, where the coupling may be facilitated at least in part by manipulation of the driver body  12  and/or the handle  20  along any one or more of the available axes of motion. The maneuverability of the handle  20  and/or driver body  12  about the socket  26  itself provides added maneuverability in small or tortuous spaces. The handle  20  or driver body  12  may subsequently be used to turn the gears  24 , the socket  26 , and thus the fastener until the maximum torque threshold is reached, at which point the pin  28  becomes dislodged or disengaged from the gears  24 . When a force on the pin  28  is reduced under the threshold, the pin  28  again re-engages the plurality of gears  24  automatically due to the urging of the biasing element. Should the direction of rotation of the fastener need to be reversed, the driver body  12  and socket  26  may simply be inverted, with the fastener entering the socket  26  and/or passage form the opposite side, with the same torque-limiting function availability. 
     It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. Of note, the system components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Moreover, while certain embodiments or figures described herein may illustrate features not expressly indicated on other figures or embodiments, it is understood that the features and components of the examples disclosed herein are not necessarily exclusive of each other and may be included in a variety of different combinations or configurations without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.