Abstract:
A hand held computer for law enforcement officers in which to assist their performance of their daily duties. The hand held computer includes a microprocessor, a keyboard and a data input system for entering data into the microprocessor, a display screen and a data output circuit for displaying data from the microprocessor, and a data storage circuit for storing data converted to the microprocessor, and a plurality of control keys for operating in a plurality of modes. The hand held computer further includes a data storage circuit for controlling at least three law conversion functions having at least three law entry keys. The first law entry key is a traffic statute key for inserting a statute number inquiry or a key word(s) inquiry related to the statute. The second law entry key is a municipal statute key for inserting a statute number inquiry or a key word(s) inquiry related to the statute. The third law entry key being a criminal statute key for inserting a statute inquiry or a key word(s) inquiry related to the statute. Each of the law entry keys are for displaying on the display screen a traffic, a municipal or a criminal statute response, respectively, to the inquiry.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 29/219,557 filed on Dec. 20, 2004. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to mechanisms for holding a surgical retractor blade and, more particularly, to a holder assembly for holding and positioning a surgical retractor blade which allows the retractor blade to be retracted and rotated to enable both lateral and angular adjustment of the retractor blade relative to a surgical site.  
         [0003]     Various surgical retraction systems have been developed over the years for use in surgical operations which require access to internal organs and bone structures. Surgical retraction systems are used to hold back tissue and expose the area in which the surgical operation is to be performed. In many surgical retraction systems, some type of a retractor device is utilized to hold the retractor blade which is used to engage and hold the patient&#39;s tissue. The retractor device is usually designed to be mounted a support frame mounted to the operating room table above the patient. The support frame usually includes a number of rails erected above the surgical site which forms a ring or oval support structure that remains stationary throughout the surgical procedure. A number of retractor devices with retractor blades can be placed along the support frame at appropriate positions to allow the retractor blades to retract the patient&#39;s tissue and expose the area for the surgical procedure. Due to a number of factors such as the size and location of the surgical site, along with variation in patient size, the desired exposure is not always directed to the center of the operation site, which many times requires retractor blades to be positioned, elevated or pushed up or down on the margins of the surgical incision. Accordingly, it is very important that the retractor device and retractor blade be designed for ease in repositioning into different angular positions as may be needed by the surgical staff in order to properly expose the surgical site for surgery. Also, the retractor device should allow the retractor blade to be positioned without the need to remove the retractor device from the surgical support frame.  
         [0004]     There are various types of retraction mechanisms which can be utilized in conjunction with a surgical support frame. Most rotator blades are supplied with a rod or stem portion which has the surgical blade attached to one end. The mechanism for holding the rod or stem of the retractor blade usually supplies a compressive force to clamp the rod or stem therein. Other systems may utilize pawl and ratchet mechanisms for holding the stem. In either system, the holding mechanism should be designed such that it is easy to manipulate the stem between clamped and unclamped positions and should be easily readjustable to achieve the desired tension necessary to hold back the tissue to expose the area to be surgically treated.  
         [0005]     Various types of retractor devices which utilize clamping mechanisms have been developed for retraction systems and include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,899 (Dobrovolny); U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,046 (Dobrovolny); U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,197 (Mulac); U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,008 (Farley); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,069 (Gray). These patents generally relate to the basic concept of holding two rod sections in an adjustable and fixable angular relationship relative to one another when placed in a locked position. One of the rod sections is usually a retractor handle that has a retractor blade mounted at one end and is laterally adjustable to engage the tissue at the surgical site. The other rod section is usually the rail of the support frame which allows the retractor blade to be movably placed around the area of the surgical site. Different types of clamps are disclosed in these patents which are designed to engage these rod sections. Many of these devices include a universal joint mechanism which permits quick tightening of the retractor clamp for ease of movement on the rail system along with ease of movement of the retractor blade.  
         [0006]     Another type of retractor device which utilizes a pawl and ratchet mechanism is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,097 (Bookwalter). This patent describes a tilt ratchet mechanism which must utilize a number of different components that must be pivotally or rotationally connected to each other to create a composite tilt mechanism for holding the stem of the surgical retractor blade. This combination of separate components that pivot or rotate relative to each other can create a composite device that is bulky and has a large profile which could create an unwanted obstruction to the surgeon when reaching into the surgical site to perform the required surgery. Also, a combination of numerous moving components can possibly cause the composite device to become somewhat unbalanced on the surgical support frame as the surgeon positions the retractor blade. Accordingly, it is usually desired to have a simple yet effective holding mechanism which minimizes the number of moving components yet has sufficient gripping strength to hold onto the retractor stem as tensioning force is placed on the retractor blade to retract the patient&#39;s tissue. Additionally, more separate and moving parts associated with a holding mechanism generally increases the manufacturing cost for such a mechanism.  
         [0007]     What has been needed is an improved apparatus which provides the force needed to maintain the surgical retractor blade in a clamped position while allowing the orientation of the retractor blade to be easily reposition by the surgical staff in order to properly expose the surgical site. In this regard, it would be beneficial if the holder apparatus not only allows the retractor blade to be moved in and out of the surgical site, as is needed, but also to be angularly adjusted, or rotated, to allow the retractor blade to be angularly adjusted while on the surgical support frame. Accordingly, such a holder apparatus should enhance the ability of the surgical staff to rotate the retractor blade and provide the surgeon with enhanced ability to control the amount of exposure in the surgical site. Such an apparatus should be compact, if possible, to minimize its size and prevent a large obstruction to be placed on the surgical support frame. It also would be beneficial if the holding apparatus has only a minimum number of moving components. The present invention satisfies these and other needs.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention provides a rotatable holder assembly which can be used to hold a surgical retractor blade on a surgical frame. The present invention can be used separately to hold the surgical blade, or in combination with other positioning devices to create a multi-positionable apparatus for accessing a surgical site. The present invention is sturdy, readily adjustable, easy to use and can be made from biocompatible material, such as stainless steel, which can be easily sterilized. The present invention is practical and particularly useful in the medical field as part of a surgical retraction apparatus used to provide exposure of an operative site.  
         [0009]     In one aspect, the rotatable retractor blade holder of the present invention provides multidimensional movement and placement of a surgical retractor blade on a typical surgical retractor frame. Typically, a retractor blade includes an elongate stem portion and a surgical blade used to engage and hold the patient&#39;s tissue. In use, the surgeon simply moves the stem in a selected lateral movement to move the blade relative to a surgical site. This lateral movement of the stem in turn adjusts the amount of tension placed on the outer margin of the patient&#39;s tissue in order to create an anatomical surgical opening in which the surgeon performs the particular surgery. The rotatable retractor blade holder is also rotatable when mounted on the surgical frame to allow the surgeon to rotate both the stem and surgical blade about the longitudinal axis of the stem to position the blade as may be needed within the surgical site. This allows the rotation of the stem and retractor blade about the longitudinal axis defined by the length of the stem portion. In one particular aspect of the invention, a ratchet and pawl mechanism locks the stem in the rotatable retractor blade holder. Accordingly, the surgeon can easily set the distance to enable selective lateral adjustment of the retractor blade relative to the holder while still being able to rotate the stem about its longitudinal axis.  
         [0010]     In another aspect of the present invention, the holder assembly includes a housing portion which houses at least a portion of the rotatable retractor blade holder. The housing allows the rotatable holder to be mounted onto another tilt mechanism which provides additional degrees of movement for the retractor blade when placed on the surgical frame. A releasable locking mechanism can be utilized to maintain the rotatable holder locked within the housing. The thumb actuator can be utilized in order to disengage the locking mechanism to allow the surgeon to easily rotate the stem portion and rotatable holder about the longitudinal axis to allow the retractor blade to be angularly adjusted in the operative site. The locking mechanism also can use biasing means which maintains the holder and stem portion in a locked position but which can be easily overcome by applying a rotational force to the stem portion to angularly adjust the retractor blade.  
         [0011]     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying exemplary drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one particular embodiment of a rotatable retractor blade holder made in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the device depicted in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is an end view of the device depicted in  FIG. 1  taken along lines  3 - 3 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the device depicted in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the device depicted in  FIG. 4  taken along lines  5 - 5 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of the device depicted in  FIG. 4  taken along lines  6 - 6 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a complete surgical retraction system which illustrates an embodiment of the present invention which is used to hold and position six surgical retractor blades on a surgical frame. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     In one aspect, the present invention relates to locking mechanisms which can be used to hold a retractor blade that forms a portion of a surgical retractor assembly. For the sake of illustration, the following exemplary embodiments of the invention are directed to retractor blade holders used in typical surgical retraction systems, although it should be understood that the present invention can be applicable to other medical device applications as well.  
         [0020]     Referring specifically to  FIGS. 1 and 7 , one particular embodiment of a rotatable retractor blade holder  10  is shown. The retractor blade holder  10  provides multidimensional movement and placement of a composite retractor blade  12  on a typical surgical retractor assembly  14 , shown in  FIG. 7 . The retractor blade  12  includes an elongate stem portion  16  and a surgical blade  18  used to engage and hold the patient&#39;s tissue. The retractor blade holder  10  with stem  16  and retractor blade  18  are mounted to a surgical frame  20  which forms part of the surgical retraction assembly  14 . In use, the surgeon simply moves the stem  16  in a selected lateral movement (shown by arrows in  FIGS. 1 and 7 ) to move the retractor blade  18  relative to the surgical site (not shown in  FIG. 7 ). This lateral movement of the stem  16 , in turn, adjusts the amount of tension placed on the outer margin of the patient&#39;s tissue in order to create an anatomical surgical opening in which the surgeon performs the particular surgery. The retractor blade holder  10  is also rotatable when mounted on the surgical frame  20  to allow the surgeon to rotate both the stem  16  and retractor blade  18  about the longitudinal axis (line A) of the stem  16  to position the retractor blade  18  as may be needed within the surgical site. Again, arrows in  FIGS. 1 and 7  show the range of lateral movement and rotational movement which is possible when the retractor blade holder  10  of the present invention is mounted on the surgical frame  20 .  
         [0021]     Referring now specifically to  FIG. 1 , the retractor blade holder  10  of the present invention is shown attached to another tilt mechanism (shown in phantom) which supplies one or more additional degrees of freedom to allow the retractor blade holder  10  to be further tilted and/or rotated relative to the surgical site. Such a mechanism allows the surgeon to tilt both the stem  16  and the retractor blade  18  until the angle of inclination which is desired has been achieved. Additionally, such a mechanism could also provide additional rotation to the retractor blade holder in an axis different than the longitudinal axis (A) of the stem. Such a tilt mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,025, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Such a mechanism also can include a component which enables the entire mechanism to be attached to the surgical frame  20  in a manner similar to that depicted in  FIG. 7 . It should be appreciated that this is just one of the type of tilt mechanism that can be utilized in accordance with the rotatable retractor blade holder  10  of the present invention.  
         [0022]     Referring now specifically to  FIGS. 1-6 , one particular embodiment of a retractor blade holder  10  made in accordance with the present invention is shown. The retractor blade holder  10  is designed to move the stem  16  of the composite retractor blade  12  in a lateral direction as is shown by the arrows in  FIG. 1 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the surgical stem  16  has a series of teeth or ratchets  22  along one side which engages a pawl mechanism  24  that forms part of the retractor blade holder  10 . This pawl mechanism  24  includes a thumb actuator  26  which is pivotally mounted onto the retractor blade holder by a pivot pin  28 . A compression spring (not shown) biases the thumb actuator  26  to keep the thumb actuator  26  in a locked position until the thumb actuator  26  is pressed to release the pawl face  30  from engagement with the teeth  22  of the stem  16 .  FIG. 2  shows both the locked and unlocked position of this pawl mechanism  24 . Arrows depicted in  FIG. 2  show how the thumb actuator  26  can be moved in a downward fashion in order to disengage the pawl face  30  from the teeth  22  of the stem  16 . This pawl mechanism  24  in conjunction with the teeth  22  of the stem  16  create a convenient mechanism which allows the surgeon to simply pull back on the stem portion as may be needed to apply the correct amount of tension to hold the retractor blade  18  within the margins of the surgical incision. As the stem  16  is pulled proximally away from the retractor blade holder  10 , the pawl face  30  slides along the teeth  22  to engage another tooth  22  found on the stem  16 . The pawl face  30  will remain engaged with the tooth  22  until the thumb actuator  26  is pushed down, which releases the pawl face  30  from engagement within the tooth  22 , as is shown in phantom in  FIG. 2 . In this manner, if too much tension is placed on a particular retractor by the surgeon, the thumb actuator  26  can simply be quickly pressed to release the tension and allow the surgeon to pull back on the stem until the desired amount of tension can be placed on the composite retractor blade  12 .  
         [0023]     A second locking mechanism  32  is found on the retractor blade holder  10  which allows the rotation of the stem  16  and blade  18  along with the retractor blade holder  10 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 1-4 , this second locking mechanism  32  includes a thumb actuator  34  mounted to a housing  36  in which the retractor blade holder  10  is rotatably mounted. This locking mechanism  32  further includes a ring  38  mounted to the retractor blade holder  10  that contains a number of indents  40  which extend circumferentially around the ring  38 . This thumb actuator  34  has an engaging face  42  including at least one projection  44  designed to engage one or more of these indents  40  formed on the ring  38 .  FIG. 3  shows the engagement of a number of these projections  44  within a number of indents  40  formed on the ring  38 . Like the other thumb actuator associated with the pawl mechanism  24 , this thumb actuator  34  is pivotally mounted to the housing  36  by a pivot pin  28 . Another compression spring (not shown) will bias this thumb actuator  34  in a locked position, keeping the projections  44  of the engaging face  42  in proper engagement with the indents  40  of the ring  38  until it is desired to rotate the retractor blade holder  10  along the longitudinal axis of the stem  16 . In order to disengage the projections  44  from the indents  40 , one merely needs to press down on the thumb actuator  34  which causes the engaging face  42  to move away from the ring  38 , as is shown in phantom in  FIG. 4 . Additionally, the use of a biasing means with the thumb actuator  34  in conjunction with the locking mechanism  32  allows the stem  16  to be rotated about its longitudinal axis without the need to actuate the thumb actuator  34 . In this regard, the compressing spring should be sufficiently strong to maintain a biasing force on the engaging face  42  against the ring  38  which can be overcome by simply applying a sufficient rotational force on the stem  16 . In this regard, once a rotational force is applied to overcome the biasing force of the compression spring, the entire retractor blade holder  10  can be selectively rotated to a different position along the ring  38 . The compression spring will then maintain the engaging face  42  in proper engaging contact with the ring  38  to maintain the desired angular position.  
         [0024]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , an end view of the rotator blade holder  10  which shows the ring  38  and a cross-section of the stem portion  16  is shown. Arrows show the degree of rotation that is usually needed in order to angularly adjust the retractor blade within the surgical site. Typically, the stem  16  and retractor blade holder  10  can be rotated from 0° to about 120° in order to obtain the necessary rotation needed in order to adjust the retractor blade  18  relative to the surgical site. The angular adjustment, of course, could be higher than from 0° to 120° degrees; however, if the stem is rotated too much, the retractor blade  18  will actually be rotated directly out the surgical site and out of engagement with the patient&#39;s tissue. Therefore, angular adjustment of about 0° to 120° is usually more than sufficient to achieve the necessary degree of rotation needed for the surgeon.  
         [0025]     As is shown in  FIG. 2 , the housing  36  stores at least a portion of the retractor blade holder  10  and can be mounted onto a second tilt mechanism (shown in phantom in  FIG. 1 ) and mounted to the surgical frame shown in  FIG. 7 . Alternatively, a simple mounting bracket could be attached to the housing to enable the rotatable retractor blade holder  10  to be mounted to the surgical frame. However, the use of an additional tilt mechanism, as referenced above, provides at least one additional degree of movement for the composite retractor blade  12  on the surgical frame.  
         [0026]     As can be best seen in  FIGS. 4-6 , the housing  36  of this particular embodiment is shown as a cylindrical tubing having an internal lumen which receives at least a part of the retractor blade holder  10 . The housing  36  includes a mounting bracket  46  upon which the thumb actuator  34  is pivotally mounted. The retractor blade holder  10  also can be made from a cylindrical tubing which forms a cylinder  47  that is slidingly disposed within the lumen  48  of the housing  36 . Reference is made to  FIG. 6  which shows the cross sectional relationship of the housing  36  with the retractor blade holder  10 . At one end of the retractor blade holder  10 , a second ring  50  extends outside of the lumen  48  of the housing  36 , but contacts the end  52  of the housing  36 . The opposite end of the retractor blade holder  10  is shown including the engaging ring  38  which, with the other ring  50 , remains outside the lumen  48  of the housing  36  in an abutting relationship to the other end  54  of the housing  36 . These two rings  38  and  50  prevent lateral movement of the retractor blade holder  10  within its housing  36  while still allowing the retractor blade holder  10  to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the stem  16 . As is shown in  FIG. 6 , this ring  38  can be secured to the cylinder  47  which forms part of the retractor blade holder  10  utilizing a screw  56  which extends in an opening  58  in the cylinder  47 . The other ring  50  can be similarly attached to the cylinder  47  utilizing screws or welding or other fastening techniques known in the art.  
         [0027]     Referring now specifically to  FIG. 5 , the cylinder portion  47  of the retractor blade holder  10  includes a slot  60  formed in an insert  62  which is adapted to receive the stem  16 . In this regard, the slot  60  of insert  62  is shown as having a relatively square cross-sectional opening which receives the stem portion  16 . It should be appreciated that a second insert is located at the other end of the retractor blade holder  10  to help hold the stem  16  in position. In this fashion, a blade stem slot is created through the cylinder  47 . These inserts  62  can be welded or otherwise attached to the cylinder  47  using techniques well known in the art. It also should be appreciated that although the stem is shown having a substantially square cross-section, different cross-sectional areas can be utilized in accordance with the present invention. Accordingly, the openings in the inserts forming part of the retractor blade holder  10  would be formed to receive the particular cross-sectional area of the stem.  
         [0028]     Referring now to  FIGS. 2, 5  and  6 , it should be appreciated that a separate mounting structure  64  is needed in order to mount the thumb actuator  26  in place. Since the retractor blade holder  10  must rotate within the housing  36 , this mounting structure  64  must rotate with the retractor blade holder  10  as well; otherwise, there would not be relative motion between the housing  36  and the retractor blade holder  10 . Accordingly, this mounting structure  64  is shown attached to the ring  50  which forms part of the retractor blade holder  10  in this particular embodiment. As can best be seen in  FIG. 6 , the mounting structure  64  is detached from the housing  36  and can either be raised away from the surface of the housing  36  or it could be in sliding engagement with the outer surface of the housing  36 . In this fashion, the blade retractor holder  10  remains slidably mounted within the lumen of the housing to permit the stem  16  and blade to be rotated about the longitudinal axis A. Other suitable ways of mounting the thumb actuator  26  also could be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.  
         [0029]     The rotatable retractor blade holder can be made utilizing suitable biocompatible materials such as stainless steel or any another biocompatible material which is suitable for use. Preferably, the materials which are selected should be capable of being sterilized using known methods such as autoclaving.  
         [0030]     While the invention has been illustrated and described herein, in terms of its use with clamping devices, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the device can take on a number of different forms and a number of different applications, both medical and non-medical. Other modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.