Patent ID: 7900362

Claim:
A surgical scalpel comprising: a handle elongated on a handle axis and having a front, a back, outer and inner sides, and upper and lower edges; a blade shield at the upper edge of the handle, projecting inwardly; a blade carrier elongated on a carrier axis, having a front, a back, inner and outer sides, and upper and lower edges; a blade secured to the inner side of the carrier and projecting from the front of the carrier, the blade having a cutting edge that faces away from the lower edge of the carrier, toward the blade shield; upper and lower longitudinal guide tracks along upper and lower edges of one of the handle or carrier engaging upper and lower edges respectively on the other of the handle or carrier, whereby the tracks maintain the carrier and handle in parallel axial alignment while the carrier and secured blade are shiftable longitudinally relative to the handle; a locking device at the back of the carrier including an actuator at the outside of the carrier and a locking member at the inside of the carrier; two locking elements longitudinally spaced apart on the inside of the handle and aligned with the locking member on the carrier; whereby the locking member is selectively engageable with each locking element as the carrier and blade shift longitudinally between a rearward locked safety position in which the cutting edge of the blade is protected by said shield and a forward locked deployment position in which the cutting edge of the blade projects in front of said shield and the front of the handle; wherein the back of the handle has a base portion with textured outer and inner surfaces; the back of the carrier has a base portion including said locking device which overlays the base portion of the handle when the scalpel is in the locked safety position; in the locked safety position of the scalpel the carrier and blade lie within the front, back, and upper and lower edges of the handle; in the deployed position of the scalpel the base of the carrier is forward of the base of the handle, whereby the outer and inner surfaces of the base portion of the handle can be grasped between the thumb and forefinger for manipulating the blade; the locking device comprises a lever, including an actuator arm having an outwardly projecting pad forming said actuator, and a locking arm having said locking member projecting inwardly; one of said locking elements is located immediately forward of the textured surfaces of the base of the handle; another of said locking elements is longitudinally spaced forward of said one locking element; a recess in the handle is situated between the locking elements and is separated from the locking elements by one intervening web adjacent the one locking element and another intervening web adjacent the other locking element; whereby during said shifting of the carrier relative to the handle the locking member rides in said recess and upon further shifting from the recess into a locking element is deflected by and rides over a web.