Patent ID: 7569014

Claim:
A connector that engages a surgical retractor having a retractor blade with a nipple, the connector comprising: a body member that receives the nipple of the retractor blade in an opening shaped and sized to receive the retractor blade, wherein the body member includes a slot having a recessed notch; a retainer pivotally attached to the body member in either an open position or a closed position; a first spring that biases the retainer in the open position, wherein insertion of the nipple of the retractor blade into the opening pivots the retainer into the closed position; a locking mechanism comprising a push button, a base partially mounted in the retainer, and a shoulder, the shoulder sliding into the recessed notch of the body member to lock the retainer in the closed position; and a second spring that biases the shoulder of the locking mechanism against a surface of the body member after insertion of the nipple of the retractor blade, thereby preventing removal of the nipple of the retractor blade from the opening until a user pushes the push button to remove the shoulder of the locking mechanism from the recessed notch of the body member.