Patent ID: 7297147

Claim:
A method for cutting bone or cartilage, the method comprising the steps of: providing a rongeur having a shaft with a mid-longitudinal axis, a foot plate extending from the shaft, and a storage member in moveable relationship to the shaft, the storage member having a cutting edge and a storage area adapted to store multiple cuts of bone or cartilage; positioning the rongeur at a site where the bane or cartilage is to be cut; cutting bone or cartilage with the rongeur to produce multiple cut pieces of bone or cartilage; storing the cut pieces of bone or cartilage spaced apart from the cutting edge in the storage area of the storage member; preventing the cut pieces of bone or cartilage from contacting the shaft from within the storage member; and moving the storage member away from the mid-longitudinal axis of the shaft in a direction generally radial to the mid-longitudinal axis while the cut pieces of bone or cartilage are still in the storage area.