Patent ID: 7717865

Claim:
A device for applying torque to a wire, comprising: a body portion having an open ended channel with opposed side surfaces and a bottom surface that extend along an entire length of the body portion for allowing the wire to be side-loaded into the channel; a tongue that is separate from the body portion and fixedly suspended in the channel between the opposing side surfaces, the tongue including a first engagement surface positioned above the bottom surface of the channel and facing downwardly into the channel toward the bottom surface; a slider that is longitudinally slideable within the open ended channel of the body portion, the slider having a second engagement surface disposed adjacent the wire when the wire is side-loaded in the channel; and wherein longitudinal movement of the slider within the open ended channel of the body portion towards the tongue compresses the wire between the first, downwardly facing engagement surface of the fixed tongue and the second engagement surface of the slider so that rotation of the body portion applies torque to the wire.