Patent ID: 8075482

Claim:
A surgical access port for the hand, comprising: a) a first ring and a second ring rotateable relative one another about a common axis, the first and second rings defining an opening sized to receive a human hand; b) a flexible and resilient iris valve positioned in the opening and connected to the first and second rings, the iris valve having a closed position and an opened position depending on the relative angular position of the first and second rings, the iris valve inducing a rotational bias between the first and second rings towards the opened position; c) a lock connected to the first and second rings preventing relative rotational movement towards the opened position; d) a third ring rotateable relative the first and second rings, the third ring being operable to release the lock and open the iris valve when rotated in a first rotational direction whereby the third ring maintains an axial position relative to the first ring and second ring during rotation.