Patent ID: 8137370

Claim:
A surgical cutting apparatus comprising: an elongate hollow housing with a proximal end and a distal end; a cutter power assembly located at the proximal end of the housing; an eccentric output assembly positioned in the housing and comprising a single eccentric shaft having a first end rotatably driven by said cutter power assembly, an opposing second end of said eccentric shaft arranged to travel about an orbital path when the eccentric shaft is driven; an oscillator assembly including an oscillator having an oscillator output shaft, the oscillator assembly located toward the distal end of the housing from the eccentric output assembly, said oscillator assembly coacting with the second end of said eccentric shaft so that in response to travel of the second end about the orbital path, said oscillator rotatably oscillates back and forth about a central longitudinal axis of said oscillator output shaft; and a chuck assembly located at the distal end of the housing comprising a chuck for mounting at a first end to said oscillator, said chuck having an opening at a second end for receiving a cutting accessory, said chuck assembly fixedly securing the cutting accessory to said chuck, whereby the chuck and the cutting accessory have a common longitudinal axis along the lengths thereof, wherein, in response to movement of the second end of the single eccentric shaft about the orbital path, the chuck and the cutting accessory oscillate rotatably back and forth about the common longitudinal axis of the chuck and the cutting accessory; and wherein the longitudinal axis of said chuck is common with the central longitudinal axis of said oscillator output shaft.