Patent ID: 8236004

Claim:
An inserter for aiding a surgeon in controlling a prosthesis during installation of the prosthesis, the inserter comprising: a) an inserter head having a longitudinally extending bore therethrough; b) a housing attached to the inserter head, the housing comprising a proximal housing end and a distal housing end supporting the inserter head; c) a drive train at least partially housed inside the housing, the drive train comprising: i) a first lever comprising a first lever proximal end spaced apart from a first lever distal end; ii) a first sleeve pivotably connected to the housing, wherein the first lever is in a slidable relationship with a first opening in the sleeve disposed at an intermediate location between the first lever proximal end and the first lever distal end; iii) a second lever comprising a second lever proximal end located adjacent to the proximal housing end and spaced apart from a second lever distal end, wherein the second lever is pivotably supported by the housing; iv) a linkage comprising a linkage proximal end spaced apart from a linkage distal end located adjacent to the distal housing end; v) a piston comprising a piston proximal end spaced apart from a piston distal end that is configured to be connectible to a prosthesis, vi) wherein the second lever distal end is in a first universal joint relationship with the first lever proximal end, and wherein the first lever distal end is in a second universal joint relationship with the linkage proximal end, and wherein the piston proximal end includes a ferrule that is threadable into a wedging relationship with the linkage distal end and the piston distal end extends through the bore in the inserter head; and d) wherein the second lever proximal end is manipulable from a first position spaced from the housing to a second position spaced closer to the housing than the first position to cause the second lever to pivot with respect to the housing and thereby move the second lever distal end away from the distal housing end and to further cause the first lever connected to the linkage which in turn is connected to the piston to move away from the distal housing end as the first lever moves along the first opening in the first sleeve as the first sleeve pivots on the housing to thereby cause the linkage to move in a proximal direction as the piston moves along the longitudinal bore in the inserter head with the piston distal end moving from a first piston position spaced from the inserter head to a second piston position closer to the inserter head than the first piston position, and e) wherein with the piston in the first piston position, the ferrule of the piston is unthreadable from its wedging relationship with the linkage to enable the piston to be separable from the linkage such that the linkage is then configured for threadingly engaging a second piston with a second ferrule that is threadable into a wedging relationship with the linkage.