Patent ID: 8337522

Claim:
A tissue puncture closure device for partial insertion into and sealing of an internal tissue wall puncture, comprising: a filament; an anchor for insertion through the tissue wall puncture attached to the filament at a first end of the closure device; a sealing plug disposed proximal of the anchor; a locking apparatus separate from the filament, anchor, and sealing plug and arranged adjacent to the sealing plug for compressing the sealing plug along the filament toward the anchor, wherein the locking apparatus comprises a ratchet mechanism, the ratchet mechanism including a first member that maintains a fixed position relative to the filament and terminates proximal of a distal end of the filament, and a second member that is movable along the filament relative to and in contact with the first member and configured to apply a pressure to the sealing plug to form a seal between the tissue wall puncture and the sealing plug, wherein the pressure is insufficient to push the sealing plug through a portion of the internal tissue wall puncture.