Patent ID: 7600451

Claim:
A surgical ratchet ( 10 ) assembly having a handle ( 10 ), a driver ( 14 ) received within the handle in a rotatable relationship with respect thereto, a ratcheting mechanism ( 16 ), and a locking mechanism ( 20 ) releasably holding the assembly together, wherein displacing of the locking mechanism to an unlock position moves a locking obstruction ( 32 ) out of an obstructing position thereby permitting easy disassembly of the assembly, wherein the locking mechanism ( 20 ) comprises a ring ( 24 ) rotatable on the handle ( 12 ), the ring having a surface selectively biasing a ball ( 32 ) into or out of a recess ( 34 ) to engage or disengage the locking obstruction ( 16 ) to lock or unlock the assembly.