Patent ID: 8858565

Claim:
A device for positioning and deploying a fixation implant, comprising: a handle; an insertion shaft extending distally from said handle; an implant retention mechanism disposed on a distal end of said insertion shaft, wherein the implant retention mechanism is configured to engage the insertion shaft to the fixation implant; an implant deployment control comprising a rotatable knob disposed on said handle, wherein rotation of the knob deploys the implant retention mechanism; an implant release control disposed on said handle, wherein movement of the implant release control relative to the handle retracts the implant retention mechanism to release the implant retention mechanism; a safety mechanism disposed on said handle for preventing unintentional actuation of the deployment control, said safety mechanism comprising a safety pin which in a first position prevents rotation of the rotatable deployment knob and in a second position permits rotation of the rotatable deployment knob; and a deployment mechanism for limiting rotation of the deployment knob to only one direction, wherein because the deployment knob may only be rotated in one direction, the deployment mechanism may be advanced distally, but not retracted proximally.