Patent ID: RE40848

Claim:
A rechargeable battery adapted to be repeatably and releasably attached to an orthopedic drive assembly, the orthopedic drive assembly having elongate drive and handle portions, a battery receiving portion having a pair of tracks defining flanges, a pair of battery terminals, and a blocking member movable between latched and release positions; said battery comprising: an autoclavable battery housing having top and bottom portions, at least one cell within the battery housing and a pair of battery contacts adjacent the top portion of the housing and situated to engage the battery terminals of the orthopedic drive assembly, releasable attachment means for releasably attaching the battery to the battery receiving portion in a direction other than the direction of elongation of the handle portion, said releasable attachment means comprising: a) the battery having a pair of grooves adapted to receive the flanges of the tracks, and b) a slot for receiving the blocking member when the blocking member is in the latched position.