Surgery – Instruments – Heat application
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-03
2002-11-19
Cohen, Lee (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Instruments
Heat application
C219S233000, C219S240000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06482200
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to battery powered devices and more particularly to a battery powered cautery device where the battery operates as a switch to operate the device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well known in the medical field to use instruments for cauterizing tissue of a patient for such purposes as sealing ruptured blood vessels and closing wounds. Often, such cautery devices are battery operated, hand-held devices. The size and convenience of the cauteries has expanded their use to such tasks as removing stitches.
A typical battery operated, hand-held cautery device includes a heating element electrically connected to a power source (e.g., a battery), a switch for selectively supplying power from the battery to the heating element, and a housing for enclosing the battery and associated electrical connections. The housings for these devices are commonly cylindrical.
Although various battery operated, hand-held cauteries have been developed, some perceived disadvantages remain. Generally, present cauteries last too long for an average use or procedure. Thus, the surgeon must decide whether to keep the cautery for another patient procedure or discard it. The cauteries, however, are typically designed for one time use and cannot be sterilized. For example, the materials of manufacture of many of these cauteries melt if steam sterilized. In some cases, sterile covers are provided with, or sold separately for, the cautery. Unfortunately, true sterility is not obtained by the use of a sterile cover. Medical care may be compromised when reusing a cautery apparatus. Therefore, there is a need for a more economical cautery that may be used once and then disposed of.
Present cauteries are also expensive. The higher cost is due, in part, to the incorporation of an independent switch into the design of the cautery. The inclusion of the independent switch into the cautery design increases both material and labor costs. Material costs are increased because of the additional parts required, while labor costs are necessarily increased to assemble the switch. The expense of present cauteries compounds the difficulty, mentioned above, of the surgeon to decide whether to discard a used cautery or retain it for subsequent use.
The addition of a individual switch in the cautery design creates other perceived disadvantages. Occasionally, a cautery may be accidentally activated by contact with the switch since many switches have little resistance to actuation. Accidental energizing may cause physical harm to the patient or the surgeon.
One additional perceived problem with present cauteries is the cylindrical housing. The cylindrical housing may allow the cautery to roll of the field of surgery. The cautery may be damaged if it falls to the floor. Additionally, if the cautery heating element is hot, the surgeon or patient may be harmed.
In view of these perceived deficiencies in cautery devices, it would be beneficial to provide a hand-held, battery-powered cautery device that is lower in cost. It would be especially advantageous to provide a cautery device that does not require an individual switch yet is capable of being selectively energized. Additionally, it would be beneficial to provide a cautery device in which significant resistance is required to energize the heating element such that accidental energizing does not occur. It would also be advantageous to provide a cautery device that is incapable of rolling from a surface on which it is placed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The cautery apparatus of the present invention includes a cauterizing unit, a switch assembly, and a housing. The cauterizing unit includes a cautery body and a heating assembly with a heating element. The housing encloses at least part of the battery.
The switch assembly consists, or essentially consists, of a battery having a first position and a second position. When the battery is in the first position, the heating element is deactivated. When the battery is in the second position, power is supplied to the heating element to energize it. In this way, the battery itself may act as the power switch for the heating element. The heating element may be activated and deactivated without the necessity of a movable switch element.
The battery, when in its second position, may be parallel, or nearly parallel, to the longitudinal axis of the cautery body. When the battery is in its first position, the battery may form an angle with the longitudinal axis of the cautery body that is not parallel.
In another embodiment, the cautery apparatus may include a cauterizing unit, a battery subassembly, and a housing assembly. The cauterizing unit can include a cautery body and a heating subassembly including a heating unit. The housing assembly may surround at least portions of the battery subassembly. The battery subassembly may include at least one battery, the first battery. The battery subassembly alone provides a mechanism for selectively supplying power to the heating element.
The first battery can have a first position and a second position. As above, when the battery is in the first position, battery power is not supplied to the heating element. However, when the first battery is placed in its second position, battery power is supplied to the heating element When battery power is supplied to the heating element, the heating element may become hot. Further, the battery subassembly may include a second battery. The battery subassembly may enclose at least a portion of the second battery. The second battery may be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cautery body. The first battery may be parallel to the second battery when the first battery is in its second position, but at an angle that is not parallel to the second battery when the first battery is in its first position.
The first battery has a power end and a ground end. When the first battery is moved from the first position to the second position, one of either the power end or the ground end remains substantially stationary while the other end moves.
The housing assembly may also include a battery housing with a biasing member in contact with the first battery. The biasing member provides a biasing force that must be overcome to move the first battery from the first position to the second position.
The cautery apparatus may also include a main housing surrounding the first battery. The main housing may include a film enclosure. The film enclosure may be film capable of shrinking when exposed to heat so as to minimize the surface area of the film enclosure. A non-conductive member may also be inserted between the movable end of the first battery and the corresponding electrical terminal contact to prevent electrical continuity between the battery and the terminal. The non-conductive member may be removed to allow the electrical continuity between these two points when desired, thus providing a safety feature to prevent unwanted activation of the heating element. The non-conductive member may be positioned through the film enclosure such that the non-conductive member may be removed without removal of the film enclosure.
In operation, activation/deactivation of the cautery apparatus is accomplished by providing a cauterizing unit of the present invention and moving a battery between a first position and a second position. The second position is at some angle relative to the first position. When in the second position, the battery closes the electrical circuit of the cautery apparatus and provides battery power to the heating element. The cautery apparatus may include a second battery. The second battery remains in its same position while the first battery is moved to activate the heating element. The first battery and second battery may be laterally adjacent to one another when the first battery is in the second position.
The cautery apparatus is deactivated by applying a releasing force to the first battery such that the first battery returns to the first position. The releasing force may be a force applied by the operator thereof to
Cohen Lee
Sheridan & Ross P.C.
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