Cutting by use of rotating axially moving tool – Tool-support – With tool-retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-04
2001-06-26
Wellington, A. L. (Department: 3722)
Cutting by use of rotating axially moving tool
Tool-support
With tool-retaining means
C279S037000, C279S074000, C279S106000, C408S226000, C408S231000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250858
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to tool drivers and holders for rotary tools, and more particularly to a new and improved tool driver suitable for driving acetabular reamer cups and patella cutters and other surgical tools of any size which is easily cleaned and held and guided to rotate in true concentricity with the tool driver.
Patella cutters and acetabular reamer cups are surgical tools which are used in surgery for the insertion of artificial joints. Acetabular reamer cups are used to cut hemispherical cavities in pelvis bones for the insertion of artificial hip joints. Patella cutters are used to shape the underside of the patella or knee cap during knee replacement surgery. Patella cutters have a complex arrangement of precisely shaped cutting edges spirally arranged around the axis of rotation for cutting the patella. Acetabular reamer cups have a complex arrangement of cutting edges spirally arranged on a spherical surface around the axis of rotation of the cup. Both acetabular reamers and patella cutters perform better when rotated precisely about the axis around which these cutting edges are positioned by design. Additionally, precise tolerances cannot be achieved without precise axial rotation as designed.
It is therefore highly desirable to provide a new and improved tool driver. It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved tool driver which can be used with acetabular reamer cups, patella cutters and like rotary tools. It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved tool driver by which rotary tools may be driven about the tool driver's longitudinal axis with preciseness such that all of the cutting edges of the rotary tool function as designed.
Acetabular reamer cups also come in a full range of sizes. These sizes range from about 36 millimeters in diameter to about 72 millimeters in diameter. In the past, a specific tool driver could only be used with one or few of the sizes of available acetabular reamer cups. Thus, in any operating room there had to be several tool drivers for acetabular reamer cups. It is therefore also highly desirable to provide a new and improved tool driver by which acetabular reamer cups and patella cutters of all sizes can be driven.
Unique to some knee surgery and some hip operations is the utilization of milled bone, tissue and debris as filler to be placed between the artificial insert and the body to assist the healing process. Thus, acetabular reamer cups and patella cutters are mounted on tool drivers in a manner to collect such debris for such use. It is therefore, also highly desirable to provide a new and improved tool driver on which the rotary tools of the type which collect milled bone tissue and other debris for use as filler can be used.
In all surgery utilizing rotary tools, rotary tools such as driven by rotary tool drivers must be separable from their tool drivers to replace or sharpen as required. It may also be necessary to change tools during an operation, thus, both the rotary tools and the tool drivers must at times be cleaned, sterilized and reused. Thus, it is therefore also highly desirable to provide a new and improved tool driver which can be easily cleaned, sterilized and reused.
Some previous tool drivers grip the tool utilizing opposed pins, flanges and slots, or opposed spring loaded ball catches, or other such devices. These devices represent a problem in that the catches tend to trap dried blood and other debris which are very difficult to remove during a cleaning process. It is therefore also highly desirable to provide a new and improved tool driver which is simple in construction, easy to use and does not have opposed pins, flanges, slots and other devices in which to catch debris and render the tool driver difficult to clean, sterilize and reuse.
An additional problem is that unless tolerances of tools and tool drivers are made very close, at a greatly increased cost, there is considerable free play between the tool and the tool driver. This increased play increases the wear of the cutting edges, makes more difficult the positioning of the tool, renders the tool useless for holding close tolerances, requires the tool not to cut as designed, and there is no possibility of utilizing the rotary tool spinning precisely about its axis as designed. It is therefore, also highly desirable to provide a new and improved tool driver which allows the rotary tool to be utilized spinning precisely about its axis, as designed.
It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved tool driver in which close tolerances can be held.
Finally, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved tool driver which has all of the above desired features.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore and object of the invention to provide a new and improved tool driver and tools therefor.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved patella driver which can be used with both acetabular cups, patella cutters and like rotary tools.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved tool driver by which rotary tools may be driven about the tool drivers longitudinal axis with preciseness such that all of the cutting edges of the rotary tool function as designed.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved tool driver which acetabular reamer cups and patella cutters of all sizes can be driven.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved tool driver on which the rotary tools of the type which collect milled bone tissue and other debris for use as filler, can be used.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved tool driver and tools therefor which can be easily cleaned, sterilized and reused.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved tool driver which allows the rotary tool to be utilized spinning precisely about its axis as designed.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved tool driver which is simple in construction, easy to use and does not have opposed pins, flanges, slots and other devices in which to catch debris and render the tool driver difficult to clean, sterilize and reuse.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved tool driver and tools therefor in which dose tolerances can be held.
It is finally an object of the invention to provide a new and improved tool driver and tools therefor which has all of the above desired features.
In the broader aspects of the invention, there is provided a new and improved tool driver having a shaft with a longitudinal axis and opposite ends and tools therefor. A boss is secured at one of said shaft ends by which the tool driver is connected to a rotary tool. A tool collate is secured at the other of the shaft ends by which the tool driver may be driven by a surgical hand piece having a chuck in which the collate may be positioned. The boss has a surface which engages the tool and positions the tool exactly coaxially of the tool driver. A latch mechanism is provided to hold the rotary tool on the boss, whereby the rotary tool is held exactly coaxially of the driver during use. The rotary tool which is used with the driver has a bottom tool driver opening which has the same dimensions as the boss of the tool driver of the invention. The boss thus fills the opening and the opening is complementary to the boss. The boss of the tool driver and the bottom tool driver opening of the tool are both positioned precisely coaxial of the axis of the tool and the longitudinal axis of the tool driver about which the cutting edges are precisely positioned and rotated.
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Carter Monica S.
Krieg DeVault Lundy LLP
Othy, Inc.
Wellington A. L.
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