Bone dust collection cap and plunger assembly
Inventors
McCall, Jr., Charles Edward • Corson, Andrew John • ZIGNEGO, Jay Colton • Mosler, Theodore Jay
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11383017-B1
Publication Date
2022-07-12
Expiration Date
Abstract
A surgical collection assembly for filtering material from liquid obtained during surgery has a distal plunger plate that is used to compress collected material that is filtered from liquid and entrained materials gathered during surgery. The distal plunger plate needs to be maintained above the collection jar inlet during collection of the liquid and entrained material. This disclosure teaches several ways to reversibly retain the distal plunger plate above the collection jar inlet. Also taught is a drape clamp that can affix the assembly and related tubing to a drape.
Core Innovation
The disclosed surgical collection assembly includes a collection jar with a collection basket, a jar cap assembly, and a plunger device with a distal plunger plate. During a surgical collection process, the distal plunger plate is reversibly retained in a retracted position above an inlet port so that it does not interfere with a flow path for ingress of liquid into the collection jar.
The process includes disengaging the plunger device from the jar cap assembly by inducing a temporary elastic deformation so the distal plunger plate does not interfere with the inlet port. After compressing collected material in the collection basket using the distal plunger plate, the process moves the distal plunger plate in a proximal direction toward the jar cap assembly and re-engages the plunger device using reversible retention in the retracted position.
Reversible retention is implemented through elastically deformable components that provide engagement and disengagement, including configurations with cap hooks engaging an engagement ring, cap finger springs, and inward protrusions engaging a retention ring. The elastic deformation can be transitory or sustained while the device is retained in the retracted position, and re-engagement maintains the distal plunger plate in a position that does not interfere with ingress of liquid through the inlet port.
The disclosure further describes securing the surgical collection assembly and tubing to a sterile drape using a drape clamp with hyper-crossed legs and locking fingers that define a serpentine drape capture path. It also optionally uses a drape clip or a split sleeve to hold the distal plunger plate elevated above the inlet during collection or shipping.
Claims Coverage
Independent claim clm-00001 covers a surgical collection process that disengages and subsequently re-engages a plunger device from a jar cap assembly. It includes inventive features focused on inducing temporary elastic deformation for disengagement without blocking an inlet port, and later re-engaging with reversible retention using elastically deforming components so the distal plunger plate remains in a retracted position that does not interfere with ingress of liquid.
Temporary elastic deformation to disengage without blocking inlet flow
The process includes inducing a temporary elastic deformation to disengage the plunger device from a reversible retention in a retracted position so that the distal plunger plate does not interfere with a flow path for ingress of liquid through an inlet port to the collection jar.
Compress collected material with distal plunger plate
The process uses the distal plunger plate to compress collected material in the collection basket.
Proximal movement and reversible re-engagement without interfering inlet flow
The process includes moving the distal plunger plate in a proximal direction away from a bottom of the collection basket and toward the jar cap assembly, and engaging the plunger device with the jar cap assembly in the reversible retention with the distal plunger plate in the retracted position that does not interfere with a flow path for an ingress of liquid through the inlet port by elastically deforming at least one component in the surgical collection assembly.
Across the independent claim, the core coverage is on disengaging and re-engaging a plunger device using temporary elastic deformation for disengagement and elastically deforming at least one component to provide reversible retention that maintains a distal plunger plate retracted position without interfering with inlet ingress through the inlet port.
Stated Advantages
Prevents the distal plunger plate from interfering with a flow path for ingress of liquid through the inlet port to the collection jar during disengagement and re-engagement.
Documented Applications
Surgical collection, including compressing collected material in the collection basket while maintaining a distal plunger plate retracted position that does not interfere with ingress of liquid through the inlet port.
Securing the surgical collection assembly and tubing to a sterile drape using a drape clamp to support the surgical collection assembly.
Holding the distal plunger plate elevated above the inlet during collection or shipping.
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