Method of securing the shaft of a surgical instrument to the instrument housing

Inventors

Williams, Mason • Concelman, Julia

Assignees

Conmed Corp

Abstract

A surgical instrument having a housing, an outer shaft extending from the housing along a longitudinal axis, an inner shaft extending within the outer shaft along the longitudinal axis, a rotator knob position about the outer shaft, and a tube stop coupling the rotator knob to the outer shaft for collective rotation about the longitudinal axis and fixed within the housing against movement along the longitudinal axis. The tube stop has a pair of bearing surfaces that extend into a pair of longitudinal tracks of the outer shaft, and the rotator knob includes a pair of rails that extend into the pair of tracks of the outer shaft and block the tube stop exiting the tracks. The tube stop is captured between a pair of ribs in the housing to hold the tube stop in place while allowing the rotator knob to rotate the outer shaft.

Core Innovation

A surgical instrument includes a housing with an outer shaft extending along a longitudinal axis and having a pair of tracks extending longitudinally at an end of the outer shaft. An inner shaft extends within the outer shaft along the longitudinal axis, and a rotator knob is positioned directly around and contacting the outer shaft adjacent to the end of the shaft. The rotator knob includes a pair of rails that each include a first portion extending inwardly to directly engage the pair of tracks of the outer shaft and a second portion extending longitudinally from the rotator knob.

A tube stop is positioned directly around the end of the shaft in abutting relation to the rotator knob relative to the longitudinal axis. The tube stop includes a first pair of bearing surfaces extending into the pair of tracks respectively, a second pair of bearing surfaces abutting the outer shaft, and a third pair of bearing surfaces engaging the second portion of the rails that extends longitudinally from the rotator knob. The tube stop blocks the rotator knob from longitudinal movement along the longitudinal axis while enabling the rotator knob to engage the outer shaft for common rotation.

The tube stop is captured in the housing to prevent longitudinal movement while allowing rotation. The tracks enable interlocking engagement by having portions that allow the tube stop to be passed along a first longitudinal portion and rotated into a second circumferential portion for axial capture. Bearing surfaces of the tube stop engage longitudinal tracks, and rails of the rotator knob slide into the tracks to block the tube stop from exiting a circumferential track portion, including capture between ribs in the housing.

Claims Coverage

The document provides two independent claims. The inventive coverage centers on the interlocking engagement among the outer shaft tracks, rotator knob rails, and tube stop bearing surfaces, and on fixing and capturing the tube stop to prevent longitudinal movement while maintaining common rotation.

Across the independent claims, the interlocking engagement among the outer shaft tracks, the rotator knob rails, and the tube stop bearing surfaces is the core inventive structure, and the tube stop is fixed and captured to prevent longitudinal movement of the rotator knob while maintaining interlocking engagement enabling common rotation.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications