Patent Application
20160339557
The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods associated with the maintenance and repair of a tools, and more particularly to systems and methods associated with the maintenance and repair of surgical instruments.
The novel features believed characteristic of the system of the present application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the system itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the leftmost significant digit(s) in the reference numerals denote(s) the first figure in which the respective reference numerals appear, wherein:
Where used in the various figures of the drawings, the same reference numerals designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the terms “front,” “back,” “first,” “second,” “upper,” “lower,” “height,” “top,” “bottom,” “outer,” “inner,” “width,” “length,” “end,” “side,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” and similar terms are used herein, it should be understood that these terms have reference only to the structure shown in the drawing and are utilized only to facilitate describing embodiments of the present disclosure.
All figures are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings of the present disclosure only; the extensions of the figures with respect to number, position, relationship, and dimensions of the parts will either be explained or will be within the skill of persons of ordinary skill in the art after the following teachings of the present disclosure have been read and understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensional proportions to conform to specific width, length, and similar requirements will likewise be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present disclosure have been read and understood.
Illustrative embodiments of the system of the present application are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the devices, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” or other like terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the device described herein may be oriented in any desired direction.
The SIMM 100 comprises a plurality (four in the illustrated embodiment) of motor-driven, independently-operable work stations 104, 106, 108, and 110 supported by a base 112. The first, second, third, and fourth stations 104, 106, 108, and 110 include respective first, second, third, and fourth wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120. The first and fourth wheels 114 and 120 are vertically-mounted wheels, while the second and third wheels 116 and 118 are horizontally-mounted wheels.
In the illustrated embodiment, the base 112 includes an upper surface 112a connected to the second and third stations 106 and 108, a right-side surface 112b connected to the first station 104, and a left-side surface 112c connected to the fourth station 110. The base 112 also includes a front surface 112d for supporting the adjustable tool platform 102. The base 112 is preferably a rigid structure, for example comprising metal, plastic, composite, acrylic, and/or wood surfaces 112a-112d. The back and bottom sides of the base 112 can also include respective surfaces or can be open.
The wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120 can include various types of buffing, grinding, and sanding wheels, such as fixed-belt sanding wheels, familiar to those in the art that are useful for sharpening or repairing surgical instruments or other cutting tools.
The wheels 114 and 120 are driven by motor 124, and the wheels 116 and 118 are driven by motor 126. The motors 124 and 126 are at least partially housed within the base 112. The motor 124 has a shaft that is connected to wheels 114 and 120, and the motor 126 has a shaft that is connected for driving wheels 116 and 118. Alternative embodiments can include a plurality of motors such that each of the plurality of motors is configured for driving a respective one of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120. Still other alternative embodiments can include one motor that is configured for simultaneously driving all of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120. The motors 124 and 126 are preferably variable-speed motors that allow the user to adjust the speed of rotation of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120. The motors 124 and 126 are also preferably bi-directional motors that allow the user to control the direction of rotation of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120.
The wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120 are preferably removable from the shafts of the respective motors 124 and 126. In some embodiments, one or more of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120 can be removed and installed using common mounting hardware, such as a nut and bolt. Also, in some embodiments, one or more of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120 can be attached to their respective motors 124 and 126 via one or more magnets on a magnetic hub.
Each of the four stations 104, 106, 108, and 110 can be at least partially enclosed by respective shrouds 134, 136, 138, and 140. The shrouds 134, 136, 138, and 140 serve as partial enclosures to help contain debris that often is ejected during sanding, grinding, and polishing operations. Each of the shrouds 134, 136, 138, and 140 can include a respective port for receiving a conduit for a vacuum system (not shown). The vacuum system can be fully or partially integrated in the SIMM 100, or can be separate from the SIMM and connected to the SIMM via the vacuum ports in the shrouds 134, 136, 138, and 140.
One or more of the four stations 104, 106, 108, and 110 can be equipped with lights 142, such as light-emitting diode (LED) lighting elements, for illuminating the respective stations. In some embodiments each light 142 can be independently controllable, and in some embodiments groups of lights 142 can be controllable together.
The SIMM 100 also includes a user control panel 144. The control panel 144 includes circuitry that is electrically connected with each of the motors 124 and 126. The SIMM 100 receives electrical power from an external power source and the control panel 144 allows a user to use the electrical power to operate the motors 124 and 126 and thereby rotate the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120. The control panel 144 can also include user-operable controls for selecting one or more of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120 to operate, for selecting a rotational direction of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120, and for adjusting the speed of rotation of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120. The control panel 144 can also include one or more user-operable controls for turning the lights 142 on and off.
The adjustable tool platform 102 can be connected to the base 112 via a base guide rail 150 that is mounted to the front side surface 112d of the base 112. The base guide rail 150 extends along the front side surface 112d of the base 112 between the left and right side surfaces of the base 112. The base guide rail 150 has opposing first and second raceways 150a and 150b that extend along opposing sides of the rail 150. The adjustable tool platform 102 has a first pair of guide rollers 152a and 152b that are engaged with the first raceway 150a, and a second pair of guide rollers 152c and 152d that are engaged with the second raceway 150b.
The adjustable tool platform 102 includes a tool rest member 154 that serves as a support platform for a tool, such as a surgical instrument, while the tool is being serviced by any of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120. The tool rest member 154 has a first tool-receiving surface 156 and a second tool receiving surface 158. The second tool receiving surface 158 is orthogonal to the first tool-receiving surface 156. The first tool-receiving surface 156 can include a groove 157 defined by a recessed portion of the surface 156. The groove 157 can be useful for securing tools to the first tool-receiving surface 156 and for maintaining an alignment of a tool relative to the first tool-receiving surface 156.
The tool rest member 154 can be used in conjunction with a variety of interchangeable instrument-mounting lugs, including the first and second instrument-mounting lugs 170 and 180 shown in
Referring again primarily to
The first support bracket 192 includes a bottom surface 198 and a first plurality of guide rollers 200a-200d mounted to the bottom surface 198.
The first support bracket 192 is supported by a first guide rail 202. The first guide rail 202 includes opposing first and second raceways 204a and 204b. The first and second guide rollers 200a and 200b are engaged with the first raceway 204a and the third and fourth guide rollers 200c and 200d are engaged with the second raceway 204b such that a user can slide the first support bracket 192 along the first guide rail 202 in the directions indicated by arrow A2 in order to adjust the position of the tool rest member 154 relative to any of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120.
The first guide rail 192 is supported by a first guide rail support element 206, which in turn is supported by a second support bracket 208. The second support bracket 208 includes a wall member 210, a first support arm 212, and a second support arm 214. The first and second support arms 212 and 214 are rigidly attached to the wall member 210 and extend from the wall member 210 towards the first guide rail support element 206. The first and second support arms 212 and 214 are pivotally connected to the first guide rail support element 206 such that the first guide rail support element 206 can rotate relative to the second support bracket 208 about the pivot axis A3 in the directions indicated by arrow A4.
The wall member 210 includes a wall surface opposite the first and second support arms 212 and 214. A second plurality of guide rollers 218a-d are mounted to the wall member 210 on the wall surface opposite the first and second support arms 212 and 214. The wall member 210 also includes a guide bore 220 extending therethrough for receiving a guide post 222 (shown in
A limiter strap 224 is connected between the second support bracket 208 and the first guide rail 202 for limiting the pivotal range of motion between the second support bracket 208 and the first guide rail 202. The limiter strap 224 can be secured to the wall member 210 and to the first guide rail 202 using commonly known hardware or other connection methods. The limiter strap 224 can be a flexible, elongated element having a predetermined length that does not extend beyond what would allow an undesirable degree of pivotal rotation between the first guide rail 202 and the second support bracket 208. The desirable degree of rotation can be selected based on preferences of the user and can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the limiter strap 224. The limiter strap 224 can be made of any of a variety of known flexible materials, such as flexible metal strapping or nylon string.
The second support bracket 208 is supported by a second guide rail 226. The second guide rail 226 includes opposing third and fourth raceways 228a and 228b. The guide rollers 218a and 218b are engaged with the third raceway 228a and the guide rollers 218c and 218d are engaged with the fourth raceway 228b such that a user can slide the second support bracket 208 along the second guide rail 226 in the directions indicated by arrow A5 in order to adjust the position of the tool rest member 154 relative to any of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120.
The guide post 222 has a lower end that is connected to the second guide rail 226 via a rigid connection plate 230. The guide post 222 is a rigid post that extends from the connection plate 230 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the second guide rail 226 and through the guide bore 220 of the wall member 210 of the second support bracket 208. A compression spring 232 extends about the guide post 222 between the lower end of the guide post 222 and the second support bracket 208. The compression spring 232 urges the second support bracket 208 away from the connection plate 230 so that the tool rest member 154 remains generally at an elevation close to that of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120 while still being adjustable downward towards the connection plate 230.
The second guide rail 226 is supported by a carriage member 236. The carriage member 236 is rigidly attached to the second guide rail 226 and includes a carriage surface 238 opposite the second guide rail 226. The guide rollers 152a-d are mounted to the carriage surface 238.
The carriage member 236 is supported by the base guide rail 150. The base guide rail includes opposing raceways 150a and 150b. The guide rollers 152a and 152b are engaged with the raceway 150a, and the guide rollers 152c and 152d are engaged with the raceway 150b such that a user can slide the adjustable tool platform 102 along the base guide rail 150 in the directions indicated by arrow A6 in order to adjust the lateral position of the tool rest member 154 relative to any of the wheels 114, 116, 118, and 120.
The SIMM 100 thus provides a servicing platform that allows for servicing a variety of tools, for example surgical instruments, using a variety of servicing wheels and a tool support platform that is highly adjustable for easily positioning a tool relative to a servicing wheel. The SIMM 100 is also a compact system that can be used in a fixed or mobile location. For example, as shown in
Section headings herein are provided for consistency with the suggestions under 37 C.F.R. 1.77 or otherwise to provide organizational cues. These headings shall not limit or characterize the invention(s) set out in any claims that may issue from this disclosure. Specifically and by way of example, although the headings refer to a “Technical Field,” such claims should not be limited by the language chosen under this heading to describe the so-called technical field. Further, a description of a technology in the “Background” is not to be construed as an admission that technology is prior art to any invention(s) in this disclosure. Neither is the “Summary” to be considered as a characterization of the invention(s) set forth in issued claims. Furthermore, any reference in this disclosure to “invention” in the singular should not be used to argue that there is only a single point of novelty in this disclosure. Multiple inventions may be set forth according to the limitations of the multiple claims issuing from this disclosure, and such claims accordingly define the invention(s), and their equivalents, that are protected, thereby. In all instances, the scope of such claims shall be considered on their own merits in light of this disclosure, but should not be constrained by the headings set forth herein.
The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the application may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below. It is apparent that a system with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the system of the present application is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62164093 | May 2015 | US |
