| US 7,569,014 B2 | ||
| Connector for a surgical retractor | ||
| Daniel Bass, El Granada, Calif. (US); and Bob Mastny, Metamora, Ill. (US) | ||
| Assigned to West Coast Surgical, LLC, El Granada, Calif. (US) | ||
| Filed on Sep. 07, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/219,847. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0055109 A1, Mar. 08, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. A61B 1/32 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 600—213 [294/82.1; 403/321] | 12 Claims |
| 1. A connector that engages a surgical retractor having a retractor blade with a nipple, the connector comprising:
a body member that receives the nipple of the retractor blade in an opening shaped and sized to receive the retractor blade,
wherein the body member includes a slot having a recessed notch;
a retainer pivotally attached to the body member in either an open position or a closed position;
a first spring that biases the retainer in the open position, wherein insertion of the nipple of the retractor blade into
the opening pivots the retainer into the closed position;
a locking mechanism comprising a push button, a base partially mounted in the retainer, and a shoulder, the shoulder sliding
into the recessed notch of the body member to lock the retainer in the closed position; and
a second spring that biases the shoulder of the locking mechanism against a surface of the body member after insertion of
the nipple of the retractor blade, thereby preventing removal of the nipple of the retractor blade from the opening until
a user pushes the push button to remove the shoulder of the locking mechanism from the recessed notch of the body member.
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