Pencil-grip wire driver operated by a distally located actuator

Abstract

To provide a wire driver for inserting a wire into bone.SOLUTION: A wire driver includes a housing having proximal and distal ends, with a handpiece extending to the proximal end. The handpiece is connected to a gripping portion, which extends to the distal end. A channel extends through the gripping portion and is connected to a gripping mechanism. A drive mechanism within the handpiece is connected to the channel. The drive mechanism is configured to rotate the channel when actuated by a first actuator positioned on the handpiece. A second actuator is connected to the gripping portion and the gripping mechanism. The second actuator is movable between a relaxed position and a compressed position. The user can operate both first and second actuators with the same handpiece grip. The gripping portion and second actuator are rotatable relative to the housing and first actuator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 654,618, filed April 9, 2018, entitled "Pencil-Grip Wire Driver Operated With Distally Located Actuator," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed generally to a wire driver for inserting a wire into bone, and more particularly to a wire driver having a distal actuator and a rotation mechanism. [Background technology]

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art A wire driver is a surgical device used to insert a wire into bone. Pencil-grip wire drivers are typically shaped to be held like a pencil and use techniques such as a cylindrical grip, a fingertip grip, a modified three-sided grip, or a three-sided grip. Pencil-grip wire drivers have an internal mechanism that grips the wire and provides a rotational force to the wire. The mechanism for gripping and releasing the wire is controlled by an actuator. Existing wire drivers 1 either have the actuator 2 located away from its distal end 3, as shown in FIG. 1, or require a second hand to operate the actuator 2, as shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, actuation of the actuator to grip or release the wire requires the surgeon to move a finger from the grip position or use a second hand to operate the actuator, which can be a significant inconvenience for the surgeon.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a wire driver having a distal gripping actuator and rotation mechanism that allows a surgeon to maintain a preferred grip on the wire driver while grasping and releasing the wire extending therethrough.

[0005] BACKGROUND ART SECTION DISCLAIMER: To the extent that specific patents / publications / products are discussed in this Background Art section or elsewhere in this disclosure, these discussions should not be taken as an admission that the discussed patents / publications / products are prior art for purposes of patent law. For example, some or all of the discussed patents / publications / products may not be sufficiently early, may not reflect subject matter developed early enough, and / or may not be sufficiently authoritative to amount to prior art for purposes of patent law. To the extent that specific patents / publications / products are discussed above in this Prior Art section and / or throughout the application, the descriptions / disclosures thereof are incorporated herein by reference in their respective entireties. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention is directed to a wire driver having a distal gripping actuator and a rotation mechanism that allows a surgeon to maintain a preferred grip on the wire driver while grasping and releasing a wire extending therethrough. According to one aspect, the wire driver includes a housing having a proximal end and a distal end. The housing has a handpiece extending at the proximal end, and the handpiece is connected to a gripping portion extending at the distal end. A channel extends through the gripping portion and is connected to the gripping mechanism. The wire driver also includes a first actuator connected to the distal end of the housing and to the gripping mechanism. The actuator is movable between a relaxed position and a compressed position.

[0007] According to another aspect, the present invention is a powered surgical tool. The surgical tool includes a housing having a proximal end and a distal end. The housing has a handpiece connected to a gripping portion. The handpiece extends to the proximal end and the gripping portion extends to the distal end. The gripping portion extends along a central longitudinal axis and the handpiece is connected to the gripping portion at an angle relative to the central longitudinal axis. The surgical tool also includes a rotation mechanism within the housing. The gripping portion is rotatable about the rotation mechanism relative to the handpiece.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the actuators identified herein can be actuated in any of numerous ways consistent with their basic functional concept (as summarized herein), including squeezing, flipping, twisting / rotating, pushing, and the like (as should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art in conjunction with a consideration of this disclosure). The direction of such actuation can include alternative directions from those contemplated and implemented in the examples described herein (e.g., pushing in a relative distal direction versus pulling in a relative proximal direction), according to appropriate alternative structures to facilitate such alternative motions (as should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art in conjunction with a consideration of this disclosure).

[0009] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] One or more aspects of the present invention are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as examples at the end of this specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a prior art wire driver. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is another prior art wire driver. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side schematic view of a wire driver according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a wire driver according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a wire driver according to an alternative embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic bottom view of the wire driver of FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional side schematic view of the wire driver of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of a wire driver according to another embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective schematic view of the wire driver of FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a side schematic view of the wire driver of FIG. 8 in a first configuration with a wire extending therethrough. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic top view of the wire driver of FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a side schematic view of the wire driver of FIG. 8 in a second configuration with a wire extending therethrough. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic top view of the wire driver of FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is another schematic top view of the wire driver of FIG. [Figure 15] 15 is a cross-sectional side schematic view of the wire driver of FIG. 8. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Aspects of the present invention and its specific features, advantages, and details are more fully described below with reference to non-limiting examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Descriptions of well-known structures may be omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the details of the invention. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific non-limiting examples, while indicating aspects of the present invention, are given by way of illustration only, and not by way of limitation, within the spirit and / or scope of the underlying inventive concept. Various substitutions, modifications, additions and / or arrangements in the above will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

[0013] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side schematic view of a wire driver 100 according to one embodiment. The wire driver 100 comprises a housing 102 having a proximal end 104 and a distal end 106. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 102 comprises a handpiece 108 extending at the proximal end 104 and a gripping portion 110 extending at the distal end 106. The handpiece 108 is connected to the gripping portion 110 at an angle. Specifically, the gripping portion 110 extends along a central longitudinal yy-axis, and the handpiece 108 extends proximally from the gripping portion 110 at an angle relative to the central longitudinal yy-axis. According to an alternative embodiment, the handpiece 108 is not connected to the gripping portion 110 at an angle and extends proximally from the gripping portion 110 along the yy axis or along an axis at least substantially parallel to the yy axis (see, e.g., Figures 5-7, discussed below).

[0014] 3, the handpiece 108 includes a drive mechanism 112 therein so that the wire driver 100 can be used as a stand-alone device. However, the wire driver 100 can also be an attachment to another device. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive mechanism 112 is a motor and gear assembly. In FIG. 3, the motor 114 rotates a first gear 116 of a gear assembly 118, which in turn drives the gripping portion 110. In alternative embodiments, the drive mechanism 112 can be battery-powered, pneumatic, or connected to an external power source (e.g., via a cord).

[0015] 3 , gripping portion 110 includes first end 120 and second end 122, with channel 124 extending therethrough. Gear assembly 118 extends into first end 120 of gripping portion 110. In the illustrated embodiment, first end 120 of gripping portion 110 includes second gear 126 of gear assembly 118. Second gear 126 engages first gear 116, which is powered by motor 114. Power from motor 114 rotates gear assembly 118, causing rotation of channel 124 and the wire (not shown) therein. Drive mechanism 112 effects rotation of channel 124 (and wire (not shown)) when drive actuator 138 is activated.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3 , the drive actuator 138 is connected to the handpiece 108 of the wire driver 100. Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, the drive actuator 138 is attached to the proximal end 104 of the wire driver 100. The drive actuator 138 shown in FIG. 3 is a long, curved arm connected to the handpiece 108 via a biased connector 142, such as a spring lever. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive actuator 138 is curved such that a distal portion 146 of the drive actuator 138 extends at least partially around and / or over the grip portion 110 of the housing 102. A proximal portion 144 of the drive actuator 138 extends proximally relative to the biased connector 142, allowing the drive actuator 138 to be easily accessed at any point along the housing 102 and providing multiple gripping options for the user.

[0017] 3, the gripping portion 110 of the wire driver 100 additionally includes a spring assembly 128 and a distal collet 130. A channel 124 in the gripping portion 110 extends through the spring assembly 128 and the distal collet 130, as shown. The channel 124 includes a gripping mechanism 132. In the illustrated embodiment, the gripping mechanism 132 is a spindle 134 having a gripper 136 (e.g., three (or more) prong-like pieces compressible toward one another). The purpose of the gripping mechanism 132 is to grip and release a wire (not shown) extending through the channel 124. The gripping and release motion is It is acted upon a wire (not shown) by a gripping actuator 140. As shown in FIG.

[0018] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, gripping actuator 140 is connected to collet 130. In the relaxed position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, gripping actuator 140 is biased distally (by spring assembly 128). In other words, when spring assembly 128 is in a relaxed state, gripping actuator 140 is biased distally, causing gripping mechanism 132 to close and grip a wire (not shown). To engage gripping actuator 140, a user pulls gripping actuator 140 proximally, which retracts collet 130 proximally relative to spring assembly 128. When collet 130 is pulled proximally by gripping actuator 140, gripping mechanism 132 (including gripper 136) releases the wire (not shown) in channel 124 and places wire driver 100 in a compressed position (not shown).

[0019] 5-7, various schematic views of a wire driver 100 according to an alternative embodiment are shown. In the illustrated embodiment, a central longitudinal yy axis extends through the gripping portion 110, as shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 3-4. However, in the embodiment of FIGS. 5-7, the handpiece 108 does not extend from the gripping portion 110 at an angle relative to the central longitudinal yy axis. As shown in FIG. 5, the handpiece 108 extends along a central longitudinal xx axis, which is generally parallel to the central longitudinal yy axis.

[0020] In the embodiment of the wire driver 100 shown in FIG. 7 , the channel 124 also extends through the first end 120 of the gripping portion 110 to the second end 122 of the gripping portion 110. In FIG. 7 , the channel 124 extends along or parallel to the central longitudinal y-axis. Furthermore, the gripping portion 110 is slightly offset from the handpiece 108 so that the first end 120 of the gripping portion 110 has a certain amount of clearance with respect to the handpiece 108. Notably, as shown in FIG. 7 , the channel 124 extending through the gripping portion 110 bypasses the motor 114 within the handpiece 108. However, as shown in FIG. 6 , the channel 124 extends through at least a portion of the bottom surface 152 of the handpiece 108 and is connected to the slot 150. In the illustrated embodiment, the slot 150 extends toward the proximal end 104 of the housing 102.

[0021] As also shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 , the handpiece 108 includes a slide mechanism 154 for selectively permitting or inhibiting movement of the drive mechanism 112 when the drive actuator 138 is engaged (e.g., depressed). As shown in FIG. 5 , a track (or channel) 156 extends through at least a portion of the side surface 158 of the handpiece 108. As shown in FIG. 5 , the handpiece 108 includes a slider 160 sized and configured to slide distally and proximally along the track 156 of the handpiece 108. Thus, a user can move the slider 160 from a locked position to a disengaged position. In the disengaged position, the slider 160 permits movement of the drive mechanism 112. When the drive actuator 138 is engaged and in the locked position, the slider 160 prevents movement of the drive mechanism 112 when the drive actuator 138 is engaged.

[0022] 8-14, various schematic views of wire driver 100 are shown according to alternative embodiments. In these embodiments, the free end portion of grip actuator 140 faces away from drive actuator 138 and is pulled proximally to be actuated.

[0023] FIG. 8 shows a schematic side view of the wire driver 100. The wire driver 100 A rotating (or indexing) mechanism 166 (FIG. 15) is provided to allow the wire (not shown) to lie in different planes relative to the planar axis of the handpiece 108. As shown in FIG. 8, the handpiece 108 extends along a plane zz. In the first configuration (shown in FIG. 8), the gripping portion 110 also extends along the plane zz.

[0024] An embodiment of a rotation (indexing) mechanism 166 is shown in FIG. 15. The gripping portion 110 rotates about the rotation (indexing) mechanism 166 relative to the handpiece 108. In FIG. 15, the rotation (indexing) mechanism 166 also maintains a connection between the gripping portion 110 and the handpiece 108 as the gripping portion 110 rotates. In the illustrated embodiment, the rotation (indexing) mechanism 166 includes a ring 168 that extends around both the gripping portion 110 and the handpiece 108 and holds them together. The rotation (indexing) mechanism 166 also includes one or more balls (or spheres) 170 between the ring 168 and both the gripping portion 110 and the handpiece 108. The balls 170 rotate as the gripping portion 110 rotates about the handpiece 108. Thus, the ball 170 allows movement of the gripping portion 110 about the handpiece 108 , while the ring 168 limits movement to prevent the gripping portion 110 from becoming dislodged from the handpiece 108 .

[0025] FIG. 9 shows a perspective schematic view of the wire driver 100. As shown, the drive actuator 138 includes an opening 162 so that a wire (not shown) may extend therethrough. In use, a wire 164 extends through the opening 162 in the drive actuator 138 and through the gripping portion 110, as shown in FIG. 10. In a first configuration, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the opening 162 in the drive actuator 138 is aligned with the gripping portion 110 so that the wire 164 may extend through both the opening 162 and the gripping portion 110. Furthermore, in the first configuration, the drive actuator 138 is in the same plane (plane zz) as the handpiece 108 and the gripping portion 110.

[0026] 12-14 show various schematic views of the wire driver 100 in a second configuration. In the second configuration, the gripping portion 110 rotates around a rotation mechanism (not shown) that is outside of the plane zz. In the illustrated embodiment, the gripping portion 110 is rotated 90° relative to the plane zz. However, the gripping portion 110 may be rotatable to any angle relative to the plane zz. The rotation mechanism (not shown) allows a user (e.g., a surgeon) the flexibility to grip the handpiece 108 according to their personal preference and for greater comfort. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , if a user chooses to hold the wire driver 100 using a top-hand grip, the wire 164 may be dangerous because it is aligned directly with the user's palm. Surgical wires 164 typically have sharp tips on both ends, and the proximal tip may pierce a surgeon's glove and / or cause injury. Therefore, the rotation mechanism (not shown) also serves as a safety feature of the wire driver 100 of FIGS. 8-14.

[0027] All definitions defined and used herein should be understood to control for dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0028] While various embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those skilled in the art will readily envision various other means and / or structures for performing the functions and / or obtaining the results and / or one or more advantages described herein, and each such variation and / or modification is deemed to be within the scope of the embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are exemplary, and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend on the particular application or applications for which the teachings are used. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are exemplary, and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend on the particular application or applications for which the teachings are used. Many equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein will be recognized, or can be ascertained using no more than routine experimentation. Accordingly, the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only, and it will be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and / or method described herein. Furthermore, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods, where such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0029] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise" (and any form of comprise, such as "comprises" and "comprising"), "have" (and any form of have, such as "has" and "having"), "include" (and any form of include, such as "includes" and "including"), and "contain" (and any form of contain, such as "contains" and "containing") are open-ended linking verbs. Consequently, a method or apparatus may "comprise," "have," "include," or "contain" one or more steps or elements. Similarly, a method step or apparatus element that "comprises," "has," "includes," or "contains" one or more features has those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features. Furthermore, an apparatus or structure that is configured in a particular way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways not listed.

[0030] Corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or steps plus functional elements in the following claims are intended to include any structure, material, or acts for performing a function, if any, in combination with elements of other claims that are specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described to best explain the principles and practical application of one or more aspects of the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to understand one or more aspects of the invention in various embodiments with various modifications suitable for the particular uses contemplated.

Claims

1. A wire driver, a housing having a proximal end and a distal end, the housing comprising a handpiece extending from the proximal end to a gripping portion, the gripping portion extending to the distal end; a channel extending through the grip portion; a gripping mechanism connected to the channel; a first actuator connected to the distal end of the housing and to the gripping mechanism; a drive mechanism positioned within the handpiece and connected to the channel; the first actuator is movable between a relaxed position and a compressed position; the gripping portion extends along a first central longitudinal axis; the handpiece extends along a second central longitudinal axis parallel to the first central longitudinal axis; A wire driver, wherein the drive mechanism is configured to rotate the channel when actuated by a second actuator connected to the handpiece.

2. The wire driver of claim 1 , wherein in the relaxed position, the gripping mechanism is closed.

3. The wire driver of claim 1 , wherein the second actuator extends along the handpiece and at least a portion of the grip portion.

4. The wire driver of claim 1 , further comprising a spring assembly within the gripping portion, the spring assembly connected to the gripping mechanism.

5. 5. The wire driver of claim 4, wherein when the first actuator is in the compressed position, the spring assembly is compressed and the gripping mechanism is in the open position.

6. The wire driver of claim 1 , further comprising a rotation mechanism within the housing, the grip portion being rotatable relative to the handpiece about the rotation mechanism.

Images