Surgical impact tool interface

Abstract

Various exemplary surgical impaction tool interfaces and methods of using surgical impaction tool interfaces are provided. Generally, the surgical impaction tool includes a locking assembly configured to be releasably attached to an adapter. In response to engagement with the adapter, the locking assembly is configured to move from an unlocked configuration, in which the adapter is not releasably attached to the surgical impaction tool (and no other adapters are releasably attached to the surgical impaction tool via the locking assembly), to a locked configuration, in which the adapter is releasably attached to the surgical impaction tool via the locking assembly. The locking assembly is configured to receive the adapter longitudinally along a longitudinal axis defined by the locking assembly and automatically lock the adapter to the surgical impaction tool.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a surgical impact tool interface.

Background Art

[0002] In the field of orthopedics, prostheses such as artificial joints are often implanted or installed within cavities in a patient's bone. The cavities are typically formed during surgery, for example, before a physician or medical professional installs or implants the prosthesis, and the physician or medical professional removes and / or compresses existing bone to form the cavity. Prostheses, which may also be referred to as implants, typically include a stem or other protrusion that is inserted into the cavity.

[0003] To form the cavity, a physician or other medical professional may use a broach, chisel, or other surgical instrument that conforms to the shape of the stem of the prosthesis. Generally, the surgical instrument is advanced into the implant area to form the cavity. One technique for pushing the surgical instrument involves a physician or other medical professional manually striking a surgical impacting tool with a hammer to push the surgical instrument into the implant area. Another technique for forming a prosthesis cavity relies on a computer-controlled robotic arm for forming the cavity instead of using manual power provided by a physician or other medical professional. In another technique for forming a prosthesis cavity, the surgical instrument is driven pneumatically, i.e., by compressed air. Another technique for forming a prosthesis cavity relies on a linear compressor. This linear compressor compresses air in a single-stroke system and then, after sufficient pressure is generated, releases the air onto a striker through a valve to advance the surgical instrument.

[0004] Broaches, chisels, or other surgical instruments may be detachably coupled to a surgical impact tool to allow the use of surgical instruments of different dimensions and / or shapes in different surgical procedures, to help meet the needs of a particular patient, to allow the replacement of worn, damaged, or otherwise undesirable surgical instruments without the need to replace the rest of the surgical impact tool, and / or to accommodate the surgeon's individual choice of surgical instruments. However, various techniques for advancing surgical instruments to form a prosthesis cavity, such as the four techniques described above, may loosen the detachable coupling of the surgical instrument to the surgical impact tool due to the force required to advance the surgical instrument. Such looseness could cause surgical instruments to unintentionally detach from surgical impact tools during surgical procedures, potentially causing the instruments to vibrate or otherwise move in unintended directions, thereby harming the patient and / or adversely affecting cavity formation, and / or hindering cavity formation by preventing the surgical instruments from being received and pushed forward with the intended maximum force. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] Therefore, improved surgical impact tools are still needed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Generally, a surgical impact tool interface and a method for using the surgical impact tool interface are provided.

[0007] In one embodiment, a surgical tool is provided, comprising an adapter configured to connect to a surgical instrument configured to impart impact to bone, and a locking assembly configured to be releasably attached to the adapter. The locking assembly has a locking configuration that is releasably attached to the adapter. The locking assembly has a release configuration that is not releasably attached to the adapter. The locking assembly includes a cavity configured to seat a portion of the adapter within the locking configuration. The locking assembly is configured such that the adapter moves from the release configuration to the locking configuration in response to the adapter being moved into the cavity substantially along a longitudinal axis defined by the cavity, and then rotating about the longitudinal axis. The locking assembly is configured such that the housing of the locking assembly is rotated about a longitudinal axis, and then the adapter moves from the locking configuration to the release configuration in response to the adapter being moved out of the cavity substantially along the longitudinal axis.

[0008] The surgical instrument may have any number of variations. For example, the locking assembly may include a first claw that defines a first longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis defined by a cavity when the locking assembly is in a disengaged configuration, and a second claw that defines a second longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis defined by a cavity when the locking assembly is in a disengaged configuration.

[0009] In another example, the locking assembly may include a base with a cavity formed inside, a first claw pivotably connected to the base at a first pivot point, and a second claw pivotably connected to the base at a second pivot point. In some embodiments, the locking assembly may include a biasing element that biases the housing to a position corresponding to the unlocked configuration of the locking assembly. In some embodiments, the locking assembly being configured to move from an unlocked configuration to a locked configuration may include the adapter moving into the cavity substantially along its longitudinal axis, thereby pivoting the first claw at a first pivot point and the second claw at a second pivot point. In some embodiments, the configuration of the locking assembly to move from a locked configuration to a unlocked configuration may include rotating the housing about its longitudinal axis, thereby rotating the housing relative to its base, and then moving the adapter out of the cavity substantially along the longitudinal axis, thereby pivoting the first claw at a first pivot point and the second claw at a second pivot point. In some embodiments, the locking assembly may include a first biasing element that biases the housing at a position corresponding to the locking configuration of the locking assembly, and the locking assembly may include a second biasing element that biases a first claw and a second claw at a position corresponding to the locking configuration of the locking assembly.

[0010] In yet another example, a locking assembly may include a first claw that defines a first longitudinal axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis defined by a cavity when the locking assembly is in a locking configuration, and a second claw that defines a second longitudinal axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis defined by a cavity when the locking assembly is in a locking configuration.

[0011] In yet another example, the locking assembly may be configured to automatically move from a unlocked configuration to a locked configuration without the adapter being rotated.

[0012] In another example, the locking assembly may be configured such that, in the locking configuration, the adapter is seated within the cavity relative to the locking assembly in each of a plurality of predetermined angular directions. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of predetermined angular directions may be spaced about 90 degrees apart from one another.

[0013] In yet another example, surgical tools may also include surgical instruments. In some embodiments, surgical instruments include chisels or broaches.

[0014] In another example, a surgical impact tool may include a locking assembly, and with a surgical instrument operably connected to the locking assembly, the surgical impact tool may be configured to drive the impact of the surgical instrument, and the direction of impact may be substantially along a longitudinal axis defined by a cavity.

[0015] In another embodiment, a surgical method is provided, which in one embodiment includes releasably attaching the adapter to the locking assembly by moving the adapter into the cavity of the locking assembly substantially along the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity. The surgical method also includes driving the impact of a surgical instrument against the bone. The surgical instrument is attached to the adapter, and the direction of the impact is substantially along the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity.

[0016] The surgical method can vary in various ways. For example, the surgical method may also include removing the adapter from the locking assembly by rotating the housing of the locking assembly around its longitudinal axis and then moving the adapter out of the cavity substantially along the longitudinal axis. In yet another example, the surgical instrument may include a chisel or a broach. In yet another example, the adapter may be releasably attached to the locking assembly without being rotated.

[0017] In another example, the locking assembly may include a housing, a first claw portion, and a second claw portion, and by moving the adapter into the cavity, each of the first claw portion and the second claw portion may be pivoted relative to the housing. In some embodiments, the surgical method may also include rotating the housing about the longitudinal axis after moving the adapter into the cavity, thereby pivoting the first claw portion and the second claw portion relative to the housing and the adapter.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows. [Figure 1] It is a side view of one embodiment of a surgical impact tool. [Figure 2] It is a top view of the tool of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a front view of the tool of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a rear view of another embodiment of a surgical impact tool. [Figure 5] It is a front view of the tool of FIG. 4 to which one embodiment of the adapter is releasably attached. [Figure 6] It is a side view of the tool and the adapter of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] It is a perspective view of the tool and the adapter of FIG. 5. [Figure 8] It is another perspective view of the tool and the adapter of FIG. 5. [Figure 9] It is a perspective view of one embodiment of a surgical instrument. [Figure 10] It is a perspective view of another embodiment of a surgical instrument. [Figure 11] It is a perspective view of one embodiment of a locking assembly. [Figure 12] It is a perspective view of the locking assembly of FIG. 11 with its housing rotated. [Figure 13] It is a side cross-sectional view of the locking assembly of FIG. 11 to which another embodiment of the adapter is releasably attached. [Figure 14] It is a perspective view of another embodiment of the locking assembly. [Figure 15] It is another perspective view of the locking assembly of FIG. 14. [Figure 16] It is a perspective cross-sectional view of the locking assembly of FIG. 14. [Figure 17] It is a side cross-sectional view of the locking assembly of FIG. 14 with the adapter of FIG. 13 inside the cavity of the locking assembly. [Figure 18] It is a perspective view of the locking assembly of FIG. 14 with its housing rotated. [Figure 19] It is another perspective view of the locking assembly of FIG. 18. [Figure 20] It is a side cross-sectional view of the locking assembly of FIG. 18 with the adapter of FIG. 17 detachably attached.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] To comprehensively understand the structure, function, manufacture, and principles of use of the devices, systems, and methods disclosed in this specification, specific representative embodiments will now be described. Examples of one or more of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the devices, systems, and methods described in detail herein and shown in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting representative embodiments, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims. Features illustrated or described in connection with a representative embodiment may be combined with the features of other embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

[0020] Furthermore, in this disclosure, components with similar names in embodiments generally have similar characteristics, and therefore, in a particular embodiment, each characteristic of each component with a similar name is not necessarily fully described. Insofar as linear or circular dimensions are used in the descriptions of the disclosed systems, devices, and methods, such dimensions are not intended to limit the types of shapes that may be used in combination with such systems, devices, and methods. Those skilled in the art will recognize that dimensions equivalent to such linear and circular dimensions can be easily determined for any geometric shape. Those skilled in the art will understand that even if the dimensions are not exact, they can be considered close to them due to factors such as manufacturing tolerances and the sensitivity of the measuring instrument. The dimensions and shapes of systems and devices, and their components, may vary, at least depending on the dimensions and shapes of the components with which the systems and devices are used.

[0021] Interfaces for various representative surgical impact tools and methods for using these interfaces are provided. Generally, a surgical impact tool includes a locking assembly configured to be releasably mounted to an adapter. In response to engagement with the adapter, the locking assembly is configured to move from a disengaged configuration in which the adapter is not releasably mounted to the surgical impact tool (and no other adapter is releasably mounted to the surgical impact tool via the locking assembly) to a locked configuration in which the adapter is releasably mounted to the surgical impact tool via the locking assembly. The locking assembly is configured to receive the adapter longitudinally along a longitudinal axis defined by the locking assembly and to automatically lock the adapter to the surgical impact tool. In this way, the locking assembly can enable the rapid and automatic mounting of the surgical impact tool to the adapter. Furthermore, disengaging the adapter from the surgical impact tool can be achieved quickly and easily by rotating the locking assembly relative to the adapter and then translating the adapter longitudinally relative to the locking assembly and the surgical impact tool.

[0022] An adapter configured to accommodate a surgical impact tool is configured to be releasably attached to a surgical instrument configured to impact bone. A surgical impact tool, such as an orthopedic impactor, is configured to drive the impact of the surgical instrument against bone. The surgical impact tool, releasably attached to the adapter, is configured to provide force to the surgical instrument via the adapter, thereby driving the impact of the surgical instrument. Whether it is a forward driving force for a forward impact or a backward driving force for a rearward impact, the force is a longitudinal force along the longitudinal axis defined by the locking assembly. Therefore, the fact that the locking assembly is configured to disengage from the adapter in response to rotational motion may help prevent the adapter (and the surgical instrument attached thereto) from detaching from the surgical impact tool during impact, as the longitudinally directed force from the surgical impact tool does not bias the rotational motion of the locking assembly.

[0023] Surgical instruments configured to be attached to an adapter may be broaches, chisels, or other surgical instruments. The releasable attachment of surgical impact tools to adapters allows them to be releasably attached to a variety of different adapters, each of which may be configured to be releasably attached to a surgical instrument. Each adapter may differ in shape and / or dimensions from one another, thereby allowing a surgeon (or other medical professional) to select a particular adapter for optimal and desirable impact in a particular surgical procedure performed on the bone of a particular patient. Furthermore, each surgical instrument configured to be attached to an adapter may differ in shape and / or dimensions from one another, thereby allowing a surgeon (or other medical professional) to select a particular surgical instrument for optimal and desirable impact in a particular surgical procedure performed on the bone of a particular patient.

[0024] In some embodiments, instead of the surgical instrument being releasably attached to the adapter, the surgical instrument may be non-releasably attached to the adapter, allowing it to be attached to various different adapters, thereby enabling the surgical impact tool to be used with various different surgical instruments.

[0025] Figures 1 to 3 show one embodiment of a surgical impact tool 100, including a locking assembly configured to be releasably attached to an adapter. In this exemplary embodiment, the surgical impact tool 100 is an orthopedic impactor, but as described above, the surgical impact tool 100 may be a different type of surgical impact tool. The locking assembly is located at the front end 102 of the surgical impact tool 100. Embodiments of the locking assembly will be described further below.

[0026] The surgical impact tool 100 includes an actuator 104 configured to actuate a surgical instrument attached to an adapter releasably mounted to the surgical impact tool 100 via a locking assembly. In this exemplary embodiment, the actuator 104 includes a trigger 306 on the handpiece 106 of the surgical impact tool 100, but other surgical impact tools may be actuated in other ways. In a typical embodiment, the surgical impact tool 100 is configured to provide a forward impact, where a forward force is provided by the surgical impact tool to impart an impact in the forward direction, and a backward impact, where a backward force is provided by the surgical impact tool to impart an impact in the backward direction. The forward and backward impacts may be periodic, with the forward and backward impacts being continuously repeated. In some embodiments, the surgical impact tool 100 may be configured to provide only one of the forward and backward impacts.

[0027] The power supply 108 is configured to be removably attached to the handpiece 106 of the surgical impact tool 100. In this exemplary embodiment, the power supply 108 is a battery, but other power sources are also possible. In other embodiments, the surgical impact tool 100 may be removably attached to the power supply in another way, such as by being plugged into the power supply. Still in other embodiments, the power supply may be irremovably attached to the surgical impact tool 100 by a battery or the like, which is irremovably placed inside the handpiece 106.

[0028] The surgical impact tool 100 includes an energy selector 110 on the handpiece 106 of the surgical impact tool 100. In this exemplary embodiment, the energy selector 110 includes a rotary dial, but may have other configurations such as a lever, a button, etc. The energy selector 110 is configured to allow selection of an energy level, for example, high energy or low energy.

[0029] The surgical impact tool 100 includes a frequency control unit 112 on the handpiece 106 of the surgical impact tool 100. In this exemplary embodiment, the frequency control unit 112 includes a button, but may have other configurations such as a lever, a rotary dial, etc. The frequency control unit 112 is configured to allow the user to select the frequency of impact, for example, a slow impact or a fast impact.

[0030] The surgical impact tool 100 may have additional or alternative features. Various representative embodiments of surgical impact tools including additional or alternative features are described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0161050, titled "Electric Motor Driven Tool For Orthopedic Impacting" (published June 27, 2013), No. 2019 / 0183555, titled "Orthopedic Adapter For An Electric Impacting Tool" (published June 20, 2019), No. 2018 / 0055552, titled "Orthopedic Impacting Device Having A Controlled, Repeatable Impact" (published March 1, 2018), and No. 2018 / 0055554, titled "Orthopedic Impacting Device Having A Launched Mass Delivering A Controlled, Repeatable & Reversible Impacting Device". Further details are provided in U.S. Patent No. 8,393,409, titled "Electric Motor Driven Tool For Orthopedic Impacting" (published March 1, 2018), U.S. Patent No. 8,936,105, titled "Electric Motor Driven Tool For Orthopedic Impacting" (published January 20, 2015), and U.S. Patent No. 8,695,726, titled "Electric Motor Driven Tool For Orthopedic Impacting" (published April 15, 2014), each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0031] Figures 4 to 8 show another embodiment of the surgical impact tool 200, including a locking assembly configured to be releasably attached to the adapter 300. Figures 4 to 8 show the adapter 300 releasably attached to the surgical impact tool 200 via the locking assembly. In this exemplary embodiment, the surgical impact tool 200 is an orthopedic impactor, but as described above, the surgical impact tool 200 may be a different type of surgical impact tool. The surgical impact tool 200 is generally configured and used similarly to the surgical impact tool 100 of Figure 1, and includes, for example, a locking assembly at the front end 202 of the surgical impact tool 200. It also includes an actuator 204, a handpiece 206, an energy selector 210 (a lever in this exemplary embodiment), and a frequency control unit 212 (a dial in this exemplary embodiment). In this exemplary embodiment, the surgical impact tool 200 is configured to be removably attached to the power supply at its bottom end 208, similar to how the surgical impact tool 100 is removably attached to the power supply 108 as described above. Embodiments of the locking assembly will be described further below.

[0032] In this exemplary embodiment, the adapter 300 is configured to be removably attached to a surgical instrument for impacting bone. In other embodiments, the adapter 300 may be permanently attached to the surgical instrument.

[0033] As described above, various surgical instruments such as chisels and broaches may be configured to be releasably attached to the adapter 300. Figure 9 shows one embodiment of a surgical instrument 400 configured to be releasably attached to the adapter 300. In this exemplary embodiment, the surgical instrument 400 is a tibial broach configured to impact the tibia. Figure 10 shows another embodiment of a surgical instrument 402 configured to be releasably attached to the adapter 300. In this exemplary embodiment, the surgical instrument 402 is a femoral broach configured to impact the femur. In this exemplary embodiment, the surgical instrument 402 includes an anterior portion 404 and a posterior portion 406 configured to be releasably attached to the anterior portion 404 by rotating the anterior portion 404 into the posterior portion 406, as indicated by arrow R.

[0034] As mentioned above, the locking assemblies of the surgical impact tool 100 in Figures 1 to 3 and the surgical impact tool 200 in Figures 4 to 8 can have various configurations. Figures 11 to 13 show one embodiment of a locking assembly 500 that can be used as the locking assembly of the surgical impact tool 100 in Figures 1 to 3, the locking assembly of the surgical impact tool 200 in Figures 4 to 8, or as the locking assembly of another embodiment of the surgical impact tool. The locking assembly 500 is configured to be releasably attached to an adapter such as the adapter 300 in Figures 4 to 8 or another adapter.

[0035] The locking assembly 500 is configured to move between a locking configuration in which the locking assembly 500 is releasably mounted to the adapter and a release configuration in which the locking assembly 500 is not releasably mounted to the adapter. Figures 11 and 13 show the locking assembly 500 in a locking configuration releasably mounted to one embodiment of the adapter 600 (the adapter 600 is not shown in Figure 11 in order to clearly show the locking assembly 500), and Figure 12 shows the locking assembly 500 in a release configuration. The adapter 600 may have various configurations as described herein. The adapter 600 may be configured to be releasably mounted to a surgical instrument or not releasably mounted to a surgical instrument.

[0036] The locking assembly 500 is biased toward the locking configuration. The locking assembly 500 is configured to move toward the locking configuration in response to the engagement of the locking assembly with the adapter 600. The engagement of the adapter 600 with the locking assembly 500 includes the adapter 600 moving longitudinally or translationally into the locking assembly 500. Thus, the adapter 600 is configured to move in one direction, for example, translationally rather than rotationally, in order to mount it onto the locking assembly 500. Disengaging the adapter 600 from the locking assembly 500 includes the locking assembly 500 being rotated relative to the adapter 600, and then the adapter 600 being moved longitudinally or translationally relative to the locking assembly 500. Thus, the adapter 600 is configured to move in the same one direction in order to remove it from the locking assembly 500. The rotational motion required to allow the adapter 600 to be removed from the locking assembly 500 (and thus from the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 500) may help prevent the adapter 600 (and any surgical instruments attached thereto) from being removed from the surgical impact tool during impact, as the surgical impact tool provides a longitudinally directed force for impact that does not facilitate the rotational motion of the locking assembly 500. The locking assembly 500 needs to rotate relative to the adapter 600 before it is translated relative to the locking assembly 500 (and therefore relative to the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 500) so that it can be removed from the locking assembly 500 (and therefore from the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 500). This may help prevent the process of removing the adapter 600 (and any surgical instruments attached thereto) from the locking assembly 500 (and therefore from the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 500) from starting until the user intentionally rotates the locking assembly 500, since the force for the impact directed longitudinally by the surgical impact tool does not bias the rotational movement of the locking assembly 500.

[0037] The locking assembly 500 includes a cavity 502 configured to seat the rear portion of the adapter inside. The cavity 502 is located at the front end 500f of the locking assembly 500, and thus at the front end of the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 500. The cavity 502 is formed within the base 504 of the locking assembly 500. The front portion 504f of the base 504 has the cavity 502 formed inside so that the cavity 502 is accessible at the front end 500f of the locking assembly 500.

[0038] The rear end 504r of the base 504 is configured to be operably connected to a drive mechanism of a surgical impact tool, including a locking assembly 500, which provides the drive mechanism with longitudinally directed force to the base 504, thereby driving the impact of the surgical instrument attached to the adapter 600, which is attached to the locking mechanism 500. The drive mechanism can have various configurations. Various embodiments of the drive mechanism are described in the aforementioned U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0161050, titled "Electric Motor Driven Tool For Orthopedic Impacting" (published June 27, 2013), No. 2019 / 0183555, titled "Orthopedic Adapter For An Electric Impacting Tool" (published June 20, 2019), No. 2018 / 0055552, titled "Orthopedic Impacting Device Having A Controlled, Repeatable Impact" (published March 1, 2018), No. 2018 / 0055554, titled "Orthopedic Impacting Device Having A Launched Mass Delivering A Controlled, Repeatable & Reversible Impacting Force" (published March 1, 2018), and U.S. Patent No. 8,393,409, titled "Electric Motor Driven Tool For Orthopedic Further details are provided in "Impacting" (published March 12, 2013), Patent No. 8,936,105, with the invention title "Electric Motor Driven Tool For Orthopedic Impacting" (published January 20, 2015), and Patent No. 8,695,726, with the invention title "Electric Motor Driven Tool For Orthopedic Impacting" (published April 15, 2014).

[0039] In this exemplary embodiment, the cavity 502 has a cubic shape, but it may have other shapes, such as a hemispherical shape, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, an irregular shape, etc. The dimensions and shape of the cavity 502 correspond to the dimensions and shape of the rear portion of the adapter 600, allowing the rear portion of the adapter 600 to be seated and locked within the cavity 502, as shown in Figure 13 and further described below.

[0040] The locking assembly 500 is configured to seat the adapter 600 within the cavity 502 in each of a plurality of predetermined angular directions relative to the locking assembly 500. A surgical instrument operably connected to the locking assembly 500 via the adapter 600, and thus operably connected to the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 500, can consequently be attached to the surgical impact tool in a plurality of predetermined angular directions relative to the surgical impact tool. Depending on one or more factors such as the surgeon's choice, which hand (left or right) of the user is holding the surgical impact tool, which bone of the patient the surgical instrument is impacting, and the patient's position relative to the user of the surgical impact tool, a particular angular direction of the surgical instrument may be more desirable than another angular direction of the surgical instrument. In a typical embodiment, each of the predetermined angular directions is about 90 degrees apart from each other. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the values ​​may not be exact in some respects, but can generally be considered to be those values ​​due to any number of factors such as manufacturing tolerances and the sensitivity of the measuring instrument.

[0041] In this exemplary embodiment, the locking assembly 500 is configured to seat the adapter within the cavity 502 at four predetermined angular directions relative to the locking assembly 500, namely at approximately 0 degrees, approximately 90 degrees, approximately 180 degrees, and approximately 270 degrees. Providing four predetermined angular directions may simplify the manufacture of the base 504 including the cavity 502 and / or may help ensure that the surgical instrument operably connected to the surgical impact tool is at a favorable angle for impacting bone, regardless of whether the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 500 is held by the left or right hand, and whether the surgical impact tool is held upright during impact. The cubic shape of the cavity 502 allows for four predetermined angular directions, each separated by approximately 90 degrees from one another. Another four-sided shape of the cavity 502, for example, a rectangle, similarly allows for four predetermined angular directions. Other hollow shapes that do not have four sides define a different number of predetermined angular directions, or do not define any predetermined angular directions. For example, a spherical hollow shape does not define any predetermined angular directions. In another example, a hollow shape with five sides defines five predetermined angular directions. In yet another example, a hollow shape with three sides defines three predetermined angular directions. In yet another example, a hollow shape with eight sides defines eight predetermined angular directions.

[0042] The locking assembly 500 includes a first claw portion 506 and a second claw portion 508, respectively, configured to rotate relative to a base 504 of the locking assembly 500 in order to lock the adapter 600 to a surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 500. The first claw portion 506 is attached to the base 504 at a first pivot point 510, for example, using a pivot pin or other mechanism, and is configured to rotate relative to the base 504 about the pivot pin or other mechanism. The second claw portion 508 is attached to the base 504 at a second pivot point 512, for example, using a pivot pin or other mechanism, and is configured to rotate relative to the base 504 about the pivot pin or other mechanism. The first pivot point 510 and the second pivot point 512 are located on opposite sides of the base 504. The first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 are configured to pivot simultaneously with respect to the base portion 504 at their respective pivot points 510 and 512.

[0043] The first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 are positioned relative to a cavity 502 formed in the base 504 so as to enable the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 to engage with the adapter 600 inserted into the cavity 502. The first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 face each other on either side of the cavity 502. The first claw portion 506 defines a first longitudinal axis 506A that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 502A (see Figures 11 and 13) defined by the cavity 502 when the locking assembly 500 is in the locking configuration. The second claw portion 508 defines a second longitudinal axis 508A that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 502A defined by the cavity 502 when the locking assembly 500 is in the locking configuration. The locking assembly 500 moves between a unlocked configuration and a locked configuration, and when the locking assembly 500 is in the unlocked configuration, the first longitudinal axis 506A and the second longitudinal axis 508A are not substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 502A defined by the cavity 502. The first longitudinal axis 506A and the second longitudinal axis 508A are substantially parallel to each other when the locking assembly 500 is in the unlocked configuration, when the locking assembly 500 is in the locked configuration, and while the locking assembly 500 moves between the locked configuration and the unlocked configuration. Those skilled in the art will understand that axes may not be exactly perpendicular or exactly parallel due to any number of factors such as manufacturing tolerances and the precision of measuring devices, but may still be considered substantially perpendicular or substantially parallel.

[0044] The locking assembly 500 includes a housing 514 operably connected to a first claw portion 506 and a second claw portion 508. The locking assembly 500 also includes a first biasing element 516 (see Figure 13) configured to bias the housing 514 in a first direction D1 (see Figure 11), where the first direction D1 is counterclockwise in this exemplary embodiment. The first biasing element 516 biases the housing 514 to the locking configuration of the locking assembly 500. The locking assembly 500 includes a support 518 in which the first biasing element 516 is seated. The support 518 is a tubular member having an internal passage 520 extending therethrough. The first biasing element 516 is located within the internal passage 520. The support 518 is fixed relative to the housing 514. The support 518 may be formed integrally with the housing 514, or it may be a separate element fixedly attached to the housing 514.

[0045] The housing 514 is a tubular member having an internal passage 522 extending through it. The cavity 502 formed within the base 504, the front portion 504f of the base 504, the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508, and the first biasing element 516 are located within the internal passage 522. The base 504 extends rearward from the housing 514, and the rear portion 504r of the base 504 is located outside and rearward of the housing 514.

[0046] The housing 514 includes a first ridge 524 and a second ridge 526, each extending radially inward. The first ridge 524 and the second ridge 526 are configured to operably engage with a first claw 506 and a second claw 508, respectively, as will be further described below, to pivot the first claw 506 and the second claw 508 at their respective pivot points 510 and 512. As shown in Figure 11, with the locking assembly 500 in the locked configuration, the first side of the first ridge 524 abuts against the first cam surface of the first claw 506, and the first side of the second ridge 526 abuts against the first cam surface of the second claw 508. The housing 514 is biased in a first direction D1 by the first biasing element 516, thereby biasing the first side surface of the first protrusion 524 to come into contact with the first cam surface of the first claw portion 506, and the first side surface of the second protrusion 526 to come into contact with the first cam surface of the second claw portion 508.

[0047] The locking assembly 500 is configured to automatically move into the locking configuration in response to the engagement of the locking assembly with the adapter 600. In a typical embodiment, the adapter 600, which is moved into the cavity 502 along the longitudinal axis 502A defined by the cavity 502, is configured to automatically move the locking assembly 500 into the locking configuration. The adapter 600 can be moved into the cavity 502 by moving the adapter 600 backward relative to the locking assembly 500, by moving the locking assembly 500 forward relative to the adapter 600, or by both moving the adapter 600 backward relative to the locking assembly 500 and moving the locking assembly 500 forward relative to the adapter 600.

[0048] As shown in Figures 11 to 13, the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 are positioned at an intermediate position along the axial length of the cavity 502. Therefore, the adapter 600 encounters the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 as it moves into the cavity 502 and before it seats and locks inside. The first side surfaces 506s and the second side surfaces 508s of the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 face each other through the locking assembly 500. A gap 528 is defined between the side surfaces 506s and 508s of the claw portions. With the locking assembly 500 in the locking configuration, the minimum width of the gap 528 is less than the width of the cavity 502 behind the claw portions 506 and 508, and less than the width of the rear portion of the adapter 600 inserted into the cavity 502.

[0049] As the adapter 600 moves longitudinally into the cavity 502, it engages with the first side surface 506s and the second side surface 508s. Since the adapter 600 is wider than the gap 528, and the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 are movably mounted to the base 504 having the cavity 502 formed therein, the adapter 600 can move rearward through the gap 528 by slidingly engaging with the sides 506s and 508s of the claw portions, thereby pivoting the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 at their respective pivot points 510 and 512, thereby widening the gap 528. Thus, the adapter 600 can move longitudinally into the cavity 502 until the rearward-facing surface of the adapter 600 abuts against the frontward-facing surface of the base 604 that defines the rear end of the cavity 502.

[0050] As shown in Figure 13, the rear portion of the adapter 600 includes a reduced diameter portion 602, the reduced diameter portion 602 having a diameter d smaller than the diameter 604d of portion 604 of the adapter 600 behind the reduced diameter portion 602, and smaller than the diameter 606d of portion 606 of the adapter 600 in front of the reduced diameter portion 602. The diameter 604d of portion 604 of the adapter 600 behind the reduced diameter portion 602 is moved rearward through the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508. When the reduced diameter portion 602 of the adapter 600 is axially aligned with the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508, the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 are no longer biased outward by the adapter 600 and are able to pivot freely inward toward their initial default position (shown in Figure 11). Therefore, the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 are seated within the reduced diameter portion 602, as shown in Figure 13. The first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508, seated within the reduced diameter portion 602 of the adapter 600, prevent the adapter 600 from moving longitudinally relative to the locking assembly 500 (and therefore relative to the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 500).

[0051] The locking assembly 500 includes a friction member 530 configured to resist the rotational movement of the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508. In this exemplary embodiment, the friction member 530 is an O-ring, but may have other configurations. The friction member 530 may help to hold the first claw portion 506 and the second claw portion 508 in place when the locking assembly 500 is in its unlocked configuration and its locked configuration. A user seating the adapter 600 in the cavity 502 may be able to feel resistance, which may help the user know that the adapter 600 is properly seated in the locking assembly 500 (and therefore in the surgical impact tool containing the locking assembly 500).

[0052] As described above, the locking assembly 500 is configured to move from a locked configuration to a unlocked configuration. In a typical embodiment, the housing 514 of the locking assembly 500 is rotated relative to the adapter 600 and base 504 about the longitudinal axis 502A defined by the cavity 502 (and therefore about the longitudinal axis 600A of the coaxial adapter), which moves the locking assembly 500 from a locked configuration to an unlocked configuration, and then moves the adapter 600 longitudinally along the longitudinal axis 502A defined by the cavity 502 (and therefore about the longitudinal axis 600A of the coaxial adapter). The adapter 600 can be moved out of the cavity 502 by moving the adapter 600 forward relative to the locking assembly 500, by moving the locking assembly 500 backward relative to the adapter 600, or by both moving the adapter 600 forward relative to the locking assembly 500 and moving the locking assembly 500 backward relative to the adapter 600.

[0053] With the locking assembly 500 in a locked position so as to be releasably attached to the adapter 600, the housing 514 is rotated in a second direction D2 opposite to the first direction D1 into which the housing 514 is biased, as shown in Figure 12. The rotation of the housing 514 in the second direction D2 also rotates the support 518 fixedly attached thereto in the second direction D2, which is clockwise in this exemplary embodiment. The rotation of the housing 514 rotates the first and second protrusions 524 and 526 of the housing 514. As the first and second protrusions 524 and 526 rotate in the second direction D2, the first side of the first protrusion 524 disengages from contact with the first cam surface of the first claw 506, and the first side of the second protrusion 526 disengages from contact with the first cam surface of the second claw 508. As the first raised portion 524 and the second raised portion 526 continue to rotate in the second direction D2, the second side surface of the first raised portion 524 comes into contact with the second side surface of the second claw portion 508, and the second side surface of the second raised portion 526 comes into contact with the second side surface of the first claw portion 506. Therefore, the first raised portion 524 moves away from contact with the first claw portion 506 and into contact with the second claw portion 508, and the second raised portion 526 moves away from contact with the second claw portion 508 and into contact with the first claw portion 506. The rotation of the first protrusion 524 in the second direction D2 pushes the second claw 508, causing it to rotate around the second pivot point 512, and the rotation of the second protrusion 526 in the second direction D2 pushes the first claw 506, causing it to rotate around the first pivot point 510. As a result, the gap 528 between the first claw 506 and the second claw 508 increases, as shown in Figure 12. The diameter 604d of the adapter portion 604 behind the reduced diameter portion 602 can now pass through the gap 528, and the widened gap 528 allows the adapter 600 to move longitudinally out of the cavity 502.

[0054] After the adapter 600 is removed from the cavity 502, the housing 514 can be released. This allows the housing 514 to rotate in a first direction D1 under the force of the biasing element 516, returning the locking assembly 500 to its initial configuration. The housing 514 can be manually moved in the first direction D1 to assist the rotational movement of the housing, or the housing 514 can be allowed to move completely in the first direction D1 under the force provided by the biasing element 516.

[0055] As shown in Figure 13, the base 504 includes a blind hole 532 communicating with the rear of the cavity 502. A second biasing element (not shown), such as a coil spring, elastomer material, or spring-loaded plunger, may be placed in the blind hole 532. The second biasing element may be configured to provide a forward bias and may be configured to engage with the rear-facing surface of the adapter 600 when the locking assembly 500 is locked to the adapter 600. Thus, the second biasing element may be configured to bias the adapter 600 forward after the housing 514 has been rotated in a second direction D2, which may help the user remove the adapter 600 from the cavity 502 by partially pushing it out of the cavity 502. The locking assembly 500 may omit the blind hole 532 if the second biasing element is not present.

[0056] Figures 14 to 20 show another embodiment of the locking assembly 700, which can be used as the locking assembly for the surgical impact tool 100 in Figures 1 to 3, the locking assembly for the surgical impact tool 200 in Figures 4 to 8, or as the locking assembly for another embodiment of the surgical impact tool. The locking assembly 700 is shown to be releasably mounted on the adapter 600 in Figure 13, but can be releasably mounted on another adapter, such as the adapter 300 in Figures 4 to 8 or another adapter.

[0057] The locking assembly 700 is configured to move between a locking configuration in which the locking assembly 700 is releasably mounted to the adapter 600 (or another adapter) and a dislocking configuration in which the locking assembly 700 is non-releasably mounted to the adapter 600 (or any other adapter). Figures 14–17 show the locking assembly 700 in the dislocking configuration, and Figures 18–20 show the locking assembly 700 in the locking configuration and releasably mounted to the adapter 600 (the adapter 600 is not shown in Figures 18 and 19 in order to clearly show the locking assembly 700).

[0058] The locking assembly 500 shown in Figures 11 to 13 includes rotating locking claws 506 and 508 configured to rotate around the longitudinal axes 502A and 600A of the cavity 502 of the locking assembly and the adapter 600, respectively, facilitating the unlocking of the adapter 600 from the locking assembly 500 and thereby from a surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 500. The locking assembly 700 shown in Figures 14 to 20 includes pivoting locking claws 706 and 708 configured to pivot away from the longitudinal axis 702A of the cavity 702 of the locking assembly and away from the longitudinal axis 600A of the adapter 600, which is coaxial with the longitudinal axis 702A of the cavity, facilitating the unlocking of the adapter 600 from the locking assembly 700 and thereby from a surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 700.

[0059] The locking assembly 700 is biased into the locking configuration. The locking assembly 500 is configured to move into the locking configuration in response to the engagement of the locking assembly with the adapter 700. The engagement of the adapter 600 with the locking assembly 700 includes the adapter 600 moving longitudinally or translationally into the locking assembly 700. Thus, the adapter 600 is configured to move in one direction, for example, translationally rather than rotationally, in order to mount it onto the locking assembly 700. The disengagement of the adapter 600 from the locking assembly 700 includes the locking assembly 700 being rotated relative to the adapter 600, and then the adapter 600 being moved longitudinally or translationally relative to the locking assembly 700. Thus, the adapter 600 is configured to move in the same one direction in order to remove it from the locking assembly 700. The rotational motion required to allow the adapter 600 to be removed from the locking assembly 700 (and thus from the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 700) may help prevent the adapter 600 (and any surgical instruments attached thereto) from being removed from the surgical impact tool during impact, as the surgical impact tool provides a longitudinally directed force for impact that does not facilitate the rotational motion of the locking assembly 700. The locking assembly 700 needs to rotate relative to the adapter 600 before the adapter 600 is translated relative to the locking assembly 700 (and therefore relative to the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 700) so that it can be removed from the locking assembly 700 (and therefore from the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 700). This may help prevent the process of removing the adapter 600 (and any surgical instruments attached thereto) from the locking assembly 700 from starting until the user intentionally rotates the locking assembly 700, since the force for impact directed longitudinally by the surgical impact tool does not bias the rotational movement of the locking assembly 700.

[0060] The locking assembly 700 includes a cavity 702 configured to seat the rear portion of the adapter inside. The cavity 702 is located at the front end 700f of the locking assembly 700, and thus at the front end of the surgical impact tool containing the locking assembly 700. The cavity 702 is formed within the base 704 of the locking assembly 700. The front portion 704f of the base 704 has the cavity 702 formed inside so that the cavity 702 is accessible at the front end 700f of the locking assembly 700.

[0061] The rear end 704r of the base 704 is configured to be operably connected to a drive mechanism of a surgical impact tool, including a locking assembly 700, which provides the drive mechanism with longitudinally directed force to the base 704, enabling the impact of the surgical instrument attached to the adapter 600, which is attached to the locking mechanism 700. The drive mechanism can have various configurations as described above.

[0062] In this exemplary embodiment, the cavity 702 has a cubic shape, but it may have other shapes, such as a hemispherical shape, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, an irregular shape, etc. As described above, the square shape of the cavity 702 allows the locking assembly 700 to seat the adapter 600 within the cavity 702 in each of four predetermined angular directions relative to the locking assembly 700, but other shapes of the cavity 702 corresponding to (or not corresponding to) other predetermined angular directions are also possible. The dimensions and shape of the cavity 702 correspond to the dimensions and shape of the rear portion of the adapter 600, as shown in Figure 20 and further described below, allowing the rear portion of the adapter 600 to be seated and locked within the cavity 702.

[0063] The first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 are each configured to pivot with respect to the base 704 of the locking assembly 700, thereby locking the adapter 600 to a surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 700. The first claw portion 706 is attached to the base 704 at a first pivot point 710, for example, using a pivot pin or other mechanism, and is configured to rotate relative to the base 704 about the pivot pin or other mechanism. The second claw portion 708 is attached to the base 704 at a second pivot point 712, for example, using a pivot pin or other mechanism, and is configured to rotate relative to the base 704 about the pivot pin or other mechanism. The first pivot point 710 and the second pivot point 712 are located on opposite sides of the base 704. The first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 are configured to pivot simultaneously with respect to the base portion 704 at their respective pivot points 710 and 712.

[0064] The first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 are positioned relative to a cavity 702 formed in the base portion 704 so as to enable the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 to engage with the adapter 600 inserted into the cavity 702. The first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 face each other on either side of the cavity 702. The first claw portion 706 defines a first longitudinal axis 706A that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 702A defined by the cavity 702 when the locking assembly 700 is in the locking configuration (see Figure 20). The second claw portion 708 defines a second longitudinal axis 708A that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 702A defined by the cavity 702 when the locking assembly 700 is in the locking configuration (see Figure 20). Therefore, the first longitudinal axis 706A and the second longitudinal axis 708A are substantially parallel to each other when the locking assembly 700 is in the locking configuration. The locking assembly 700 moves between the unlocked configuration and the locking configuration, and when the locking assembly 700 is in the unlocked configuration, the first longitudinal axis 706A and the second longitudinal axis 708A are not substantially parallel to each other or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 702A defined by the cavity 702 (see Figure 17).

[0065] The first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 are biased into a locking configuration. The locking mechanism 700 includes a first biasing element 730 (see Figure 18) configured to bias the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 into a locking configuration. In this exemplary embodiment, the first biasing element 730 is an O-ring, but may include other biasing elements such as an elastomer band. The first claw portion 706 includes a groove 706g formed on its outward-facing surface, configured to seat the first biasing element 730 inside. The second claw portion 708 includes a groove 708g formed on its outward-facing surface, configured to seat the first biasing element 730 inside. The base portion 704 includes a groove 704g formed on its outward-facing surface, configured to seat the first biasing element 730 inside. The groove 704g extends circumferentially around the base 704 such that the first biasing element 730 surrounds the base 704.

[0066] The locking assembly 700 includes a first cam follower 732 and a second cam follower 734 configured to facilitate the pivoting of the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708. In this exemplary embodiment, the first cam follower 732 and the second cam follower 734 are ball bearing portions, but other cam followers are also possible. The first cam follower 732 is operably connected to the first claw portion 706, and the second cam follower 734 is operably connected to the second claw portion 708. The first claw portion 706 includes a cavity 706c configured to seat the first cam follower 732 within it. The cavity 706c of the first claw portion is formed on the outward-facing surface of the first claw portion 706. The second claw portion 708 includes a cavity 708c configured to seat the second cam follower 734 inside. The cavity 708c of the second claw portion is formed on the outward-facing surface of the second claw portion 708.

[0067] The locking assembly 700 includes a housing 714, which is a tubular member having an internal passage 722 extending through it. The cavity 702 formed within the base 704, the front portion 704f of the base 704, and the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 are located within the internal passage 722. The base 704 extends rearward from the housing 714, and the rear portion 704r of the base 704 is located outside and rearward of the housing 714.

[0068] The locking assembly 700 includes an end cap 720 that seats the front end of the base 704 inside, as shown in Figures 16-18 and 20. The end cap 720 is a tubular member having an internal passage 720i extending through it. The front end of the base 704 is located within the internal passage 720i. The end cap 720 is located within the housing 714, for example, within its internal passage 722, and is fixed to the housing 714.

[0069] The locking assembly 700 also includes a second biasing element 716 configured to bias the housing 714 in a first direction D3 (see Figure 19), where the first direction D3 is counterclockwise in this exemplary embodiment. The second biasing element 716 biases the housing 714 to the locking configuration of the locking assembly 700.

[0070] The housing 714 is operably connected to the collar 718 of the locking assembly 700. The collar 718 is operably connected to the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708. The collar 718 is fixed to the housing 714. The collar 718 may be formed integrally with the housing 714 or may be a separate element fixedly attached to the housing 714. The collar 718 is a tubular member having an internal passage 718i extending through it. The base 704 extends through the internal passage 718i of the collar.

[0071] The collar 718 includes a first, second, third, and fourth ridge 724, each extending radially inward (the fourth ridge is hidden in the figure). The base 704 includes a first stopper member 736 and a second stopper member 738, each extending radially outward and configured to interact with the first, second, third, and fourth ridges. The first and second stopper members 736 and 738 face each other about 180° apart around the circumference of the base 704. The first and second stopper members 736 and 738 are configured to stop the rotation of the collar 718 relative to the base 704. The position of the collar 718 relative to the base 704 affects the positions of the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 relative to the base 704, thereby affecting whether the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 are in a position to engage with the adapter 600, as will be further described below.

[0072] The first stopping member 736 is configured to interact with the first and second raised portions 724 and 726 located on either side of the first stopping member 736, and the second stopping member 738 is configured to interact with the third and fourth raised portions 728 and 738 located on either side of the second stopping member 738. The second raised portion 726 is configured to abut against the first side of the first stopping member 736, and the third raised portion 728 is configured to abut against the first side of the second stopping member 738 at the same time as the second raised portion 726 abuts against the first side of the first stopping member 736, thereby stopping the rotation of the collar 718 in the first direction D3, as shown in Figure 19. In this position, the collar 718, with the second protrusion 726 in contact with the first stop member 736 and the third protrusion 728 in contact with the second stop member 738, corresponds to a locking assembly 700 in a locking configuration. The first protrusion 724 is configured to abut the second opposite side of the first stop member 736, and the fourth protrusion is configured to abut the second side of the second stop member 738 at the same time as the first protrusion 724 abuts the second side of the first stop member 736, thereby stopping the rotation of the collar 718 in the second direction D4 opposite to the first direction D3, as shown in Figure 14. In this position, the collar 718 corresponds to the locking assembly 700 being in a unlocked configuration.

[0073] The collar 718 includes a first cam inclined portion 740 and a second cam inclined portion (hidden in the figure) configured to operably engage with the first cam follower 732 and the second cam follower 734, respectively. The first cam inclined portion 740 extends along the inner surface of the collar 718, and the second cam inclined portion extends along the inner surface of the collar 718 opposite to the first cam inclined portion 740. The first cam inclined portion 740 and the second cam inclined portion are configured to operably engage with the first cam follower 732 and the second cam follower 734, respectively, to facilitate the pivoting of the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 at their respective pivot points 710 and 712. With the locking assembly 700 in the unlocked configuration, the first cam inclined portion 740 engages with the first cam follower 732, pushing the first cam follower 732 radially inward into the cavity 706c of the first claw portion 706, thereby biasing the first claw portion 706 to pivot radially outward. The second cam inclined portion engages with the second cam follower 734, pushing the second cam follower 734 radially inward into the cavity 708c of the second claw portion 708, thereby biasing the second claw portion 708 to pivot radially outward. With the locking assembly 700 in the locking configuration, the first cam inclined portion 740 is not engaged with the first cam follower 732, thereby preventing the first cam follower 732 from being pushed radially inward into the cavity 706c of the first claw portion 706 so as not to pivot radially outward, and the second cam inclined portion is not engaged with the second cam follower 734, thereby preventing the second cam follower 734 from being pushed radially inward into the cavity 708c of the second claw portion 708 so as not to pivot radially outward.

[0074] The locking assembly 700 is configured to automatically move into the locking configuration in response to the engagement of the locking assembly with the adapter 600. In a typical embodiment, the adapter 600, which is moved into the cavity 702 along the longitudinal axis 702A defined by the cavity 702, is configured to automatically move the locking assembly 700 into the locking configuration. The adapter 600 can be moved into the cavity 702 by moving the adapter 600 backward relative to the locking assembly 700, by moving the locking assembly 700 forward relative to the adapter 600, or by both moving the adapter 600 backward relative to the locking assembly 700 and moving the locking assembly 700 forward relative to the adapter 600.

[0075] As shown in Figures 17 and 20, the head 706h of the first claw portion 706 is positioned forward, the head 708h of the second claw portion 708 is positioned forward, the first pivot point 710 of the first claw portion 706 is positioned rearward, and the second pivot point 712 of the second claw portion 708 is positioned rearward. The heads 706h and 708h of the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 each include inclined surfaces 706s and 708s that are inclined radially inward toward the rearward direction. The inclined claw surfaces 706s and 708s face each other. A gap 744 is defined between the inclined claw surfaces 706s and 708s. With the locking assembly 700 in the locking configuration, the minimum width of the gap 744 is less than the width of the cavity 702 behind the claws 706 and 708, and less than the width of the rear portion of the adapter 600 inserted into the cavity 702.

[0076] With the locking assembly 700 in its default locking configuration, the adapter 600 moving into the cavity 702 encounters the inclined claw surfaces 706s, 708s of the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 before being seated and locked inside. As the adapter 600 moves longitudinally into the cavity 702, the adapter 600 engages with the first inclined claw surface 706s and the second inclined claw surface 708s. Since the adapter 600 is wider than the gap 744 when the locking assembly 700 is in the locking configuration, and the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 are movably mounted to the base 704 having a cavity 702 formed therein, the adapter 600 can move rearward through the gap 744 by slidingly engaging with the inclined claw surfaces 706s, 708s, thereby pivoting the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 at their respective pivot points 710, 712, thereby widening the gap 744. Thus, the adapter 600 can move longitudinally into the cavity 702 until the rearward-facing surface of the adapter 600 abuts against the frontward-facing surface of the base 604 that defines the rear end of the cavity 702.

[0077] As described above, the reduced diameter portion 602 of the adapter 600 has a diameter 602d that is smaller than the diameter 604d of portion 604 of the adapter 600 behind the reduced diameter portion 602, and smaller than the diameter 606d of portion 606 of the adapter 600 in front of the reduced diameter portion 602. The diameter 604d of portion 604 of the adapter 600 behind the reduced diameter portion 602 is moved backward through the inclined claw surfaces 706s, 708s, and the first claw head 706h and the second claw head 708h. When the reduced diameter portion 602 of the adapter 600 is axially aligned with the first claw head 706h and the second claw head 708h, the first claw 706 and the second claw 708 are no longer biased outward by the adapter 600, but are able to pivot freely inward toward their initial default positions so as to be biased by the first biasing element 730. Therefore, the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708 are seated within the reduced diameter portion 602, as shown in Figure 20. The first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708, seated within the reduced diameter portion 602 of the adapter 600, prevent the adapter 600 from moving longitudinally relative to the locking assembly 700 (and therefore relative to the surgical impact tool including the locking assembly 700).

[0078] As described above, the locking assembly 700 is configured to move from a locked configuration to a unlocked configuration. In a typical embodiment, the housing 714 of the locking assembly 700 is rotated relative to the adapter 600 and base 704 about the longitudinal axis 702A defined by the cavity 702 (and therefore about the longitudinal axis 600A of the coaxial adapter), which moves the locking assembly 700 from a locked configuration to an unlocked configuration, and then moves the adapter 600 longitudinally along the longitudinal axis 702A defined by the cavity 702 (and therefore about the longitudinal axis 600A of the coaxial adapter). The adapter 600 can be moved out of the cavity 702 by moving the adapter 600 forward relative to the locking assembly 700, by moving the locking assembly 700 backward relative to the adapter 600, or by both moving the adapter 600 forward relative to the locking assembly 700 and moving the locking assembly 700 backward relative to the adapter 600.

[0079] With the locking assembly 700 in the locked position so as to be releasably attached to the adapter 600, the housing 714 is rotated in a second direction D4 opposite to the first direction D3 in which the housing 714 is biased, as shown in Figure 14. The rotation of the housing 714 in the second direction D4 also rotates the collar 718 fixedly attached thereto in the second direction D4, which is clockwise in this exemplary embodiment. The rotation of the collar 718 rotates the first, second, third, and fourth protrusions of the collar 718. The rotation of the first, second, third, and fourth protrusions in the second direction D4 causes the second protrusion 726 to move, releasing contact with the first stop member 736, the third protrusion 728 to move, releasing contact with the second stop member 738, causing the first cam follower 732 to begin sliding along the first cam inclined portion 740, pushing the first cam follower 732 into the cavity 706c of the first claw, and causing the second cam follower 734 to begin sliding along the second cam inclined portion, pushing the second cam follower 734 into the cavity 708c of the second claw. Consequently, the first claw 706 and the second claw 708 begin pivoting at their respective pivot points 710 and 712. As the collar 718 continues to rotate in the second direction D4, as shown in Figure 14, the first protrusion 724 comes into contact with the first stop member 736, the fourth protrusion comes into contact with the second stop member 738, the first cam follower 732 continues to slide along the first cam inclined portion 740, pushing the first cam follower 732 into the cavity 706c of the first claw, and the second cam follower 734 continues to slide along the second cam inclined portion, pushing the second cam follower 734 into the cavity 708c of the second claw. The first protrusion 724 that abuts against the first stop member 736 and the fourth protrusion that abuts against the second stop member 738 stop the collar 718 from rotating, thereby stopping the first cam follower 732 and the second cam follower 734 from being pushed into their respective cavities 706c and 708c, and thus stopping the pivot of the first claw portion 706 and the second claw portion 708. As a result, the gap 744 between the first claw 706 and the second claw 708 increases, as shown in Figure 17.The diameter 604d of the adapter portion 604 behind the reduced diameter portion 602 can pass through the gap 744 here, so the widened gap 744 allows the adapter 600 to move longitudinally out of the cavity 702.

[0080] After the adapter 600 is removed from the cavity 702, the housing 714 can be released, thereby allowing the housing 714 and collar 718 to rotate in a first direction D3 under the force of the biasing element 716, returning the locking assembly 700 to its initial configuration. The housing 714 may be manually moved in the first direction D3 to assist the rotational movement of the housing and the collar, or the housing 714 and collar 718 may be allowed to move completely in the first direction D3 under the force provided by the biasing element 716.

[0081] As shown in Figures 16, 17, and 20, the base 704 includes a blind hole 746 communicating with the rear of the cavity 702. A third biasing element (not shown) may be located within the blind hole 746, similar to those described above with respect to the blind hole 532 in Figure 13. If the third biasing element is not present, the locking assembly 700 may omit the blind hole 746.

[0082] This disclosure is described above for illustrative purposes only, within the context of the entire disclosure provided herein. It will be understood that modifications may be made to the intent and scope of the claims without departing from the overall scope of this disclosure.

[0083] [Implementation Method] (1) A surgical tool, An adapter configured to connect to a surgical instrument designed to deliver an impact to bone, A locking assembly configured to be releasably attached to the adapter, The locking assembly has a locking configuration that is releasably attached to the adapter, The locking assembly has a release mechanism that is not releasably attached to the adapter, The locking assembly includes a cavity configured in the locking configuration such that a part of the adapter is seated inside it. The locking assembly is configured to move from the unlocked configuration to the locking configuration in response to the adapter moving into the cavity substantially along the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity, A surgical tool comprising a locking assembly, wherein the locking assembly is configured to move from a locking configuration to a dislocking configuration in response to the housing of the locking assembly being rotated about the longitudinal axis, and the adapter being moved out of the cavity substantially along the longitudinal axis. (2) The tool according to Embodiment 1, wherein the locking assembly comprises a first claw portion defining a first longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity when the locking assembly is in the unlocked configuration, and a second claw portion defining a second longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity when the locking assembly is in the unlocked configuration. (3) The tool according to Embodiment 1, wherein the locking assembly comprises a base having the cavity formed inside, a first claw portion pivotably connected to the base at a first pivot point, and a second claw portion pivotably connected to the base at a second pivot point. (4) The locking assembly is configured to move from the unlocking configuration to the locking configuration, The tool according to Embodiment 3, wherein the adapter is moved into the cavity substantially along the longitudinal axis, thereby pivoting the first claw portion at a first pivot point and the second claw portion at a second pivot point. (5) The locking assembly is configured to move from the locking configuration to the unlocking configuration, The housing is rotated about the longitudinal axis, thereby causing the housing to rotate relative to the base. The tool according to Embodiment 4, further comprising the adapter being moved out of the cavity substantially along the longitudinal axis, thereby pivoting the first claw portion at a first pivot point and the second claw portion at a second pivot point.

[0084] (6) The locking assembly is configured to move from the locking configuration to the unlocking configuration, The housing is rotated about the longitudinal axis, thereby rotating the housing relative to the base, causing the first claw portion to pivot at the first pivot point and the second claw portion to pivot at the second pivot point. The tool according to Embodiment 4, further comprising the adapter being moved out of the cavity substantially along the longitudinal axis. (7) The tool according to Embodiment 3, wherein the locking assembly comprises a biasing element that biases the housing to a position corresponding to the locking release configuration of the locking assembly. (8) The locking assembly comprises a first biasing element that biases the housing to a position corresponding to the locking configuration of the locking assembly, The tool according to embodiment 3, wherein the locking assembly comprises a second biasing element that biases the first claw portion and the second claw portion to positions corresponding to the locking configuration of the locking assembly. (9) The tool according to Embodiment 1, wherein the locking assembly comprises: a first claw portion defining a first longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity when the locking assembly is in the locking configuration; and a second claw portion defining a second longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity when the locking assembly is in the locking configuration. (10) The tool according to Embodiment 1, wherein the locking assembly is configured to move automatically from the unlocking configuration to the locking configuration without the adapter being rotated.

[0085] (11) The tool according to Embodiment 1, wherein the locking assembly is configured such that the adapter is seated in the cavity with respect to the locking assembly in each of a plurality of predetermined angular directions. (12) The tool according to embodiment 11, wherein the plurality of predetermined angular directions are each separated from each other by approximately 90 degrees. (13) The tool according to Embodiment 1, further comprising the surgical instruments. (14) A surgical impact tool including the locking assembly, With the surgical instrument operably connected to the locking assembly, the surgical impact tool is configured to drive the impact application of the surgical instrument. The tool according to Embodiment 1, wherein the direction of impact application is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity. (15) Surgical methods, The adapter is releasably attached to the locking assembly by moving the adapter into the cavity of the locking assembly substantially along the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity, A method comprising driving the impact of a surgical instrument on bone, wherein the surgical instrument is attached to the adapter and the direction of the impact is substantially along the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity.

[0086] (16) The method of embodiment 15, further comprising rotating the housing of the locking assembly about the longitudinal axis, and then moving the adapter out of the cavity substantially along the longitudinal axis to remove the adapter from the locking assembly. (17) The locking assembly comprises a housing, a first claw portion, and a second claw portion, The method according to embodiment 15, wherein the adapter is moved into the cavity, thereby pivoting the first claw portion and the second claw portion relative to the housing. (18) The method of embodiment 17, further comprising moving the adapter into the cavity, then rotating the housing about the longitudinal axis, thereby pivoting the first claw portion and the second claw portion relative to the housing and the adapter. (19) The method according to embodiment 15, wherein the adapter is releasably mounted to the locking assembly without the adapter being rotated. (20) The method according to embodiment 15, wherein the surgical instrument includes a chisel or a broach.

Claims

1. It is a surgical tool, An adapter configured to connect to a surgical instrument designed to deliver an impact to bone, A locking assembly configured to be releasably attached to the adapter, The locking assembly is configured to have a locking configuration in which the locking assembly locks the adapter, and a release configuration in which the locking assembly does not lock the adapter. The locking assembly includes a cavity configured in the locking configuration such that a part of the adapter is seated inside it. The locking assembly is configured to move from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration in response to the adapter moving into the cavity along the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity, The locking assembly comprises a locking assembly configured such that the housing of the locking assembly is rotated about the longitudinal axis, and the adapter then moves from the locking configuration to the unlocking configuration in response to the adapter moving out of the cavity along the longitudinal axis, A surgical tool comprising: a locking assembly having a first claw portion that defines a first longitudinal axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity when the locking assembly is in the unlocked configuration; and a second claw portion that defines a second longitudinal axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity when the locking assembly is in the unlocked configuration.

2. A surgical tool, An adapter configured to connect to a surgical instrument designed to deliver an impact to bone, A locking assembly configured to be releasably attached to the adapter, The locking assembly is configured to have a locking configuration in which the locking assembly locks the adapter, and a release configuration in which the locking assembly does not lock the adapter. The locking assembly includes a cavity configured in the locking configuration such that a part of the adapter is seated inside it. The locking assembly is configured to move from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration in response to the adapter moving into the cavity along the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity, The locking assembly comprises a locking assembly configured such that the housing of the locking assembly is rotated about the longitudinal axis, and the adapter then moves from the locking configuration to the unlocking configuration in response to the adapter moving out of the cavity along the longitudinal axis, A surgical tool comprising: a base having a cavity formed inside; a first claw portion pivotably connected to the base at a first pivot point; and a second claw portion pivotably connected to the base at a second pivot point.

3. The locking assembly is configured to move from the unlocking configuration to the locking configuration, The surgical tool according to claim 2, comprising moving the adapter into the cavity along the longitudinal axis, thereby pivoting the first claw portion at a first pivot point and the second claw portion at a second pivot point.

4. The locking assembly is configured to move from the locking configuration to the unlocking configuration, The housing is rotated about the longitudinal axis, thereby causing the housing to rotate relative to the base. The surgical tool according to claim 3, further comprising: moving the adapter out of the cavity along the longitudinal axis, thereby pivoting the first claw portion at a first pivot point and the second claw portion at a second pivot point.

5. The locking assembly is configured to move from the locking configuration to the unlocking configuration, The housing is rotated about the longitudinal axis, thereby rotating the housing relative to the base, causing the first claw portion to pivot at the first pivot point and the second claw portion to pivot at the second pivot point. The surgical tool according to claim 3, further comprising the adapter being moved out of the cavity along the longitudinal axis.

6. The surgical tool according to claim 2, wherein the locking assembly comprises a biasing element that biases the housing at a position corresponding to the locking release configuration of the locking assembly.

7. The locking assembly comprises a first biasing element that biases the housing to a position corresponding to the locking configuration of the locking assembly, The surgical tool according to claim 2, wherein the locking assembly comprises a second biasing element that biases the first claw portion and the second claw portion to positions corresponding to the locking configuration of the locking assembly.

8. A surgical tool, An adapter configured to connect to a surgical instrument designed to deliver an impact to bone, A locking assembly configured to be releasably attached to the adapter, The locking assembly is configured to have a locking configuration in which the locking assembly locks the adapter, and a release configuration in which the locking assembly does not lock the adapter. The locking assembly includes a cavity configured in the locking configuration such that a part of the adapter is seated inside it. The locking assembly is configured to move from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration in response to the adapter moving into the cavity along the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity, The locking assembly comprises a locking assembly configured such that the housing of the locking assembly is rotated about the longitudinal axis, and the adapter then moves from the locking configuration to the unlocking configuration in response to the adapter moving out of the cavity along the longitudinal axis, A surgical tool comprising: a locking assembly having a first claw portion that defines a first longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity when the locking assembly is in the locking configuration; and a second claw portion that defines a second longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity when the locking assembly is in the locking configuration.

9. The surgical tool according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the locking assembly is configured to automatically move from the unlocking configuration to the locking configuration without the adapter being rotated.

10. The surgical tool according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the locking assembly is configured such that the adapter is seated in the cavity with respect to the locking assembly in each of a plurality of predetermined angular directions.

11. The surgical tool according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of predetermined angular directions are each separated by 90 degrees from one another.

12. A surgical tool according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising the aforementioned surgical instrument.

13. The surgical impact tool includes the locking assembly, With the surgical instrument operably connected to the locking assembly, the surgical impact tool is configured to drive the impact application of the surgical instrument. The surgical tool according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the direction of impact application is along the longitudinal axis defined by the cavity.

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