Knuckle joint assembly for medical device support system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11730563-B2
Application number	US-202218063749-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2022
Priority date	Jan 31, 2019
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

Knuckle joint assembly for a medical device support system. The knuckle joint assembly includes a cartridge assembly that includes a cartridge housing and a rotary bearing. The cartridge housing includes a bore having a central axis and a bearing mount in the bore. The rotary bearing is press fitted in the bearing mount and configured to receive axially therethrough a spindle to rotatably support the spindle about the central axis. The knuckle joint assembly includes a retaining clip and a retaining pin. The retaining clip is selectively movable to disengage and engage a groove in a spindle to respectively support or release the spindle along a central axis. The retaining pin is movable between a first position to allow movement of the retaining clip between positions but prevent removal of the retaining clip, and a second position to block movement of the retaining clip from the engaged position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A knuckle joint assembly for a medical device support system, comprising:
a knuckle joint housing including a rotary bearing having a central axis and configured to receive axially therethrough a spindle to rotatably support the spindle about the central axis;
a retaining clip selectively movable between a disengaged position in which the retaining clip is disengaged from a groove in a spindle to allow movement of the spindle along the central axis, and an engaged position in which the retaining clip slidably engages the groove in the spindle to support the spindle in an axial position along the central axis; and,
a retaining pin movable between a first position in which the retaining pin allows movement of the retaining clip between the disengaged position and the engaged position but prevents removal of the retaining clip from the knuckle joint assembly, and a second position in which the retaining pin blocks movement of the retaining clip from the engaged position.

2. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retaining clip is supported by an upper surface of the knuckle joint housing.

3. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retaining clip is movable in a first direction radially toward the central axis to slidably engage a groove in a spindle, and in a second direction radially away from the central axis to disengage the groove in the spindle.

4. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retaining clip is supported by a radially protruding slot in an upper portion of the knuckle joint housing.

5. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 4 , wherein the radially protruding slot includes an axially supporting lower surface and laterally opposite upper guide surfaces that form respective laterally opposite gaps, wherein the heights of the gaps are greater than the height of the retaining clip to provide a slidable fit for the retaining clip.

6. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 4 , wherein the radially protruding slot includes laterally opposite side guide surfaces that form a gap, the width of which is slightly greater than the width of the retaining clip to provide a slidable fit for the retaining clip.

7. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retaining pin has a pin axis and a minor OD and a major OD at different positions along the pin axis that correspond respectively to the first position and second position.

8. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retaining pin is mounted within a hole in the knuckle joint housing for reciprocable movement between the first position and the second position.

9. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 8 , wherein the hole has a central axis that is parallel to the central axis of the rotary bearing.

10. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 8 , wherein the retaining pin is spring biased toward the second position.

11. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 8 , wherein the retaining pin is bound for reciprocable movement beyond the second position by a ledge inside the hole.

12. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 8 , wherein the retaining pin is bound for reciprocable movement beyond the first position by a set screw inside the hole.

13. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retaining clip has a slot into which the retaining pin projects, the slot having a relatively narrower width and a relatively larger width, and wherein the retaining clip is selectively movable based on the width of the slot and whether the retaining pin is in the first position or the second position.

14. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 13 , wherein the slot has a keyhole shape wherein a narrower portion of the keyhole corresponds to the narrower width of the slot and a round portion of the keyhole corresponds to the larger width of the slot.

15. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 13 , wherein the retaining pin in the first position has a width that is less than the narrower width slot so that the retaining pin slides within the slot as the retaining clip is moved between the disengaged position and the engaged position.

16. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 13 , wherein the retaining pin in the second position has a width that is greater than the narrower width slot so that the retaining pin is unable to slide from the larger width slot to the narrower width slot which blocks movement of the retaining clip from the engaged position.

17. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 13 , further comprising a retaining clip guide configured to restrain the retaining clip in two axes of motion including vertical motion and side to side motion so that the retaining clip moves along the direction of the slot.

18. The knuckle joint assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a knuckle joint housing cover connectable to the knuckle joint housing to cover the knuckle joint housing, wherein when the retaining clip is in a disengaged position the retaining clip blocks the cover from being connectable to the knuckle joint housing.

Assignees

• American Sterilizer Co

Inventors

• Moss Bernard John
• Bellows Lance Clark

Classifications

• A61B90/50 Primary

  Supports for surgical instruments, e.g. articulated arms · CPC title

• A61B90/35

  Supports therefor · CPC title

• F16M13/022

  repositionable · CPC title

• A61B34/71

  Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms · CPC title

• A61B2034/715

  Cable tensioning mechanisms for removing slack · CPC title