Surgical instrument

Claim 2

In a surgical instrument including a body member housing a motor having a drive shaft and an interchangeable head member removably attached to said body member and housing a driven shaft for transmitting power from said motor to a surgical tool carried by said head member, the improvement wherein one of said head member and said body member includes a socket part having a longitudinal bore defined by a tubular wall, the inner face of said tubular wall having a recess, the other of said head member and body member including an insert complementally received within the longitudinal bore of said socket part and having a radial aperture in registry with the recess in said socket part, said drive and driven shafts including end parts coaxial relative to said socket and insert parts and interfitting in powertransmitting engagement upon insertion of said insert part into the longitudinal bore of said socket part, a locking element slidably disposed within said radial aperture and having an outermost position in which a portion of said element seats in the recess of said socket part, and means carried by said insert part for resiliently biasing said element into its said outermost position.

Claim 3

The instrument of claim 1 wherein the inner face of said tubular wall is cylindrical and said tubular wall has a longitudinal slot in its inner face which extends inwardly from the end of said socket part, and said insert part includes a lateral projection spaced longitudinally from said radial aperture and slidably fitting in said longitudinAl slot.

Claim 4

The instrument of claim 2 wherein said tubular wall has a plurality of projection-receiving longitudinal slots therein.

Claim 5

The instrument of claim 3 wherein said longitudinal slots are equally spaced apart and said insert part includes one or a plurality of lateral projections equally spaced apart and each slidably fitting within a longitudinal slot in said tubular wall.

Claim 6

The instrument of claim 1 wherein the recess of said socket part is a circumferential groove and said insert part has a plurality of radial apertures equally spaced apart and each receiving a locking element having a portion seating in said circumferential groove.

Claim 7

The instrument of claim 1 wherein said insert part has a circumferential groove in its end which communicates with said radial aperture therein, and said means biasing said locking element includes a resilient ring disposed within said groove and engaging said element.

Claim 8

The instrument of claim 1 wherein the end part of one of said drive and driven shafts has multiple side faces each having its forward margin beveled, and the end part of the other of said drive and driven shafts has an axial bore therein which interlockingly receives said first-mentioned shaft end part.

Claim 9

The instrument of claim 7 wherein said axial bore is interrupted by a plurality of equal spaced longitudinal V-shaped grooves each adapted to receive a corner edge between adjacent side faces of said first-mentioned shaft end part, said V-shaped grooves being of a number constituting a multiple of the number of said corner edges.

Claim 10

In a surgical instrument including a body member housing a motor having a drive shaft and an interchangeable head member removably attached to said body member and housing a driven shaft for transmitting power from said motor to a surgical tool carried by said head member, the improvement wherein one of said head member and said body member includes a socket part having a longitudinal bore defined by a tubular wall, the inner face of said tubular wall having a circumferential groove, the other of said head member and body member including an insert part complementally received within the longitudinal bore of said socket part and having a plurality of radial apertures equally spaced apart and each in registry with the groove in said socket part, each radial aperture receiving a locking element having a portion seating in said groove, means carried by said insert part for resiliently biasing each element portion into said groove, said tubular wall having a plurality of longitudinal slots in its inner face which extend inwardly from the end of said socket part and terminate forwardly of said groove, said longitudinal slots being equally spaced apart, said insert part having one or a plurality of lateral projections each spaced forwardly of and in substantial longitudinal alignment with a radial aperture and slidably fitting in a said longitudinal slot, and said drive and driven shafts interfitting in power-transmitting engagement upon insertion of said insert part into the longitudinal bore of said socket part.

Claim 11

In a surgical instrument including a body member housing a motor having a drive shaft and an interchangeable head member removably attached to said body member and housing a driven shaft for transmitting power from said motor to a surgical tool carried by said head member, the improvement wherein one of said head member and said body member includes a socket part having a longitudinal bore defined by a tubular wall, the inner face of said tubular wall having a circumferential groove, the other of said head member and body member including an insert part complementally received within the longitudinal bore of said socket part and having a plurality of radial apertures equally spaced apart and each in registry with the groove in said socket part, each radial aperture receiving a locking element having a portion seating in said groove, means carried by said insert part for resiliently biasing each element portion into said groove, said tubular wall having a plurality of longitudinal slots in its inner face which extend inwardly from the end of said socket part and terminate forwardly of said groove, said longitudinal slots being equally spaced apart, said insert part having one or a plurality of lateral projections each spaced forwardly of and in substantial longitudinal alignment with a radial aperture and slidably fitting in a said longitudinal slot, and said drive and driven shafts interfitting in power-transmitting engagement upon insertion of said insert part into the longitudinal bore of said socket part.

Claim 12

In a surgical instrument including a body member housing a motor having a drive shaft and an interchangeable head member removably attached to said body member and housing a driven shaft for transmitting power from said motor to a surgical tool carried by said head member, the improvement wherein one of said head member and said body member includes a socket part having a longitudinal bore defined by a tubular wall, the inner face of said tubular wall having a recess, the other of said head member and body member including an insert part complementally received within the longitudinal bore of said socket part and having a radial aperture in registry with the recess in said socket part, a locking element slidably disposed within said radial aperture and having an outermost position in which a portion of said element seats in the recess of said socket part, means carried by said insert part fOr resiliently biasing said element into its said outermost position, said insert part having a circumferential groove in its end which communicates with said radial aperture therein, said socket part including an inset end wall defining in part said longitudinal bore therein, said means biasing said element including a resilient ring disposed within said groove, said ring having a portion projecting beyond the end face of said insert part and engaging said inset end wall, and said drive and driven shafts interfitting in power-transmitting engagement upon insertion of said insert part into the longitudinal bore of said socket part.

Claim 13

In a surgical instrument including a body member housing a motor having a drive shaft and an interchangeable head member removably attached to said body member and housing a driven shaft for transmitting power from said motor to a surgical tool carried by said head member, the improvement wherein one of said head member and said body member includes a socket part having a longitudinal bore defined by a tubular wall, the inner face of said tubular wall having a recess, the other of said head member and body member including an insert part complementally received within the longitudinal bore of said socket part and having a radial aperture in registry with the recess in said socket part, a locking element slidably disposed within said radial aperture and having an outermost position in which a portion of said element seats in the recess of said socket part, means carried by said insert part fOr resiliently biasing said element into its said outermost position, said insert part having a circumferential groove in its end which communicates with said radial aperture therein, said socket part including an inset end wall defining in part said longitudinal bore therein, said means biasing said element including a resilient ring disposed within said groove, said ring having a portion projecting beyond the end face of said insert part and engaging said inset end wall, and said drive and driven shafts interfitting in power-transmitting engagement upon insertion of said insert part into the longitudinal bore of said socket part.