Quick release focusing handle for surgical lights

Claim 1

In a surgical light of the type in which a light source is contained within a housing in cooperable association with a focusing mechanism which includes a rotatable focusing shaft, said shaft extending from said housing, thereby to provide an exposed shaft portion with a distal shaft end, said exposed shaft portion constituting means for operating said focusing mechanism by selective alternative clockwise or counterclockwise rotation, the improvement which comprises: a drive post segment, including said distal end, in operable association with a handle element with an external contact surface configurated for grasping by a hand and a substantially hollow interior cavity with an entry at a first end of said handle element, said entry and cavity being configurated to receive and contain, respectively, said drive post segment, said handle element including: first coupling structure adapted to connect to second coupling structure associated with said drive post segment, one of said first or second coupling structure including finger actuatable release structure constituting means for disconnecting said first and second coupling structures to thereby disconnect said handle element from said drive post segment; an internal drive surface configurated to engage a corresponding reaction surface of said drive post segment, said drive and reaction surfaces cooperatively constituting means for transferring rotational movement of said handle element to said drive post segment; and a shield element circumscribing said entry between said contact surface and said release structure constituting means for isolating said release structure from a hand grasping said contact surface.