Surgical tray methods and apparatus

1. A surgical tray assembly comprising:

a tray defining a tray plane; and

an articulatable arm assembly coupled with the tray and the tray configured to be selectively held at a desired orientation by a locking mechanism coupled to the articulatable arm assembly,

wherein the articulatable arm assembly is configured and dimensioned to couple with a surgical console, and

wherein the articulatable arm assembly includes at least one frictional hinge comprising a tapered pin, a bushing in rotational frictional contact with the tapered pin, and an adjustment mechanism coupled with the tapered pin to provide adjustable contact force between the tapered pin and the bushing,

wherein the bushing comprises a lumen, wherein at least a portion of the lumen is tapered; and

wherein the articulatable arm assembly comprises a first arm having a first end and second end and a second arm having a first end and second end,

wherein the second end of the first arm is coupled with the first end of the second arm by a first interconnect, and the second end of the second arm is coupled with the tray by a second interconnect;

wherein the first interconnect and the second interconnect each comprise a frictional hinge;

wherein the first end of the first arm has a rotational axis; and

wherein the arm assembly allows the tray to be rotated greater than 180 degrees about the rotational axis of the first end of the first arm.

2. The surgical tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bushing comprises an acetal material.

3. The surgical tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tapered pin comprises stainless steel.

4. The surgical tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises an adjustable nut coupled with one end of the tapered pin.

5. The surgical tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bushing has a bevel angle of between 20 and 40 degrees.

6. The surgical tray assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a release mechanism coupled with the tray and the locking mechanism, wherein the release mechanism is configured to selectively activate and deactivate the locking mechanism, and wherein the release mechanism allows the tray to rotate substantially a full turn within the tray plane about a tray rotational axis.

7. The surgical tray assembly of claim 6 , wherein the locking mechanism comprises a locking gas spring.

8. The surgical tray assembly of claim 7 , wherein locking gas spring is coupled with the tray via a release cable that connects to the tray coaxially with respect to the tray rotational axis.

9. The surgical tray assembly of claim 8 , wherein tray includes tray release handle coupled with the release cable.

10. The surgical tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of the lumen that is tapered is linear.

11. A surgical tray console, comprising:

a console body;

a tray defining a tray plane;

an articulatable arm assembly coupled between the tray and the console body, wherein the tray is configured to be selectively held at a desired height by a locking mechanism coupled with the articulatable arm assembly;

a release mechanism coupled with the tray and the locking mechanism, wherein the release mechanism is configured to selectively activate and deactivate the locking mechanism, and wherein the release mechanism allows the tray to rotate substantially a full turn within the tray plane about a tray rotational axis; and

an actuatable latch mechanism coupled with the articulatable arm assembly and the tray, wherein the actuatable latch mechanism and the articulatable arm assembly are configured to allow the tray to be selectively moved to a stored position such that the tray plane is substantially orthogonal to a horizontal position;

wherein the articulatable arm assembly comprises a first arm having a first end and second end and a second arm having a first end and second end;

wherein the first end of the first arm is coupled with the console body, the second end of the first arm is coupled with the first end of the second arm by a first interconnect, and the second end of the second arm is coupled with the tray by a second interconnect;

wherein the first interconnect and the second interconnect each comprise a frictional hinge;

wherein at least one frictional hinge comprising a tapered pin, a bushing in rotational frictional contact with the tapered pin, and an adjustment mechanism coupled with the tapered pin to provide adjustable contact force between the tapered pin and the tapered bushing,

wherein the bushing comprises a lumen, wherein at least a portion of the lumen is tapered;

wherein the first end of the first arm has a rotational axis; and

wherein the arm assembly allows the tray to be rotated greater than 180 degrees about the rotational axis of the first end of the first arm.

12. The surgical tray console of claim 11 , wherein the locking mechanism comprises a locking gas spring, wherein the locking gas spring is coupled with the tray via a release cable that connects to the tray coaxially with respect to the tray rotational axis.

13. The surgical tray console of claim 11 , wherein, in the stored position, at least one of the tray and the outer arm is releasably secured to the console body.

14. The surgical tray console of claim 11 , wherein:

the articulatable arm assembly comprises an inner arm having a first end and a second end; and an outer arm having a first end and a second end, wherein the second end of the inner arm is coupled with the first end of the outer arm by a first interconnect, and the second end of the outer arm is coupled with the tray by a second interconnect;

wherein the first interconnect and the second interconnect each comprise a frictional hinge, and

wherein, in the stored position, the inner arm and the outer arm are adjacent and substantially parallel.

15. The surgical tray assembly of claim 11 , wherein the at least a portion of the lumen that is tapered is linear.

16. A surgical tray assembly comprising:

a tray defining a tray plane; and

an articulatable arm assembly coupled with the tray and the tray configured to be selectively held at a desired orientation by a locking mechanism coupled to the articulatable arm assembly,

wherein the articulatable arm assembly is configured and dimensioned to couple with a surgical console, and

wherein the articulatable arm assembly includes at least one frictional hinge comprising a tapered pin, a bushing in rotational frictional contact with the tapered pin, and an adjustment mechanism coupled with the tapered pin to provide adjustable contact force between the tapered pin and the bushing,

wherein the bushing comprises a lumen, wherein at least a portion of the lumen is tapered

wherein the articulatable arm assembly comprises:

an inner arm having a first end and a second end; and

an outer arm having a first end and a second end;

wherein the second end of the inner arm is coupled with the first end of the outer arm by a first interconnect, and the second end of the outer arm is coupled with the tray by a second interconnect,

wherein the first interconnect and the second interconnect each comprise a frictional hinge;

wherein the first interconnect has two degrees of freedom;

wherein the first end of the inner arm has a rotational axis; and

wherein the arm assembly allows the tray to be rotated greater than 180 degrees about the rotational axis of the first end of the inner arm.

17. The surgical tray assembly of claim 16 , wherein the locking mechanism is coupled between the first end and the second end of the outer arm.