Sharps blade ejector mechanism
A sharps blade ejector mechanism for safely removing used sharps blade from various surgical instrument handles without the need for using additional blade remover devices, needle holder instruments, or physical contact with the sharps blade is disclosed. The sharps blade ejector mechanism comprises a specifically configured handle in coordination with a molded sharps blade unit. The handle may be illuminated. The sharps blade may be a scalpel blade, a needle, a probe, a dissector, an elevator, a saw blade, a retractor or a hook.
1 . A sharps blade ejector mechanism comprising:
a handle, the handle defined by a surface, the surface defining a cavity, the handle comprising a proximal end; and
a sharps blade unit, the sharps blade unit comprising a sharps blade in permanent attachment to the sharps blade unit,
wherein the handle comprises:
an upper engagement portion and a lower engagement portion disposed on opposing sides of an interior of the surface, wherein the upper engagement portion and the lower engagement portion extend along the interior of the surface from the proximal end of the handle to a position X distal from the proximal end of the handle, wherein the ends of the upper engagement portion and a lower engagement portion at position X each form a ledge vertical to the longitudinal axis of the handle;
an upper release hole and a lower release hole disposed on opposing sides of the interior of the surface that extend through the surface of the handle to the exterior environment, wherein the upper release hole and the lower release hole each extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle beginning at position X to position X distal from the proximal end of the handle;
an upper engagement release arm and a lower engagement release arm disposed on opposing sides of the interior of the surface, wherein the upper engagement release arm and lower engagement release arm extend along the inside of the surface from position X to a point distal from the proximal end of the handle, wherein the upper engagement release arm comprises an upper release button and the lower engagement release arm comprises a lower release button, wherein the upper release button is insertable through the upper release hole and the lower release button is insertable through the lower release hole, wherein the upper engagement release arm comprises an upper engagement release angled face and the lower engagement release arm comprises a lower engagement release angled face;
a first side passage and a second side passage on opposite sides of the interior of the surface disposed at a ninety-degree angle to each of the upper engagement portion and the lower engagement portion; and
a surface disposed in the cavity of the handle distal from position X and the proximal end of the handle to which and end of each of one or more springs are attached along a longitudinal axis of the handle,
wherein the sharps blade unit comprises:
a sharps blade in permanent attachment to an end unit;
a central arm that extends perpendicularly from one side of the end unit along the longitudinal axis of the sharps blade unit; and
an upper arm and a lower arm, each of which extends perpendicularly from the same side of the end unit as the central arm along the longitudinal axis of the sharps blade unit and parallel to the central arm, wherein the upper arm comprises an upper arm shoulder and the lower arm comprises a lower arm shoulder, wherein each of the upper arm shoulder and the lower arm shoulder extends in a direction opposite from the central arm, wherein an end of the upper arm distal from the end unit comprises an upper arm angled face that extends in a direction opposite to the central arm and an end of the lower arm distal from the end unit comprises a lower arm angled face that extends in a direction opposite to the central arm,
wherein the central arm of the sharps blade unit releasably mates within the first side portion and the second side portion of the handle,
wherein the upper arm of the sharps blade unit and the lower arm of the sharps blade unit each releasably extend inside the cavity of the handle whereupon the upper arm shoulder of the upper arm of the sharps blade unit and the lower arm shoulder of the lower arm of the sharps blade unit causing each of the upper arm of the sharps blade unit and the lower arm of the sharps blade unit to flex downwardly inside the cavity of the handle, wherein the upper arm shoulder of the upper arm of the sharps blade unit and the lower arm shoulder of the lower arm of the sharps blade unit extend beyond position X and thereupon flex upwardly inside the cavity whereupon the upper arm shoulder of the upper arm of the sharps blade unit and the lower arm shoulder of the lower arm of the sharps blade unit engage with the ledges formed by each of the upper engagement portion and a lower engagement portion,
wherein the central arm engages with the one or more springs, displacing the one or more springs from equilibrium and creating a spring force in each of the one or more springs.
2 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the sharps blade of the sharps blade unit comprises a scalpel blade, a needle, a probe, a dissector, an elevator, a saw blade, a retractor or a hook.
3 . A method of attaching and ejecting a sharps blade to a handle comprising:
inserting the sharps blade unit of claim 1 into the handle of claim 1 ; and thereafter
ejecting the sharps blade unit of claim 1 from the handle of claim 1 ,
where ejecting the sharps blade unit from the handle comprises:
pressing downward on the upper release button and the lower release button of the handle until the upper arm of the sharps blade unit and the lower arm of the sharps blade unit disengage with the ledges of the upper engagement portion and a lower engagement portion of the handle,
whereupon the spring force in each of the one or more springs is released,
whereupon the sharps blade unit ejects from the cavity of the handle without contact with a user's hands.
4 . The method of attaching and ejecting a sharps blade of claim 3 , wherein the sharps blade of the sharps blade unit comprises a scalpel blade, a needle, a probe, a dissector, an elevator, a saw blade, a retractor or a hook.
5 . The method of attaching and ejecting a sharps blade of claim 3 , wherein the handle comprises illumination.
6 . The method of attaching and ejecting a sharps blade of claim 3 , wherein the sharps blade unit is ejected directly from the handle into a sharps blade disposable receptacle.
7 . A sharps blade ejector mechanism comprising:
a hollow handle, the hollow handle comprising a surface defining a handle cavity and having an upper cavity hole and a lower cavity hole;
one or more internal housing units, at least one of the one or more internal housing units comprising:
an interior cavity comprising at least one end open to an exterior environment;
an upper engagement portion and a lower engagement portion disposed on opposing sides of the interior cavity;
a keyhole located at a second end of the internal housing unit open to the exterior environment; and
one or more springs disposed in the interior cavity in a longitudinal direction to the internal housing unit; and
a sharps blade unit comprising:
a sharps blade;
a central arm extending along the longitudinal axis of the sharps blade unit; and
an upper arm and a lower arm extending along the longitudinal axis of the sharps blade unit, wherein the upper arm extends above the central arm and the lower arm extends below the central arm, wherein the upper arm comprises an upper release button and the lower arm comprises a lower button;
wherein the one or more internal housing units are disposed into the handle cavity,
wherein the central arm, upper arm and lower arm of the sharps blade unit are disposed in the interior cavity of the one or more interior housing units through the keyhole until the central arm mates with one or more of the one or more springs, the upper arm release button mates with the upper cavity hole of the hollow handle and the lower arm release button mates with the and a lower cavity hole of the hollow handle.
8 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 7 , wherein one or more of the sharps blade unit, the hollow handle and the one or more interior housing units are light transmissible.
9 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 7 , wherein one or more of an illumination source, electronic circuitry and power source are disposed into the interior cavity at the distal end through one of the one or more interior housing units.
10 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 9 , wherein the electronic circuitry is in communication with one or more illumination source, wherein the electronic circuitry is programmed to permit the one or more illumination source to cycle through different wavelengths and colors of light.
11 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 10 , wherein the light comprises red light at approximately 630-700 nm wavelength, blue light at approximately 400-470 nm wavelength, green light at approximately 470-550 nm wavelength, or white light at approximately 400-700 nm wavelength.
12 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 11 , wherein the illumination source is powered by one or more batteries.
13 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 12 , wherein the one or more batteries are rechargeable.
14 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 9 , wherein the electronic circuitry is programmed to communicate to a computer server via wireless technology.
15 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 9 , wherein the cavity of the handle comprises circuitry to record video or take photographs.
16 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 7 , wherein the sharps blade unit is disposable.
17 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 7 , wherein the sharps blade unit is reusable.
18 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 7 , further comprising a removable sharps blade guard covering the sharps blade.
19 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 7 , wherein the hollow handle is reusable.
20 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 7 , wherein the hollow handle comprises stainless steel, aluminum, plastic or combinations thereof.
21 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 7 , wherein the sharps blade unit comprises stainless steel, aluminum, plastic or combinations thereof.
22 . The sharps blade ejector mechanism of claim 7 , wherein the sharps blade of the sharps blade unit comprises a scalpel blade, a needle, a probe, a dissector, an elevator, a saw blade, a retractor or a hook.
23 . A method of attaching and ejecting a sharps blade to a handle comprising:
inserting the sharps blade unit of claim 7 into the one or more interior housing units of claim 7 ;
inserting the one or more interior housing units of claim 7 into the hollow handle of claim 7 ; and thereafter ejecting the sharps blade unit from the hollow handle of claim 7 ,
where ejecting the sharps blade unit from the hollow handle comprises:
pressing downward on the upper release button and the lower release button of the hollow handle until the upper arm of the sharps blade unit and the lower arm of the sharps blade unit disengage with the upper engagement portion and the lower engagement portion of the interior housing unit,
whereupon the spring force in each of the one or more springs is released,
whereupon the sharps blade unit ejects from the cavity of the hollow handle without contact with a user's hands.