System, apparatus, and method for cutting bone during an orthopaedic surgical procedure

1. A method for cutting a bone of a patient using a bone saw tool, the method comprising:

determining a cutting region within a coordinate system defined by a computer assisted orthopaedic surgery system, the cutting region corresponding to a region of the bone to be cut;

determining the position of a bone saw blade of the bone saw tool in the coordinate system; and

activating a bone saw blade guard of the bone saw tool to reduce the cutting effectiveness of the bone saw blade when the bone saw blade is outside the cutting region, wherein activating the bone saw blade guard comprises extending a plurality of slats beyond a plurality of cutting teeth of the bone saw blade, the plurality of slats being coplanar with the bone saw blade in a direction of movement of the bone saw blade.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the bone saw blade guard comprises covering at least a portion of the cutting teeth of the bone saw blade with the bone saw blade guard.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the bone saw blade guard comprises moving the bone saw blade guard in a direction substantially parallel to the bone saw blade of the bone saw tool.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reducing the movement of the bone saw blade when the bone saw blade is outside the cutting region.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein each slat of the plurality of slats is positioned in a slot defined in the bone saw blade between two of the plurality of cutting teeth of the bone saw blade.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the bone saw blade guard comprises extending a rod positioned in an inner passageway defined in the bone saw blade.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the bone saw blade guard comprises reducing the depth at which the bone saw blade can cut.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the bone saw blade guard comprises:

(i) extending a first bumper confronting a first side of the bone saw blade to an extended position, and

(ii) extending a second bumper confronting a second side of the bone saw blade to an extended position, wherein the bone saw blade periodically contacts the first bumper and the second bumper during operation when the first bumper and second bumper are in the extended positions.

9. A method for cutting a bone of a patient using a bone saw tool, the method comprising:

determining a cutting region within a coordinate system defined by a computer assisted orthopaedic surgery system, the cutting region corresponding to a region of the bone to be cut;

determining the position of the bone saw tool in the coordinate system; and

reducing the cutting effectiveness of a bone saw blade assembly of the bone saw tool by altering a thickness of the bone saw blade assembly when the bone saw tool is outside the cutting region.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein reducing the cutting effectiveness of the bone saw blade assembly comprises activating a bone saw blade guard.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein activating a bone saw blade guard comprises extending a plurality of slats positioned in slots between respective pairs of cutting teeth of the bone saw blade assembly, such that the plurality of slats extend beyond the cutting teeth of the bone saw blade.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein reducing the cutting effectiveness of the bone saw blade assembly comprises reducing the depth to which the bone saw blade assembly is able to penetrate the bone of the patient.

13. A method for cutting a bone of a patient using a bone saw tool, the method comprising:

determining a cutting region within a coordinate system defined by a computer assisted orthopaedic surgery system, the cutting region corresponding to a region of the bone to be cut;

determining the position of a bone saw blade of the bone saw tool in the coordinate system; and

reducing the cutting effectiveness of the bone saw blade when the bone saw blade is outside the cutting region by extending a plurality of slats beyond a plurality of cutting teeth of the bone saw blade, wherein each slat of the plurality of slats is positioned in a slot between two of the plurality of cutting teeth.