Ultrasonically vibrated cutting knives

Claim 1

AN ULTRASONICALLY VIBRATED SURGICAL KNIFE DESIGNED TO BE HELD IN THE HAND WHICH INCLUDES, A TUBULAR HANDPIECE, A MAGNETOSTRICTIVE TRANSDUCER INCLUDING A BIAS CURRENT WINDING SURROUNDING A MAGNETOSTRICTIVE VIBRATOR MEMBER CONTAINED WITHIN SAID TUBULAR HANDPIECE, AN AMPLITUDE MAGNIFYING ACOUSTICAL IMPEDANCE TRANSFORMER RIGIDLY FIXED TO ONE END OF SAID VIBRATOR MEMBER AND CONTAINED WITHIN SAID TUBULAR HANDPIECE, A CUTTING KNIFE HAVING A TAPERED NECK SECTION RIGIDLY SECURED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID IMPEDANCE TRANSFORMER AND A BLADE SECTION HAVING A CUTTING EDGE EXTENDING FROM SAID NECK SECTION AND BEYOND THE ADJACENT END OF SAID TUBULAR HANDPIECE, THE TAPERED NECK SECTION OF SAID CUTTING KNIFE HAVING A BASE AREA WHICH APPROXIMATELY CONFORMS TO THE END AREA OF THE IMPEDANCE TRANSFORMER TO WHICH IT IS RIGIDLY SECURED AND TAPERED SIDE FACES WHICH MERGE INTO THE SIDE FACES OF THE BLADE SECTION OF THE KNIFE, THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE NECK SECTION IN THE REGION OF ATTACHMENT TO SAID TRANSFORMER BEING A PLURALITY OF TIMES GREATER THAN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE BLADE SECTION, SAID MAGNETOSTRICTIVE VIBRATOR MEMBER, IMPEDANCE TRANSFORMER AND KNIFE FIXED THERETO HAVING A COMBINED LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO AN INTEGRAL MULTIPLE NUMBER OF HALF WAVELENGTHS AT THE FREQUENCY OF OPERATION OF THE BLADE SECTION OF THE KNIFE, SAID IMPEDANCE TRANSFORMER COMPRISING TWO SECTIONS OF SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT MASS WITH THE JUNCTION OF SAID SECTIONS LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY AT A NODAL AREA OF LONGITUDINAL VIBRATION OF SAID TRANSFORMER AND OPERATIVE TO INCREASE THE AMPLITUDE OF VIBRATION DELIVERED TO THE BLADE SECTION OF THE KNIFE, A RESILIENT SEALING ELEMENT LOCATED BETWEEN THE TRANSFORMER AND TUBULAR HANDPIECE AT THE APPROXIMATE NODAL AREA OF THE TRANSFORMER AND WHICH PROVIDES SUBSTANTIALLY THE SOLE DIRECT CONTACT SUPPORT FOR THE MAGNETOSTRICTIVE VIBRATOR, IMPEDANCE TRANSFORMER AND CUTTING KNIFE, A SEALING PLUG EXTENDING INTO SAID TUBULAR HANDPIECE AND SPACED FROM THE FREE END OF SAID MAGNETOSTRICTIVE VIBRATOR MEMBER AND FORMING WITH SAID SEALING ELEMENT COOLING CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, BIAS CURRENT CONDUCTORS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SEALING PLUG AND CONNECTED TO SAID WINDING, AND INLET AND OUTLET TUBES EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SEALING PLUG FOR SUPPLYING A COOLANT TO SAID CHAMBER AND WITHDRAWING COOLANT THEREFROM.