Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
93 words
A device for medical use comprising a ring, a plurality of Ushaped members each having a bight portion and two legs, the outer ends of the legs pivoted to said ring, said U-shaped members disposed side by side and pivotable between a closed position radially inwardly extending from said ring substantially in the plane of the latter, and an open position inclined to said plane with all of said U-shaped members forming a substantially tubular member and spring means acting on said U-shaped members to urge the same into one of said positions.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
93 words
A device for medical use comprising a ring, a plurality of Ushaped members each having a bight portion and two legs, the outer ends of the legs pivoted to said ring, said U-shaped members disposed side by side and pivotable between a closed position radially inwardly extending from said ring substantially in the plane of the latter, and an open position inclined to said plane with all of said U-shaped members forming a substantially tubular member and spring means acting on said U-shaped members to urge the same into one of said positions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
51 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said spring members are carried by said U-shaped members and exert a force in the plane of said U-shaped members and transverse to said legs to bring said U-shaped members closer to one another and, consequently, urge said U-shaped members into closing position.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
61 words
A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said spring means include as many individual V-shaped springs as there are U-shaped members, each defining an apex and two limbs, the ends of the limbs attached to one leg of two adjacent U-shaped members, the limbs of said V-shaped spring members being stressed away from each other from their normal unstressed positiOn.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a leg of at least one adjacent U-shaped member is pivoted to said ring intermediate the two legs of any given U-shaped member, so that all the U-shaped members overlap one another.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein in the closed position of said U-shaped members, the bight portions of said U-shaped members overlap one another so as to form a continuous edge portion at the radially inner end of said closed U-shaped members.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
72 words
A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein each U-shaped member and each spring is made of spring wire and one leg of each U-shaped members is formed into a loop intermediate its ends, the ends of the V-shaped spring members being bent and engaging said loops, the V-shaped spring members extending in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the U-shaped members with the apex away from said base ring.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
126 words
A device as claimed in claim 2, further including means to open said U-shaped members substantially simultaneously, said means comprising a fulcrum ring of smaller diameter than said base ring, connector means between said fulcrum ring and said base ring, affording a lost movement linkage between said two rings, said connector means maintaining said fulcrum ring substantially coaxial with said base ring and in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said base ring and on the same side of said U-shaped member, and handle means rigid with said connector means to pivot said connector means about said base ring and force said fulcrum ring through said base ring to cause simultaneous pivotal movement of said U-shaped members against the action of said spring members.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
77 words
A device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said connector means consists of elongated loops surrounding the two rings and radially directed, said elongated loops in the closed position of said U-shaped members acting as a stop against further separation of said two rings and maintaining said rings against the back of said U-shaped members to form a stop to prevent opening pivoting movement of said U-shaped members in a direction opposite to their normal opening movement.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
79 words
A device as claimed in claim 8, wherein in the open position of said U-shaped members said fulcrum ring is axially spaced from said base ring and is sufficiently closed to the points of connections of said spring members to said U-shaped members, so that the spring action of said spring members is unsufficient to overcome the friction between said fulcrum ring and said U-shaped members, whereby said U-shaped members are maintained in open position by said fulcrum ring.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
63 words
A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein each leg of each U-shaped member forms a shoulder close to its pivotal connection to said base ring engageable by said fulcrum ring in the open position of said U-shaped members to maintain said fulcrum ring in substantially a plane parallel to said base ring and thereby to obtain uniform opening of said U-shaped members.