Electrosurgical handpiece for blades, needles and forceps

Claim 2

A handpiece for use with a current-generating unit and adapted to receive a plurality of different electrosurgical electrodes, comprising: (a) an elongated handle casing made of insulating material and having an axis; (b) a terminal located inside said handle casing; (c) an insulated lead extending from said handle casing and electrically connected to said terminal; (d) an elongated collet made of metal and having an axis, said collet being electrically connected to said terminal and mechanically coupled to said handle casing such that said collet axis is substantially parallel to said handle casing, and said collet having a central bore formed along a portion of said collet axis and extending from an endface, a slit extending along a plane through said collet axis, and a pair of axial bores extending from said endface and diametrically arranged with respect to said central bore; and (e) a sleeve made of insulating material and having a bore adapted to receive said collet, wherein the surface at one end of the bore of said sleeve has an inner diameter less than the outer diameter of said collet at said endface, said surface of said one end of the bore engaging an outer circumferential surface of said collet in the vicinity of said endface at a first axial position of said collet relative to said handle casing.

Claim 3

The handpiece as defined in claim 1, wherein said diametrically arranged axial bores are arranged on opposite sides of the gap formed by said slit and said central bore.

Claim 4

The handpiece as defined in claim 1, wherein said diametrically arranged axial bores are arranged along said slit.

Claim 5

The handpiece as defined in claim 1, further comprising a metal threaded member electrically connected to said terminal and rigidly supported by said handle casing, wherein said collet has a threaded bore for rotatably engaging said threaded member.

Claim 6

The handpiece as defined in claim 1, wherein the bore surface of said sleeve is substantially cylindrical and the outer surface of said collet in the area of said endface is radially outwardly tapered, said surfaces being arranged such that the bore surface of said sleeve abuts said tapered surface in the assembled state.

Claim 7

The handpiece as defined in claim 1, wherein the bore surface of said sleeve has a radially inwardly tapered portion and the outer surface of said collet is substantially cylindrical, said surfaces being arranged such that the tapered surface of said sleeve abuts the outer surface of said collet in the area of said endface in the assembled state.

Claim 8

A handpiece for use with a current-generating unit and adapted to receive a plurality of different electrosurgical electrodes, comprising: (a) an elongated handle casing made of insulating material and having an axis; (b) a terminal located inside said handle casing; (c) an insulated lead extending from said handle casing and electrically connected to said terminal; (d) an elongated collet made of metal and having an axis, an outer surface, and an end face substantially transverse to said collet axis, said collet being electrically connected to said terminal and mechanically coupled to said handle casing such that said collet axis is substantially parallel to said handle casing, and said collet having a planar slit which intersects a portion of said collet axis and extends from said end face, said slit forming a pair of opposing internal surfaces, each of said internal surfaces having first and second axial grooves formed therein, said first grooves being in opposing relationship and said second grooves being in opposing relationship, and (e) a sleeve made of insulating material and having a bore adapted to receive said collet; wherein the surface at one end of the bore of said sleeve has an inner diameter less than the outer diameter of said collet at said endface, said surface of said one end of the bore engaging an outer circumferential surface of said collet in the vicinity of said endface at a first axial position of said collet relative to said handle casing.

Claim 9

A handpiece for use with a current-generating unit and adapted to receive a plurality of different electrosurgical electrodes, comprising: (a) an elongated handle casing made of insulating material and having an axis; (b) a terminal located inside said handle casing; (c) an insulated lead extending from said handle casing and electrically connected to said terminal; (d) an elongated collet made of metal and having an axis, an outer surface, and an end face substantially transverse to said collet axis, said collet being electrically connected to said terminal and mechanically coupled to said handle casing such that said collet axis is substantially parallel to said handle casing, and said collet having a planar slit which intersects a portion of said collet axis and extends from said end face, said slit forming a pair of opposing internal surfaces, each of said internal surfaces having first and second axial grooves formed therein, said first grooves being in opposing relationship and said second grooves being in opposing relationship, and (e) a sleeve made of insulating material and having a bore adapted to receive said collet; wherein the surface at one end of the bore of said sleeve has an inner diameter less than the outer diameter of said collet at said endface, said surface of said one end of the bore engaging an outer circumferential surface of said collet in the vicinity of said endface at a first axial position of said collet relative to said handle casing.

Claim 10

The handpiece as defined in claim 7, wherein each of said grooves has a triangular cross section.

Claim 11

The handpiece as defined in claim 7, wherein each of said grooves has a substantially semicircular cross section.

Claim 12

A handpiece for use with a current-generating unit and adapted to receive a plurality of different electrosurgical electrodes, comprising: (a) a substantially cylindrical handle casing made of insulating material, said handle casing having first and second end faces, each of said end faces having an opening formed therein; (b) a terminal arranged inside said handle casing; (c) an insulated lead electrically connected to said terminal and extending through the opening formed in said first end face of said handle casing; (d) a metal threaded member electrically connected to said terminal and extending through the opening formed in said second end face of said handle casing, said threaded member being rigidly supported by said handle casing; (e) a metal collet rotatably mounted on said threaded member and having a cylindrical portion defining an axis and a radially outwardly tapered portion, said cylindrical portion having a threaded surface for threadingly engaging said threaded member, and said radially outwardly tapered portion having a central bore formed therein extending along a portion of said collet axis, a slit extending along a plane through said collet axis, and a pair of axial bores diametrically arranged with respect to said central bore; and (f) a sleeve made of insulating material having a bore adapted to receive said collet, wherein the surface at one end of the bore of said sleeve has a diameter less than the maximum diameter of said tapered portion, said surface of said one end of the sleeve bore engaging said radially outwardly tapered portion of said collet at a first axial position of said collet relative to said threaded member, said tapered portion undergoing increasing compression in response to further rotation of said collet in a first direction relative to said threaded member.

Claim 13

A handpiece for use with a current-generating unit and adapted to receive a plurality of different electrosurgical electrodes, comprising: (a) a substantially cylindrical handle casing made of insulating material, said handle casing having first and second end faces, each of said end faces having an opening formed therein; (b) a terminal arranged inside said handle casing; (c) an insulated lead electrically connected to said terminal and extending through the opening formed in said first end face of said handle casing; (d) a metal threaded member electrically connected to said terminal and extending through the opening formed in said second end face of said handle casing, said threaded member being rigidly supported by said handle casing; (e) a metal collet rotatably mounted on said threaded member and having a cylindrical portion defining an axis and a radially outwardly tapered portion, said cylindrical portion having a threaded surface for threadingly engaging said threaded member, and said radially outwardly tapered portion having a central bore formed therein extending along a portion of said collet axis, a slit extending along a plane through said collet axis, and a pair of axial bores diametrically arranged with respect to said central bore; and (f) a sleeve made of insulating material having a bore adapted to receive said collet, wherein the surface at one end of the bore of said sleeve has a diameter less than the maximum diameter of said tapered portion, said surface of said one end of the sleeve bore engaging said radially outwardly tapered portion of said collet at a first axial position of said collet relative to said threaded member, said tapered portion undergoing increasing compression in response to further rotation of said collet in a first direction relative to said threaded member.

Claim 14

The handpiece as defined in claim 10, wherein said slit has an axial length sufficient to enable the portions of said collet formed by said slit to flex such that the respective endfaces of said collet portions are deflected radially inwardly by an amount substantially equal to the difference between said outer diameter of said collet in the vicinity of said end faces and said inner diameter of said sleeve bore at said one end during compression of said tapered portion of said collet.

Claim 15

The handpiece as defined in claim 10, wherein said collet is made of brass.

Claim 16

The handpiece as defined in claim 10, wherein said threaded member comprises a pin and said threaded surface of said collet comprises a bore.