TWEEZERS

BACKGROUND

(a) Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to multi-member tweezers, and more specifically, to tweezers having multiple and varied pincer sets formed at ends thereof and a method of using the tweezers.

(b) Background Art

Conventional tweezers include a set of pincers that are used to grasp one site or one object precisely. Particularly, a user typically holds a pair of tweezers with a thumb on one arm and index and middle fingers on the other arm to operate the tweezers stably. In addition, such conventional tweezers are often used today as a medical device for surgical purposes such as vessel cannulation. When a surgeon or operator of a medical device is required to grasp multiple sites of, for example, a vessel opening, either multiple devices are required or extra assistance is required from another person, thus increasing the difficulty and time of accessing the vessel. For example, a surgeon may grasp an object (e.g., a vessel, tissue, etc.) with tweezers and may be required to operate another medical device with the other hand. Thus, an assistant may be required to operate a second pair of tweezers to, for example, move the second object toward the first object to allow the surgeon to operate the other medical device.

In addition, multiple conventional tweezers have been attempted to be operated simultaneously by one hand. For example, a device of the related art includes one end of the arm having a well-known pincer set and another end of the arm having a second well-known pincer set. In other words, these types of tweezers replicate one pincer set on an opposite end of the device such that a single pincer set is disposed on each end of the device. However, such a device is not capable of grasping multiple areas at once and also is not capable of providing an improved clamping grip.

Further, an exemplary conventional tweezer set is shown in FIG. 1 in which a one-handed technique is used. Particularly, FIG. 1 shows a user attempting to simultaneously operate two independent tweezers 100, 105 with one hand. That is, the figure shows a grip of a thumb on one arm of both tweezers and a middle finger on one second arm and an index finger on the other second arm (e.g., one on each tweezer). However, as known by those skilled in the art, such operation is unsteady and decreases the precision of a surgical procedure. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a medical device capable of grasping multiple locations and allowing a surgeon to operate a second medical device simultaneously with another hand without the need of extra assistance.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides multi-member tweezers that have multiple and varied pincer sets formed at ends thereof which improves stability and precision during operation thereof.

In particular, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a medical device is provided that includes an arm. A first end of the arm includes a pincer set and a second end of the arm which is opposite to the first end includes at least two pincer sets. In addition, each pincer set includes two mutually opposed arms and each pincer set is formed integral with the arm. The at least two pincer sets are operable independently from each other and each of the at least two pincer sets may extend at different distances from the second end of the arm. The pincer set that extends from the first end of the arm may be formed on a surface that is perpendicular to a surface from which the at least two pincer sets extend. Each pincer set may be made of a resilient material and the width of each pincer set narrows towards an operable end thereof.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the arm may be attached to a holder. In addition, the device may include a fastener connected to the mutually opposed arms of each pincer set. The fastener is capable of spreading or narrowing the distance between operable ends of each pincer set. Additionally, one of the first end and the second end of the arm may include at least three clamping members extending therefrom.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for grasping is provided. In particular, the method may include providing a medical device that has an arm with a first end including a pincer set and a second end including at least two pincer sets and individually operating the pincer sets with one hand at a pair of mutually opposed arms of each pincer set. The at least two pincer sets may be operated at different distances from the arm. The method may further include spreading a distance between operable ends of each pincer set by moving a fastener connected to the mutually opposed arms further from the operable ends and narrowing the distance between the operable ends of each pincer set by moving the fastener toward the operable ends.

Furthermore, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a medical device is provided that may include an arm having at least three clamping members that extend from one end of the arm. The clamping members are operable together as a pincer. Additionally, the clamping members may be formed integral with the arm or may be connected to an attachment knob that is separable from the arm. The clamping members may be operable at a middle portion thereof.

Other aspects of the disclosure are disclosed infra.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will hereinafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and:

FIG. 1 an exemplary view of a plurality of tweezers operated independently according to the related art;

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate a medical device having multiple pincer sets at opposite arms according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a medical device having multiple pincer sets at one arm according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates the medical device attached to a holder according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a fastener attached between mutually opposed arms of the medical device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates the medical device attached to a holder according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 7 illustrates a detailed view of a three-member clamping arm of a medical device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The present disclosure provides tweezers having multiple and varied pincer sets formed at ends thereof and a method of using the tweezers. In particular, multiple pincer sets are formed at a same end of the tweezers to improve the stability of medical device operation while alleviating the need of additional assistance during medical procedures. However, it is noted that the present disclosure is not limited to medical procedures and the device discussed herein may be readily applied to other fields requiring similar tools.

Referring now to the drawings, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, various surgical sites may be grasped simultaneously by a medical device using one hand, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2B. In particular, as shown in FIG. 2A, a medical device 200 may include an arm 205 with a first end 210 thereof having a pincer set 215 and a second end 220 thereof having at least two pincer sets 225. Each pincer set may include two mutually opposed arms (230, 235, 240). Alternatively, the pincer sets 215, 225 may be forceps, clips, or other related mechanisms. Additionally, each pincer set may be formed integrally with the arm.

The at least two pincer sets 225 formed at the second end 220 of the arm 205 may be operated independently. In other words, each pincer set formed at the second end of the arm may be used to grasp an object or surgical site, thus increasing the operability of the medical device. Accordingly to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 2A and 2B, the pincer set 215 formed at the first end 210 of the arm 205 may be formed at a surface 245 that is perpendicular to a surface 250 at which the at least two pincer sets 225 are formed. In other words, as shown in FIG. 2A, the pincer sets may be formed at a surface rotated relative to each other, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto and the pincer sets may be formed on a same surface of the arm. The pincer sets 225 formed at the second end 220 of the arm 205 may also be formed at different lengths. For example, the pincer sets may extend from the arm at different lengths. The varied lengths between the pincer sets allow different objects to be grasped or allow different areas of an object (e.g., a vessel, a tissue, or the like) to be grasped independently at different times or simultaneously. For example, one pincer set may be configured to grasp an object that is disposed deeper into a surgical site than another object.

Thus, a surgeon may be able to grasp the different objects or areas while manipulating a different medical device in the other hand.

Referring to FIG. 3, the medical device may also be formed with at least two pincer sets at only one arm thereof. In particular, FIG. 3 illustrates the integral formation of two pincer sets with the arm of the tweezers. With such a configuration, a user is capable of grasping a first site with one of the pincer sets, moving toward a second site while retaining the grasp of the first site, and then grasping the second site. This prevents the user from requiring a completely separate second tool to grasp two separate areas. As shown, the operable ends of the pincer sets may be formed at different distances from each other. As further shown, a width of each pincer set may narrow towards the operable end thereof, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto and width of each pincer set may be varied as desired.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the medical device as described herein may also be attached to a holder 405 as shown in FIG. 4. In particular, the holder 405 may be formed as a grip to allow a user to hold the medical device more stably. In other words, the grip provides a stable holding device while the user operates the pincer sets disposed thereon. The medical device may be attached to the holder 405 by any known fastening mechanism such as welding or the like. For example, the medical device 200 may be either fixed to the holder 405 or formed to selectively detach from the holder 405. Further, the holder may be formed as an ergonomic grip to increase user comfort and stability. As an example, the holder 405 may be gripped by a user’s ring finger and pinky finger, a user’s thumb may grasp an upper side of the holder while the index and middle finger operate the pincer sets.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a fastener 505 may be connected to the mutually opposed arms of each pincer set. Particularly, the fastener may spread or narrow a distance between the operable ends of each pincer set. The fastener 505 may also be connected at various locations between the pincer sets to either vary the height of the pincer sets or vary the space between the operable ends thereof. For example, the distance between the operable ends may be increased by moving the fastener 505 further from each pincer set. Alternatively, the distance may be adjusted using a screw mechanism 510 attached to an end of the fastener 505. Additionally, the distance between the operable ends may be decreased or narrowed by moving the fastener 505 toward each pincer set. The use of a fastener also allows the angle of the pincer set to be varied.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG.

6, a medical device is provided that may include an arm having at least three clamping members 605 that extend from one end of the arm. The clamping members 605 are operable together as a pincer to provide a more accurate grasp on a site or object and may be operable at a middle portion thereof. For example, a user may operate the clamping members at a middle portion where the distance between the clamping members is widest. Alternatively, the clamping members may be operated from a location where the clamping members join the arm. That is, the clamping members 605 may be formed integral with the arm. Alternately, the clamping members 605 may be connected to an attachment knob 610. The attachment knob 610 may be separable from the arm. For example, the attachment knob may be used to change the type of pincer or tool attached to the arm. The attachment knob may be connected to the arm by any known attachment mechanism, for example, magnetically or other similar method. Thus, a user is capable of more easily attaching a desired tool to one end of the arm based on a particularly desired use.

In another alternate exemplary embodiment, the clamping members described above may be integrated with the medical device described in reference to FIGS. 2A-2B. For example, one end of the arm may include the plurality of clamping members. Notably, the number of clamping members is not limited to three and any number of clamping members may be used. That is, as an example, one end of the medical device shown in FIGS. 2A-2B may include two or more pincer sets and another end of the medical device may include a plurality of clamping members extending therefrom. Additionally, the attachment knob may be attachable to one of the ends as an interchangeable device.

As described above, the medical device may beneficially include operational tools at both ends thereof. Accordingly, a user is capable of operating a single tool at multiple locations without risking cross contamination between the different sites. For example, the user may operate the pincer sets at one surgical site and then rotate the medical device in one hand to operate the clamping members at an abutting surgical site without cross contaminating either site. Since the medical device may be mounted on a holder, the user is capable of easily rotating the device to use a desired end of the tool. The holder may also include a turning mechanism or a rotational device configured to move the pincer sets in multiple axis directions. For example, the holder may include a button or similar feature that is capable rotating the device 180 degrees to change pincer sets. Such an operation would improve stability and also increase operational speed of using the medical device.

Furthermore, FIG. 7 illustrates an operational user of the medical device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, as shown, one end of the medical device may include a plurality of pincer sets 710, 715, 720. The pincer sets may be of different forms or types but are not limited to those shown in FIG. 7. As discussed, the various different lengths of the pincer sets extending from the arm allows a user to more easily grasp different objects or sites. The medical device may be about 18 cm in length, but is not limited thereto and the length thereof may be varied as desired. Further, a thumb of the user may be positioned towards the back of the arm and the middle and index fingers may grip the substantial middle portion of the arm to thus operate the different pincer sets.

The medical device as described herein allows a user to flip tweezers easily in one hand or rotate a holder on which the device is mounted to use a different type of pincer set. The use of different pincer sets on different ends of the arm prevents cross contamination caused by using the same operable end for different items or purposes. Additionally, the use of multiple clamping members on one end of an arm allows a user to grasp a more complex area while increasing the retention capabilities. Accordingly, a user is capable of operating tweezers having multiple and varied pincer sets using only one hand, thus allowing the other hand to be free for operating other devices.

Notably, although the above invention has been described in reference to typical surgical procedures and in relation to medical devices, the present invention is not limited thereto. The tweezers as disclosed herein may also be applied to other fields such as sewing, watch repairs, jewelry repairs or production, and other similar fields as understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.