FOOTSWITCH

COMMUTATEUR AU PIED

English Abstract

A footswitch having an adjustable treadle and switch placements, thereby helping to make the footswitch ergonomically more correct for a variety of users.

French Abstract

Un commutateur au pied offre des positions réglables de commande au pied, permettant ainsi d'augmenter l'ergonomie de la pédale pour une variété d'utilisateurs.

Claims

We claim:

1. A surgical footswitch, comprising:

a) a base;

b) a treadle mounted to the base; and

c) a pair of side switches rotationally mounted to the base on either side of
the
treadle, the switches being adjustable relative to the treadle so as to
increase or
decrease the distance between the switches.

2. The footswitch of claim 1 wherein the switches are lacked in place by a
locking pin fitted into the base being held within detents in the switches.

3. The footswitch of claim 1 wherein the position of the switches is visually
indicated by switch position indicators.

4. The footswitch of claim 1 wherein the treadle contains a raised reference
point for assisting in centering a foot on the treadle.

5. The footswitch of claim 1 wherein the switches may be adjusted to
accommodate the 5th percentile female to the 95th percentile male foot width,
with or
without shoes.

6. A surgical footswitch, comprising:

a) a base;

b) a treadle mounted to the base; and

c) a heel cup slidable retained on the treadle so as to adjustably increase or
decrease a length of the treadle.

7. The footswitch of claim 6 wherein the heel cup is prevented from sliding by
a plurality of locking pins mounted on the heel cup, the locking pins fitting
within locking
holes in the treadle.

8. The footswitch of claim 6 wherein the position of the heel cup is visually


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indicated by position indicators.

9. The footswitch of claim 6 wherein the treadle contains a raised reference
point for assisting in centering a foot on the treadle.

10. The footswitch of claim 6 wherein the heel cup may be slidable adjusted to
accommodate the 5th percentile female to the 95th percentile male foot length,
with or
without shoes.

11. A surgical footswitch, comprising:

a) a base;

b) a treadle pivotally and rotationally mounted to the base; and

c) a pair of switches mounted to the treadle so that rotation or counter-
rotation
of the treadle operates the switches.

12. The footswitch of claim 11 further comprising a locking pin mounted on the
treadle that fits within a locking hole in the base so as to prevent rotation
of the treadle
and operation of the switches when the treadle is in a resting, non-pivoted
position.

13. A surgical footswitch, comprising:

a) a base;

b) a treadle mounted to the base; and

c) a heel cup rotationally mounted to the treadle so that the heel cup may be
rotated independently of any movement of the treadle.

14. The footswitch of claim 13 further comprising a pair of side switches
rotationally mounted to the base on either side of the treadle, so that
rotation of the heel
cup allows operation of the switches independently of any movement of the
treadle.

15. A surgical footswitch, comprising:

a) a base having a bottom;

b) a treadle mounted to the base;

c) a plurality of plungers retractably mounted within the base; and


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d) a relatively high friction material mounted to the base bottom,
wherein the plungers retract within the base when weight is placed on the
footswitch and
extend outwardly from the base and the relatively high friction material when
no weight is
placed on the footswitch.

16. The footswitch of claim 15 wherein the plungers are made from a relatively
low friction material.

17. A surgical footswitch, comprising:

a) a base having a bottom;

b) a treadle pivotally and rotationally mounted to the base;

c) a pair of side switches rotationally mounted to the base on either side of
the
treadle, the side switches being operable without movement of the treadle and
adjustable relative to the treadle so as to increase or decrease the distance
between
the side switches;

d) a heel cup slidable and rotatably retained on the treadle so as to
adjustably
increase or decrease a length of the treadle;

e) a pair of switches mounted to the treadle so that rotation or counter-
rotation
of the treadle operates the switches;

f) a plurality of plungers retractably mounted to the bottom; and

g) a relatively high friction material mounted to the base bottom,
wherein the plungers retract within the base when weight is placed on the
footswitch and
extend outwardly from the base and the relatively high friction material when
no weight is
placed on the footswitch.

18. The footswitch of claim 17 wherein the side switches are locked in place
by
a locking pin fitted into the base being held within detents in the side
switches.

19. The footswitch of claim 17 wherein the position of the side switches is
visually indicated by switch position indicators.

20. The footswitch of claim 17 wherein the treadle contains a raised reference
point for assisting in centering a foot on the treadle.


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21. The footswitch of claim 17 wherein the side switches may be adjusted to
accommodate the 5th percentile. female to the 95th percentile male foot width,
with or
without shoes.

22. The footswitch of claim 17 wherein the heel cup is prevented from sliding
by a plurality of locking pins mounted on the heel cup, the locking pins
fitting within
locking holes in the treadle.

23. The footswitch of claim 17 wherein the position of the heel cup is
visually
indicated by position indicators.

24. The footswitch of claim 17 wherein the heel cup may be slidable adjusted
to
accommodate the 5th percentile female to the 95th percentile male foot length,
with or
without shoes.

25. The footswitch of claim 17 further comprising a lacking pin mounted on the
treadle that fits within a locking hole in the base so as to prevent rotation
of the treadle
and operation of the switches when the treadle is in a resting, non-pivoted
position.

26. The footswitch of claim 17 wherein the plungers are made from a relatively
low friction material.

27. A surgical footswitch, comprising:

a) a base;

b) a treadle mounted to the base so as to be pivotal about a pivot axis; and

c) a heel cup slidable retained on the treadle so as to adjustably increase or
decrease a length of the treadle while maintaining the pivot axis slightly
ahead of
an ankle rotation axis of a foot of a user.

28. The footswitch of claim 27 wherein the heel cup is prevented from sliding
by a plurality of locking pins mounted on the heel cup, the locking pins
fitting within
locking holes in the treadle.



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29. The footswitch of claim 27 wherein the position of the heel cup is
visually
indicated by position indicators.

30. The footswitch of claim 27 wherein the treadle contains a raised reference
point for assisting in centering a foot on the treadle.

31. The footswitch of claim 27 wherein the heel cup may be slidable adjusted
to
accommodate the 5th percentile female to the 95th percentile male foot length,
with or
without shoes.

Description

CA 02437328 2006-03-28
FOOTSWITCH
Background of the Invention
io This invention relates generally to the field of surgical consoles and,
more
particularly, to footswitches used to control microsurgical consoles.
During modern surgery, particularly ophthalmic surgery, the surgeon uses a
variety
of pneumatic and electronically driven microsurgical handpieces. The
handpieces are
operated by a microprocessor-driven surgical console that receives inputs from
the surgeon
is or an assistant by a variety of peripheral devices including footswitches.
Prior art
footswitches are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,837,857 (Scheller, et al.),
4,965,417
(Massie), 4,983,901 (Lehmer), 5,091,656 (Gahn), 5,268,624 (Zanger), 5,554,894
(Sepielli),
5,580,347 (Reimels), 5,635,777 (Telymonde, et al.), 5,787,760 (Thorlakson),
5,983,749
(Holtorf) and 6,179,829 B1 (Bisch, et al.) and International Patent
Application Publication
Zo Nos. WO 98/08442 (Bisch, et al.), WO 00/12037 (Chen) and WO 02/01310
(Chen).
These patents; however, focus primarily on functional attributes of
footswitches, not the
ergonomics of footswitches.
Accordingly, a need continues to exist for an ergonomically improved
footswitch.
zs
Brief Summary of the Invention
The present invention improves upon the prior art surgical footswitches by
providing a footswitch having an adjustable treadle and switch placements,
thereby helping
so to make the footswitch ergonomically more correct for a variety of users. .
Accordingly, one objective of the present invention is to provide a surgical
footswitch that can be adjusted to accommodate different sized feet.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an ergonomically
adjustable
surgical footswitch.
3s Another objective of the present invention is to provide a surgical
footswitch

CA 02437328 2003-08-13
having adjustable switches.
These and other advantages and objectives of the present invention will become
apparent from the detailed description and claims that follow.
s Brief Description of the. Drawings
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the surgical footswitch of the present
invention.
FIGS. 2A-2C are enlarged plan views of the footswitch of the present invention
illustrating the adjustability of the side switches.
io FIG..3 is an exploded perspective view of the surgical footswitch
illustrating the
assembly of the side switches.
FIGS. 4A-4B are bottom plan views of the side switches that may be used with
the
footswitch of the present invention illustrating the operation of the
rotational locking
mechanism.
is FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the footswitch of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an exploded assembly drawing of the heel cup slide adjustment
mechanism that may be used with the footswitch of the present invention.
FIGS. 7A-7B are top plan views of the heel cup that may be used with the
footswitch of the present invention illustrating the operation of the slidable
heel cup
Zo adjustment mechanism.
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the footswitch of the present invention similar
to FIG.
6, but illustrating the rotational operation of the treadle.
FIGS. 9A-9B are bottom plan views of the treadle switches that may be used
with
the footswitch of the present invention.
zs FIG. 10 is a side partial cross-sectional view of the footswitch of the
present
invention illustrating the location of the treadle pivot point with respect to
the ankle of the
user.
FIGS. 11 A-11 B are side plan view of the footswitch of the present invention
illustrating the operation of the treadle rotation lock.
so FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the footswitch of the present invention
similar to
FIGS. 6 and 8, but illustrating the rotational operation of the heel cup.
FIG. 13 is an exploded assembly drawing of the heel cup rotation mechanism.
FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the footswitch of the present invention.
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CA 02437328 2003-08-13
FIGS. 15A-15C are cross-sectional view of the footswitch of the present
invention
illustrating the operation of the anti-gravity spring plunger feet.
Detailed Description of the Invention
s
As best seen in FIG. 1, footswitch 10 of the present invention generally
includes
base 12, treadle 14 having heel cup 16 and side or wing switches 18, all of
which can be
made from any suitable material, such as stainless steel, titanium or plastic.
Base 12 may
contain protective bumper 20 made from a relatively soft elastomeric material.
As best
io seen in FIGS. 2A-2C, 3 and 4A-4B, side switches 18 may be adjusted inwardly
(FIG. 2B)
or outwardly (FIG. 2C) to increase or decrease the distance between switches
18 and
accommodate for variations in the width of user foot 100. Such adjustment is
accomplished by pushing on locking buttons 22, causing locking pin 24 on base
12 to be
released from within detents 26 in switches 18 and rotating about pins 28 in
holes 30
~s located on base 12. When buttons 22 are released, springs 32 push detents
26 against
locking pin 24, thereby holding switches 18 in a locked position. The relative
position of
switches 18 may be determined visually by the use of switch position
indicators 34, as
best seen in FIGS. 2B and 2C.
As best seen in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7A-7B, the length of treadle 14 rnay be
adjusted by
2o sliding movement of heel cup 16. As best seen in FIG. 6, treadle 14 is
mounted to treadle
base 36 by thrust bearing 38, thereby allowing treadle 14 to pivot about axis
40. Heel cup
slide 42 is received on treadle 14 and contains locking lever 44, which is
held onto heel
cup slide 42 by retainers 46. Locking pins 48 are held within locking lever 44
by shafts
50. Locking pins 48 are biased into locking pin holes 52 in treadle 14 by
springs 54
2s pushing against locking pin retainer 56. In this manner, pushing on locking
lever 44 pulls
locking pins 48 out of locking pin holes 52 and allows heel cup slide 42 to
slide
lengthwise along slots 58 in treadle 14 as illustrated in FIGS: 7A-7B. The
relative
position of heel cup 16 relative to treadle 14 may be visually indicated by
indicators 60.
In addition, treadle 14 may contain raised reference point 62, indicating the
center
30 oftreadle 14.
The width and length adjustments described above preferably allow footswitch
10
to be adjusted to accommodate the S'h percentile female to the 95'''
percentile male foot
width and length, with or without shoes. As best seen in FIG. 10, ankle
rotation axis 65
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CA 02437328 2003-08-13
of foot 100 is located behind pivot axis 68 of treadle I4 for all three
treadle lengths.
As best seen in FIGS. 8 and 9A-9B, treadle 14 may rotate or counter-rotate
about
thrust bearing 38 to operate Iefl and right switches 64, which are mounted on
treadle base
36. Return springs 66 provide for automatic centering of treadle 14 following
rotation.
s As best seen in FIGS. 11 A and 11 B, treadle base 36 contains alignment pin
70 that fits
within hole 72 in base 12 when treadle 14 is in the resting, non-pivoted
position. Such a
construction prevent rotation of treadle 14 to activation switches 64 when
treadle is in the
resting, non-pivoted position (FIG. 11A), but allows rotation of treadle 14
when treadle 14
is depressed or pivoted (FIG. 11 B).
lo As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, heel cup 16 is mounted to heel cup slide 42
using
thrust bearing 74, alignment cap 76 and screws 82. Such a construction allow
for the
rotation of heel cup 16 independently of any rotation of treadle 14 (as show
in FIGS 8 and
9A-9B) and allows for the operation of side switches 18 when treadle is in the
resting and
rotationally locked position (FIG. l IA). Return lever, 78, mounted to heel
cup 16 acts
is against return springs 80 to provide for automatic centering of heel cup I6
in the resting
position.
As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15A-ISC, bottom 85 of base 12 preferably is covered
by relatively high friction polymer (e.g., VERSAFLEX TPE) material 84 and
contains a
plurality of retractable, anti-gravity spring-loaded plunger feet 86 made from
a low friction
Zo polymer material (e.g., DELRIN~ acetal resin). As shown in FIG. 15A and
15B, when
there is no weight on footswitch 10, spring loaded plunger 86 project a short
distance D
(e.g., 0.04 inches) outwardly from bottom 84, thereby contacting the floor and
allowing
easy sliding of footswitch 10 on relatively low friction plunger tips 88. As
shown in FIG.
ISC, when weight is placed on footswitch 10, plungers 86 retract, and high
friction bottom
zs 84 contacts the floor, thereby making it more difficult to slide footswitch
IO during use.
This description is given for purposes of illustration and explanation. It
will be
apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that modifications may be made
to the
invention as herein described without departing from its scope or spirit.
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Representative Drawing