Appeal No. 1998-2831 Page 9
Application No. 08/541,013
front wall 16b. The bias of leaf spring member 44 keeps
end 44b seated against lip 26a, preventing rearward
movement of the shield.
In order to unlock the shield, head 16 is pressed
toward main body 50 to the position shown in FIG. 4. By
doing so, raised section 16d, with the exposed tip of
trigger 40 protruding, is inserted into recess portion
50a. Rear wall 50d is forced against the tip of the
trigger, causing the trigger to retract into chamber 32
to what is referred to as a release position. This
movement usually takes place when the shield and
obturator tip are placed against an incision in the skin
and pressure is exerted against the skin by pressing
against head 16. Pressure on the head of the trocar
assembly concurrently shifts the trigger to the release
position while applying force against the skin tissue.
The tip enters the incision and underlying tissue with
continued pressure.
As the trigger moves to the release position, end
44e of leaf spring member arm 44d is carried with it
since ridge 40d prevents the end from sliding along the
trigger side. This puts arm 44d in a more perpendicular
alignment across chamber 32, forcing free end 44b
laterally away from the shield, and therefore away from
lip 26a, as shown in FIG. 4. With leaf spring member end
44b displaced from lip 26a, shield 26 is free to move
rearwardly, exposing obturator tip 24. The force of the
body cavity wall tissue on the shield forces it into the
retracted position shown in FIG. 5.
As the shield moves rearwardly, lip 26a contacts the
side of leaf spring member 44 between free end 44b and
bend 44c. Because of the angle of the leaf spring, it
acts like a cam with lip 26a to further displace free end
44b away from shield 26 to what is referred to as a
withdrawn position. Concurrently with this, the end 44e
of arm 44d is also displaced from side section 40c and
ridge 40d. The arm is biased toward the exposed tip of
the trigger so that as its end clears the ridge, it snaps
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