TODAY’S PATENT – SURGICAL SCALPEL

This invention “Surgical scalpel” was invented by Gregory J. Gerhard, William M. Graham and assigned to Nestle SA Cooper Companies Inc, was granted patent on 14^th May, 1985 by the USPTO bearing patent grant number US4516575A to the patentee. The current invention relates to a surgical scalpel with a blade that can be adjustable extended beyond a foot for use in ophthalmology and other types of surgery. The scalpel also has a blade length indicator to display how much of the blade extends past the foot. For changes in blade length and other manufacturing tolerances, the indicator can be calibrated.

A surgical scalpel with the aforementioned desirable features includes a barrel or body, a blade holder and blade, an adjustment means for reciprocating the blade holder relative to the barrel, and indicator means for indicating the length of blade exposed. There is a longitudinal channel running through the barrel. The barrel’s first end is a foot. The channel’s corresponding end enters the foot. The other end of the channel connects to the barrel. The blade holder is mounted in the channel for reciprocation between an extended position in which the blade extends beyond the foot and a retracted position in which the blade is retracted into the channel to provide the blade with a protected environment.