1. A lever connector comprising:
a first connector housing;
a second connector housing which is fitted and connected with the first connector housing; and
a fitting lever which is pivotably installed to the first connector housing as a lever member to reduce the operating force to fit and detach the first connector housing with and from the second connector housing,
wherein the first connector housing includes lever supporting shafts which are respectively protruded from a pair of outer surfaces to support the fitting lever to be pivotable,
the second connector housing includes:
an outer sheath wall part which is fitted with the outer circumference of the first connector housing,
shaft guiding slots which are formed by cutting a pair of opposed side walls of the outer sheath wall part along the fitting direction of the connector housing, and in which, when the connector housings are fitted with each other, the lever supporting shafts are fitted movably along the fitting direction of the connector housings; and
action receiving shafts which are protruded from the outer surfaces of the side walls, where the shaft guiding slots are formed, and are located with a predetermined distance from the shaft guiding slots in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of the connector housings,
the fitting lever includes:
a pair of lever bodies which are arranged to be opposed to each other to sandwich the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls of the second connector housing where the shaft guiding slots are formed; and
a force point part which receives an operating force to make the pair of lever bodies pivot around the lever supporting shafts, and
the lever bodies include:
first shaft introducing grooves which are formed to open at side edges at the insertion side to the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls of the second connector housing, and which introduce the lever supporting shafts, which are inserted through the shaft guiding slots, to first initial engaged positions when the pair of lever bodies are inserted and installed to the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls in an initial inclined state;
second shaft introducing grooves which are formed to open at side edges at the insertion side to the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls of the second connector housing, and which introduce the action receiving shafts to second initial engaged positions when the pair of lever bodies are inserted and installed to the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls in the initial inclined state,
pivoting fulcrum parts which are set at positions spaced a predetermined distance from the first initial engaged positions along an initial engaging straight line that is a straight line which passes the center of the lever supporting shafts and the center of the action receiving shafts while the first connector housing and the second connector housing are aligned at a fitting start position, and with which the lever supporting shafts are pivotably engaged,
first communicating grooves which are formed to straightly link the first initial engaged positions and the pivoting fulcrum parts, and which introduce the lever supporting shafts at the first initial engaged positions to the pivoting fulcrum parts when the lever bodies are moved straightly along the initial engaging straight line,
action receiving parts which are set at positions spaced a predetermined distance from the second initial engaged positions along the initial engaging straight line, and with which the action receiving shafts are engaged when the lever supporting shafts are moved to the pivoting fulcrum parts,
second communicating grooves which are formed to straightly link the second initial engaged positions and the action receiving parts, and which introduce the action receiving shafts at the second initial engaged positions to the action receiving parts when the lever supporting shafts at the first initial engaged positions are moved to the pivoting fulcrum parts,
first shaft detaching grooves which are provided adjacently to the first communicating grooves, have shapes corresponding to detachment moving traces which are different from the moving traces when the fitting lever is pivotably installed to the first connector housing, and make the lever supporting shafts, which are located at the pivoting fulcrum parts, escape to the outside of the lever bodies with the movement of the fitting lever along the detachment moving traces, and
second shaft detaching grooves which are provided adjacently to the second communicating grooves, have shapes corresponding to the detachment moving traces, and make the action receiving shafts, which are located at the action receiving parts, escape to the outside of the lever bodies with the movement of the fitting lever along the detachment moving traces.
2. The lever connector according to claim 1, wherein the lever bodies include tracking protrusions on the inner surfaces, and
the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls of the second connector housing which are opposed to the inner surfaces of the lever bodies include:
first movement regulating surfaces which regulate the movement direction of the lever bodies so that when the fitting lever is inserted and installed to the second connector housing, the tracking protrusions abut against the first movement regulating surfaces to make the lever supporting shafts arrive at the pivoting fulcrum parts, and
second movement regulating surfaces which are formed so that the tracking protrusions are slidable on the second movement regulating surfaces while the pivoting operation of the fitting lever to make the connector housings to be fitted and connected with each other is completed, and regulate the movement courses of the lever bodies to courses corresponding to the detachment moving traces when an operation of detaching the fitting lever is performed while the tracking protrusions contact the second movement regulating surfaces.
3. The lever connector according to claim 2, wherein the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls of the second connector housing, which are opposed to the inner surfaces of the lever bodies, include third movement regulating surfaces on which the tracking protrusions are slidable when the fitting lever is pivoted to make the connector housings to be fitted and connected with each other, and against which the tracking protrusions abut to regulate the lever bodies from moving to a detaching direction.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of installing a prosthetic valve in a patient, the prosthetic valve having a stent comprising a stent base and multiple commissure posts projecting from the stent base, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a valve holder comprising a base portion and a handle extending from the base portion, a plurality of legs radially extending from the base portion, and a plurality of commissure post engaging members, each of which is slideably engaged with one of the plurality of legs, wherein at least one of the legs comprises (i) a first prong portion spaced apart from a second prong portion by a gap distance, and (ii) at least one of the plurality of commissure post engaging members slideably moveable along the leg between fixed positions, the fixed positions being defined by spaced apertures on the at least one of the plurality of commisure post engaging members that cooperate with a tab portion of at least one of the first and second prong portions, wherein the at least one plurality of commissure post engaging members moves the first and second prong portions relative to each other during sliding movement along the leg;
attaching each of the commissure post engaging members to one of the multiple commissure posts of the stent with the commissure post engaging members in a first position;
sliding each of the commissure post engaging members on its respective leg to a second position, wherein the commissure posts are deflected inwardly as compared to the first position;
positioning the valve holder with the attached prosthetic valve at an implantation site of a patient; and
suturing the prosthetic valve to tissue of the patient.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the prosthetic valve comprises an aortic prosthetic heart valve.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of attaching each of the commissure post engaging members to one of the multiple commissure posts of the stent comprises suturing each of the commissure post engaging members to one of the multiple commissure posts of the stent.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
detaching the prosthetic valve from the valve holder after the prosthetic valve is sutured to the tissue of the patient; and then
removing the valve holder from the patient.