1. A wear pad apparatus for a crawler track of a construction machine, the apparatus comprising:
an elongated reinforcing element including upper and lower sides, the reinforcing element having first and second hexagonal recesses defined therein;
first and second hexagonal nuts received in the first and second hexagonal recesses, respectively, each hexagonal nut engaging the upper side of the reinforcing element, each of the hexagonal nuts having a threaded bore; and
a wear pad molded from a wear pad material, the reinforcing element and the nuts being embedded in the wear pad material.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
first and second bearing collars, each one of the bearing collars extending downward from the reinforcing element below one of the holes and terminating essentially flush with a bottom side of the wear pad, a lower end of each bearing collar being free of any wear pad material.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the hexagonal nuts comprises a blind rivet nut, each blind rivet nut including an annular bead engaging the upper side of the reinforcing element.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the reinforcing element comprises a peripheral edge, and the peripheral edge is completely embedded in the wear pad material.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the wear pad includes first and second blind cavities defined therein co-axial with and above the threaded bores of the first and second hexagonal nuts, respectively.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the wear pad is an elongated wear pad having a width and a length longer than the width; and
the apparatus further comprises a second elongated reinforcing element, the reinforcing elements being parallel to each other and to the length of the wear pad.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:
the wear pad includes first and second extensions extending downwardly and lengthwise; and
one of the reinforcing elements is embedded in each of the extensions.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
each of the extensions includes at least one widthwise recess; and
each of the elongated reinforcing elements includes an intermediate raised portion located above the widthwise recess of its associated wear pad extension.
9. A replaceable wear pad apparatus for a crawler track of a construction machine, the crawler track including a plurality of base plates, the apparatus comprising:
(a) a wear pad molded from a wear pad material, the wear pad including:
(1) an upper tread surface;
(2) a bottom surface;
(3) a length;
(4) a width; and
(5) first and second downward projections extending parallel to the length of the wear pad, each of the downward projections including an intermediate recess interrupting the projections;
(b) first and second reinforcing elements fixedly embedded in the first and second projections, respectively, each reinforcing element including:
(1) upper and lower sides;
(2) an intermediate portion lying in an upper plane located above the intermediate recess of the respective downward projection of the wear pad;
(3) first and second outer portions each lying in a lower plane lower than the upper plane, the outer portions being on opposite sides of the intermediate portion;
(4) at least one hexagonal recess defined in each of the outer portions; and
(5) a peripheral edge completely embedded in the wear pad material;
(c) a plurality of nuts, each of the nuts including:
(1) a hexagonal outside contour received in one of the hexagonal recesses;
(2) a nut surface engaging the upper surface of its associated reinforcing element; and
(3) a threaded bore extending upward above the reinforcing element; and
(d) a plurality of bearing collars, each one of the bearing collars extending downward from one of the reinforcing elements below one of the holes and terminating essentially flush with the bottom side of the wear pad, a lower end of each bearing collar being free of any wear pad material; and
(e) wherein the wear pad includes a plurality of blind cavities defined therein, each of the cavities being co-axial with and above one of the threaded bores of one of the hexagonal nuts.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of the nuts comprises a blind rivet nut.
11. A replaceable wear pad apparatus for a crawler track of a construction machine, the apparatus comprising:
a wear pad molded from a wear pad material, the wear pad including an upper tread surface and a bottom surface, the wear pad having a length and a width, the wear pad including first and second downward projections extending parallel to the length of the wear pad, each of the downward projections including at least one intermediate recess interrupting the projections;
first and second reinforcing elements fixedly embedded in the first and second projections, respectively, each reinforcing element including upper and lower sides;
wherein each of the reinforcing elements includes an intermediate portion lying in an upper plane located above the intermediate recess of the respective downward projection of the wear pad, and first and second outer portions each lying in a lower plane lower than the upper plane, the outer portions being on opposite sides of the intermediate portion;
wherein each of the reinforcing elements includes at least one vertical hole extending through each of its outer portions; and
further comprising a plurality of fastening devices, each of the fastening devices being located co-axial with one of the holes and engaging the upper surface of its associated reinforcing element, the fastening device including a threaded bore extending upward above the reinforcing element.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:
a plurality of bearing collars, each one of the bearing collars extending downward from one of the reinforcing elements below one of the holes and terminating essentially flush with the bottom side of the wear pad, a lower end of each bearing collar being free of any wear pad material.
13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the fastening devices comprise blind rivet nuts, each nut including an annular bead engaging the upper side of its associated reinforcing element.
14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the bearing collars comprise integral parts of the fastening devices.
15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:
each of the holes comprises a hexagonal contour; and
each of the fastening devices comprises a hexagonal nut received in one of the hexagonal contours.
16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:
each of the reinforcing elements comprises a peripheral edge, and the peripheral edge is completely embedded in the wear pad material.
17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:
the wear pad includes a plurality of blind cavities defined therein, each of the cavities being co-axial with and above one of the threaded bores of one of the fastening devices.
18. A replaceable wear pad apparatus for a crawler track of a construction machine, the crawler track including a plurality of base plates, the apparatus comprising:
at least one reinforcing element having upper and lower sides, and having a peripheral outer edge, the reinforcing element including at least two spaced holes defined therethrough from the lower side to the upper side;
a wear pad molded from a wear pad material so that the wear pad material is fixedly bonded to the reinforcing element and there can be no relative movement between the wear pad and the reinforcing element, the complete peripheral outer edge of the reinforcing element being embedded in the molded wear pad material, the wear pad including an upper tread surface and a bottom surface, the wear pad including at least two blind cavities defined therein co-axial with and above the holes of the reinforcing element, the blind cavities being closed so that they do not extend to the upper tread surface; and
at least two fastening devices one of which is received in each of the cavities; and
at least two bearing collars extending downward from the reinforcing element and terminating essentially flush with the bottom side of the wear pad for engaging one of the base plates of the crawler track, the lower end of each bearing collar being free of any wear pad material.
19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the fastening devices comprise blind rivet nuts, each nut including an annular bead engaging the upper side of the reinforcing element.
20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the fastening devices comprise insert nuts threadedly engaged with the holes of the reinforcing element.
21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least two bearing collars comprise integral parts of the at least two fastening devices, respectively.
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. An electrosurgical device for clamping and coagulating tissue between a pair of jaw assemblies, the jaw assemblies disassembleable outside of a patient and reassembleable within a patient, the electrosurgical device comprising:
a handle assembly having a jaw actuator;
a first jaw assembly extending longitudinally from the handle and having a first pole electrode at a first angle to the longitudinal axis; and
a second jaw assembly having a second pole electrode and operably disassemblable and reassembleable with the first jaw assembly and the handle assembly, wherein when the second jaw assembly is operably assembled with the first jaw assembly and the handle assembly, the second pole electrode is about parallel to the first pole electrode and the second jaw assembly is operably coupled to the handle assembly such that actuation of the jaw actuator moves the second pole electrode to a clamped position with the first pole electrode and deactuation of the jaw actuator moves the second pole electrode to an unclamped position with the first pole electrode.
2. The electrosurgical device of claim 1 further including a first pole electrode wire operably coupled to the first pole electrode, and a second pole electrode wire operatively attached to the handle, the first pole wire and the second pole wire electrically conducting electrosurgical energy to the electrosurgical device.
3. The electrosurgical device of claim 2 further including an electrical connector attached to the second pole wire and operatively mounted within the handle assembly, wherein when the second jaw assembly is operatively assembled with the first jaw assembly and the handle assembly, the electrical connector electrically connects the second pole electrode to the second pole wire.
4. The electrosurgical device of claim 3 further including an alignment system between the second jaw assembly and the first jaw assembly, the alignment system slidably aligning the movable second jaw assembly with the fixed first jaw assembly.
5. The electrosurgical device of claim 4 wherein the alignment system includes one or more of a tongue in a groove, the tongue along one or more of the first jaw assembly and the second jaw assembly, and the mating groove along the other of the first jaw assembly and the second jaw assembly.
6. The electrosurgical device of claim 5 wherein each tongue has a pair of parallel tongue side walls and the groove has a pair of mating parallel groove side walls positioned for the sliding reception and alignment of the tongue therein.
7. The electrosurgical device of claim 6 wherein an angled closure alignment feature is on a distal extension of the tongue, and a mating angled receptacle is in a distal end of the groove, wherein when the second jaw assembly is closed, the angled closure alignment feature engages with the mating angled receptacle.
8. The electrosurgical device of claim 4 wherein each tongue has at least one angled side wall and the groove has a mating angled groove side wall for the sliding reception and alignment of the tongue therewith.
9. The electrosurgical device of claim 8 wherein the alignment feature is a pair of wings attached to the second jaw assembly about a proximal end of the second pole electrode, the wings straddling a longitudinal portion of the first jaw assembly and aligning the second jaw assembly to the first jaw assembly.
10. The electrosurgical device of claim 9 wherein the pair of wings includes at least one angled cam surface thereon and a mating alignment receptacle for each of the at least one angled cam surface on the other of the first jaw assembly and the second jaw assembly, wherein when the second jaw assembly is moved to a clamped position with the first jaw assembly, the least one angled cam surface is cooperatively constrained with the mating alignment receptacle.
11. The electrosurgical device of claim 1 further including a clamp pressure assembly within the handle assembly and operably coupled to a closure trigger, wherein when the second jaw assembly is operatively assembled to the first jaw assembly and the closure trigger is actuated, the clamp pressure assembly maintains a generally constant clamping pressure on tissue clamped between the first pole electrode and the second pole electrode.
12. The electrosurgical device of claim 1 wherein the first angle between the first pole electrode and the longitudinal axis of the first jaw assembly is about 30 degrees.
13. A method of using an electrosurgical device to clamp and coagulate internal tissue through a small incision within a patient, the method comprising the steps of:
a) placing a first pole electrode of a first pole electrode assembly into the patient through the small incision;
b) placing a second pole electrode of a second pole electrode assembly into the patient through the small incision wherein the second pole electrode assembly is separate and detached from the first pole electrode assembly;
c) assembling the second pole electrode assembly to the first pole electrode assembly through the small incision within the patient to create an operative electrosurgical device;
d) clamping internal tissue within the body between the first pole electrode and the second pole electrode
e) coagulating internal tissue between the first pole electrode and the second pole electrode with an application of electrosurgical energy.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first pole electrode is at a first angle to the first pole electrode assembly and the step of placing the first pole electrode into the patient includes minimizing the area of the first pole electrode in the incision as the first pole electrode is inserted.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of placing the first pole electrode into the patient further includes rotating the first pole electrode assembly about the first angle when the first angle is in the small incision to minimize the area of the electrode assembly during further insertion into the incision.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of assembling the second pole electrode assembly to the first pole electrode assembly includes engaging aligning features between the first jaw assembly and the second jaw assembly in sliding engagement.
17. The method of claim 15 wherein the second pole electrode is at a second angle to the second electrode assembly and the step of placing the second pole electrode assembly into the patient includes placing the second pole electrode into the incision about parallel to the electrosurgical device to minimize the area of the electrosurgical device inserted in the small incision.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of placing the second pole electrode into the patient further includes rotating the second pole electrode about the second angle when the second angle is in the incision, the rotation bringing the second pole electrode assembly into about parallel alignment with the first pole electrode assembly and minimizing the area of the electrosurgical device.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first pole electrode is connected to a source of electrosurgical energy and the step of assembling the second pole electrode assembly to the first pole electrode assembly includes connecting the second pole electrode to the source of electrosurgical energy.
20. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of assembling the second pole electrode assembly to the first pole electrode assembly includes constraining the second pole electrode assembly to the first pole electrode assembly in sliding engagement to prevent disassembly of the second jaw assembly from the first jaw assembly during operation.