SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HAVING RECORDING CAPABILITIES
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A surgical instrument comprising:
- an end effector;
a trigger in communication with the end effector;
a first sensor having an output representing a first condition of at least one of the group consisting of the trigger and the end effector; and
an externally accessible memory device in communication with the first sensor, wherein the memory device is configured to record the output of the first sensor.
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Abstract
A surgical instrument. The surgical instrument has an end effector and a trigger in communication with the end effector. The surgical instrument also has a first sensor and an externally accessible memory device in communication with the first sensor. The first sensor has an output that represents a first condition of either the trigger or the end effector. The memory device is configured to record the output of the first sensor. In various embodiments, memory device may include an output port and/or a removable storage medium.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A surgical instrument comprising:
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an end effector; a trigger in communication with the end effector; a first sensor having an output representing a first condition of at least one of the group consisting of the trigger and the end effector; and an externally accessible memory device in communication with the first sensor, wherein the memory device is configured to record the output of the first sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A surgical instrument comprising:
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an end effector; a trigger in communication with the end effector; a first sensor having an output representing a condition of the end effector; a second sensor having an output representing a condition of the trigger; and a memory device in communication with the first sensor and the second sensor, wherein the memory device is configured to record the output of the first sensor and the output of the second sensor. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of recording the state of a surgical instrument, the method comprising:
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monitoring outputs of a plurality of sensors, wherein the outputs represent conditions of the surgical instrument; and recording the outputs of the plurality of sensors to a memory device when at least one of the conditions of the surgical instrument changes. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification