Surgical instrument
First Claim
1. A surgical instrument comprisinga stationary member disposed generally along an axis and including a bend region that angularly offsets a distal region of said stationary member from said axis,an assembly including a driver member and a generally rigid movable member that extend along said stationary member and are movable with respect to each other,said driver member having a distal end coupled to a surgical tool and being relieved with a first opening pattern to render it at least partially flexible for transmitting a first force applied at a proximal region of said instrument through said bend region of said stationary member to operate said surgical tool, andsaid generally rigid movable member having a distal end coupled to said surgical tool and being relieved with a second opening pattern different from said first opening pattern to provide a relatively flexible region axially aligned with said bend region proximally of said surgical tool for transmitting a second, different force applied at said proximal region through said bend region to selectively change a rotational orientation of said surgical tool with respect to said stationary member, at least a portion of said first opening pattern being axially aligned along said axis with at least a portion of said second opening pattern.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical instrument in which a surgical tool is carried distally of a bend region in a stationary support member by an assembly that transmits proximally applied forces through the bend region to both operate the surgical tool and selectively change the rotational orientation of the surgical tool with respect to the stationary member. In another aspect, in which the stationary member does not include a bend region, a rotatable member supported by the stationary member transmits rotational force to the surgical tool to selectively change the rotational orientation of the tool, and a driver member supported by the stationary member transmits axial force to the surgical tool to operate it. In still another aspect in which the stationary member includes the bend region but the surgical tool is not rotatable, a movable member supported by the stationary member is constructed to transmit a proximally applied axial force through the bend region to operate a surgical tool disposed in a distal region of the instrument.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A surgical instrument comprising
a stationary member disposed generally along an axis and including a bend region that angularly offsets a distal region of said stationary member from said axis, an assembly including a driver member and a generally rigid movable member that extend along said stationary member and are movable with respect to each other, said driver member having a distal end coupled to a surgical tool and being relieved with a first opening pattern to render it at least partially flexible for transmitting a first force applied at a proximal region of said instrument through said bend region of said stationary member to operate said surgical tool, and said generally rigid movable member having a distal end coupled to said surgical tool and being relieved with a second opening pattern different from said first opening pattern to provide a relatively flexible region axially aligned with said bend region proximally of said surgical tool for transmitting a second, different force applied at said proximal region through said bend region to selectively change a rotational orientation of said surgical tool with respect to said stationary member, at least a portion of said first opening pattern being axially aligned along said axis with at least a portion of said second opening pattern.
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27. A surgical instrument comprising
a stationary member disposed generally along an axis and including a bend region that angularly offsets a distal region of said stationary member from said axis, a surgical tool disposed at said distal region, said surgical tool being operable in response to a force applied substantially along said axis of said stationary member, and a movable member supported by said stationary member, said movable member having a generally rigid distal region coupled to said surgical tool, a generally rigid proximal region disposed at a proximal region of said instrument, and a flexible intermediate region disposed in said bend region, said flexible region including an axially elongated strip of material rigidly interconnected at either end to said generally rigid distal region and said generally rigid proximal region, said strip of material being circumferentially bounded by an axially elongated opening disposed between said generally rigid distal region and said generally rigid proximal region, said strip of material being sufficiently axially stiff to transmit said force applied substantially along said axis of said stationary member to operate said tool.
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34. A surgical instrument comprising
A first member having a distal end coupled to a surgical tool for cutting or grasping tissue, a region of said first member being relieved with a first opening pattern to render it relatively flexible, and a second member carried by said first member and having a distal end coupled to said surgical tool and a region relieved with a second opening pattern different from said first opening pattern to render it relatively flexible, said first and second members being rotatable relative to one another, a spacing between said members remaining substantially constant during said relative motion.
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39. A surgical instrument comprising
A first member having a distal end coupled to a surgical tool for cutting or grasping tissue, a region of said first member being relieved with a first opening pattern to render it relatively flexible, and a second member carried by said first member and having a distal end coupled to said surgical tool and a region relieved with a second opening pattern different from said first opening pattern to render it relatively flexible, said first and second members being movable relative to one another, at least a portion of said first opening pattern being adjacent to and moving past at least a portion of said second opening pattern during said relative motion, a spacing between said first and second opening patterns remaining substantially constant during said relative motion.
Specification