Surgical instrument having an articulating end effector
First Claim
1. An articulating surgical instrument, the instrument comprising:
- a shaft having a longitudinal axis;
an end effector operationally coupled to the shaft at an articulation pivot, wherein the end effector comprises a boss centered on the articulation pivot;
a first band operationally connected to the end effector and extending through at least a portion of the shaft, wherein the first band is mechanically coupled to the end effector at a first point of the boss that is offset from the articulation pivot such that force translated through the first band is translated to the boss to effect rotation of the boss about the articulation pivot; and
an articulation control, wherein the articulation control comprises an articulation slide that is movable substantially perpendicularly across the shaft for applying a force in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, said articulation slide being operationally connected to the first band such that application of the force is translated through the first band to the end effector to effect rotation of the end effector relative to the shaft about the articulation pivot.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An articulating surgical instrument is shown, which comprises a shaft and an end effector. The shaft has a longitudinal axis, and the end effector is operationally coupled, preferably mechanically coupled, to the shaft at an articulation pivot. The instrument also comprises a first band, and in some embodiments, a second band, each operationally connected to the end effector and extending through at least a portion of the shaft. An articulation control applies a force in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis, wherein the force, when applied in one direction, is translated through the first band to the end effector to effect rotation of the end effector relative to the shaft about the articulation pivot in a first rotational direction, and when the force is applied in the opposite direction, is translated through the second band to the end effector to effect rotation of the end effector relative to the shaft about the articulation pivot in a second rotational direction.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An articulating surgical instrument, the instrument comprising:
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a shaft having a longitudinal axis; an end effector operationally coupled to the shaft at an articulation pivot, wherein the end effector comprises a boss centered on the articulation pivot; a first band operationally connected to the end effector and extending through at least a portion of the shaft, wherein the first band is mechanically coupled to the end effector at a first point of the boss that is offset from the articulation pivot such that force translated through the first band is translated to the boss to effect rotation of the boss about the articulation pivot; and an articulation control, wherein the articulation control comprises an articulation slide that is movable substantially perpendicularly across the shaft for applying a force in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, said articulation slide being operationally connected to the first band such that application of the force is translated through the first band to the end effector to effect rotation of the end effector relative to the shaft about the articulation pivot. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An articulating surgical instrument, the instrument comprising:
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a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, and a longitudinal axis; an end effector pivotally coupled to the shaft at an articulation pivot at the distal end of the shaft allowing the end effector to pivot relative to the shaft about an articulation axis, wherein the end effector comprises a boss centered on the articulation pivot; a first band extending through at least a portion of the shaft, the first band comprising a first end mechanically coupled to the end effector at a point offset from the articulation axis, wherein the first band is mechanically coupled to the end effector at a first point of the boss that is offset from the articulation pivot such that force translated through the first band is translated to the boss to effect rotation of the boss about the articulation pivot; an articulation control bar movable substantially perpendicularly across the shaft towards the first band for applying a force in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of operating a surgical instrument, wherein the surgical instrument comprises:
- a shaft;
an end effector comprising a boss mechanically coupled to the shaft at an articulation pivot allowing the end effector to pivot relative to the shaft about an articulation axis;
a first band extending through at least a portion of the shaft, the first band comprising a first end mechanically coupled to the boss of the end effector at a point offset from the articulation axis; and
an articulation slide movable substantially perpendicularly to the shaft, the method for operating the instrument comprising;applying a force to the articulation slide in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the shaft, wherein the force causes the articulation slide to contact the first band, causing the first band to bend, and wherein the bending of the first band causes the end effector to pivot relative to the shaft about the articulation pivot in a first direction. - View Dependent Claims (26)
- a shaft;
Specification