Selectable handle biasing

• US 8,460,337 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2010
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Shelton, Frederick E. IV, Morgan, Stuart K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Gary
• Assistant Examiner(s): STRANSKY, KATRINA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US12/796,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 606/205, 606/206, 606/207, 606/208, 606/209, 606/210, 606/211, 606/1, 606/171, 606/142, 606/143, 606/139, 606/108, 606167-170
• US Class Current: 606/205
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00393 with means for switching between functions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00438 connectable to a finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2922 toggle linkages

Abstract

Devices and related methods are disclosed that generally relate to surgical devices provided for use in various surgical procedures. In some embodiments, the surgical devices can include a handle housing and an elongate shaft having opposed jaws disposed at a distal end thereof. The handle housing can have a handle portion and a trigger configured to pivot relative to the handle portion to open and close the opposed jaws. A biasing switch can generally be disposed in and/or on the handle housing and can be selectively movable between a first configuration in which the opposed jaws are biased to an open position, and a second configuration in which the opposed jaws are biased to a closed position.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument, comprising:

an elongate shaft having opposed jaws at a distal end thereof;

a handle housing coupled to a proximal end of the elongate shaft and having a trigger configured to pivot to open and close the opposed jaws; and

a biasing switch disposed in the handle housing and selectively movable between a first configuration in which the opposed jaws are biased to an open position such that pivoting the trigger toward the handle housing closes the jaws, and a second configuration in which the opposed jaws are biased to a closed position such that pivoting the trigger away from the handle housing opens the jaws.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the biasing switch includes an opening spring and a closing spring, the opening spring being configured to bias the opposed jaws to the open position and the closing spring being configured bias the opposed jaws to the closed position.

3. The surgical instrument of claim 2, wherein the biasing switch further includes a lever disposed in the handle housing and positioned between the opening and closing springs, the lever being configured to compress the opening spring to bias the opposed jaws to the open configuration and to compress the closing spring to bias the opposed jaws to the closed position.

4. The surgical instrument of claim 3, wherein the closing spring is disposed between the lever and a proximal bushing coupled to an actuating member extending through the elongate shaft and coupled to the opposed jaws, and the opening spring is disposed between the lever and a distal bushing coupled to the actuating member.

5. The surgical instrument of claim 4, where longitudinal movement of the actuating member relative to the elongate shaft is effective to move the opposed jaws between the open and closed positions.

6. The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising an actuating member extending through the elongate shaft and coupled to the biasing switch and the opposed jaws, the actuating member being movable longitudinally relative to the elongate shaft to move the jaws between the open and closed positions.

7. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the handle housing includes a stationary handle that is pivotally coupled to the trigger and that extends generally parallel to the trigger when the trigger is in a closed position.

8. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the biasing switch includes a neutral configuration in which the opposed jaws are unbiased.

9. A surgical device, comprising:

a handle having first and second elongate members;

an elongate shaft extending from a distal end of the handle;

opposed jaws coupled to a distal end of the elongate shaft and movable between an open position and a closed position;

an actuating member extending through the elongate shaft and coupled to the opposed jaws, wherein movement of the actuating member in a first direction is configured to move the opposed jaws to the open position, and movement of the actuating member in a second opposite direction is configured to move the opposed jaws to the closed position; and

a biasing element disposed within the handle and coupled to the actuating member, the biasing element being selectively movable between a first position in which the biasing element biases the actuating member in the first direction, and a second position in which the biasing element biases the actuating member in the second direction;

wherein when the biasing element is in the first position, pivoting the distal end of the second elongate member away from the first elongate member opens the opposed jaws, and when the biasing element is in the second position, pivoting the distal end of the second elongate member toward the first elongate member closes the opposed jaws.

10. The surgical device of claim 9, wherein the biasing element has a neutral configuration in which the actuating member is unbiased.

11. The surgical device of claim 9, further comprising a lever disposed on the handle and coupled to the biasing element for moving the biasing element between the first and second positions.

12. The surgical device of claim 9, wherein the handle comprises first and second elongate members having proximal and distal ends, the elongate shaft extending distally from the distal end of the first elongate member, and the proximal end of the second elongate member being pivotally coupled to the proximal end of the first elongate member.

13. The surgical device of claim 12, wherein pivotal movement of the second elongate member relative to the first elongate member is effective to move the actuating member in the first and second directions.

14. The surgical device of claim 12, wherein the first and second elongate members are pivotally movable between an open position, in which the distal end of the second elongate member is spaced a distance apart from the distal end of the first elongate member, and a closed position in which longitudinal axes of the first and second elongate members extend substantially parallel to one another.

15. The surgical device of claim 9, wherein the biasing element includes a first spring configured to be compressed against a distal stop to bias the actuating member in the first direction, and a second spring configured to be compressed against a proximal stop to bias the actuating member in the second direction.

16. The surgical device of claim 15, wherein the handle includes a lever disposed thereon and extending between the first and second springs such that the lever is configured to selectively compress one of the first and second springs.

17. The surgical device of claim 16, wherein the lever is movable in a first direction to compress the first spring, and the lever is movable in a second, opposite direction to compress the second spring.

18. A surgical method, comprising:

positioning an end effector having opposed jaws on a distal end of an elongate shaft of a surgical device in a body cavity, the surgical device having a trigger and a housing; and

moving a biasing switch on a handle of the surgical device to one of a first position in which the biasing switch biases the opposed jaws to a first configuration, and a second position in which the biasing switch biases the opposed jaws to a second configuration;

wherein when the biasing switch is in the second position, moving the trigger away from the housing causes the opposed jaws to open.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising actuating a trigger on the handle to move the end effector from the first configuration to the second configuration.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising moving the biasing switch on the handle to the other one of the first and second positions.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the opposed jaws are open in the first configuration and closed in the second configuration.