Ratcheting mechanism for surgical stapling device
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A surgical stapling device comprising:
- a housing;
an elongated portion extending distally from the housing;
an end effector, at least a portion of the end effector being disposed in mechanical cooperation with a distal portion of the elongated portion;
a exactly one pivotable handle disposed in mechanical cooperation with the housing, the pivotable handle being movable between a first open position and a second approximated position for effecting a function of the end effector; and
a ratchet mechanism disposed in mechanical cooperation with the pivotable handle, the ratchet mechanism configured to releasably retain the position of the pivotable handle and to substantially prevent the pivotable handle from moving towards its first open position until the pivotable handle reaches the second position for effecting the function of the end effector, the ratchet mechanism including;
a rack having rack teeth and a cam surface, the rack being disposed in mechanical cooperation with the housing;
a link disposed in mechanical engagement with the rack and being pivotably coupled to the housing;
a pawl having pawl teeth and being disposed in mechanical cooperation with the pivotable handle, the rack teeth and the pawl teeth being configured for engagement with each other; and
a spring disposed in mechanical cooperation with the pivotable handle and being configured to bias at least one of the pawl and the rack towards the other such that the pawl teeth and the rack teeth are in engagement with one another,wherein the cam surface is configured to disengage the pawl teeth and the rack teeth upon the cam surface contacting the pawl for facilitating movement of the pivotable handle towards its first open position.
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Abstract
A surgical stapling device comprising a housing, an elongated portion, an end effector, and a movable handle disposed in mechanical cooperation with the housing and movable between a first open position and a second approximated position for affecting a function of the end effector. A ratchet mechanism is disposed in mechanical cooperation with the movable handle and is configured to substantially prevent the movable handle from moving towards its first open position until the movable handle reaches a predetermined position.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A surgical stapling device comprising:
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a housing; an elongated portion extending distally from the housing; an end effector, at least a portion of the end effector being disposed in mechanical cooperation with a distal portion of the elongated portion; a exactly one pivotable handle disposed in mechanical cooperation with the housing, the pivotable handle being movable between a first open position and a second approximated position for effecting a function of the end effector; and a ratchet mechanism disposed in mechanical cooperation with the pivotable handle, the ratchet mechanism configured to releasably retain the position of the pivotable handle and to substantially prevent the pivotable handle from moving towards its first open position until the pivotable handle reaches the second position for effecting the function of the end effector, the ratchet mechanism including; a rack having rack teeth and a cam surface, the rack being disposed in mechanical cooperation with the housing; a link disposed in mechanical engagement with the rack and being pivotably coupled to the housing; a pawl having pawl teeth and being disposed in mechanical cooperation with the pivotable handle, the rack teeth and the pawl teeth being configured for engagement with each other; and a spring disposed in mechanical cooperation with the pivotable handle and being configured to bias at least one of the pawl and the rack towards the other such that the pawl teeth and the rack teeth are in engagement with one another, wherein the cam surface is configured to disengage the pawl teeth and the rack teeth upon the cam surface contacting the pawl for facilitating movement of the pivotable handle towards its first open position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25)
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12. A surgical stapling device comprising:
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a housing; an elongated portion extending distally from the housing; an end effector disposed adjacent a distal portion of the elongated portion and including an anvil assembly and a shell assembly, the anvil assembly including an anvil head and an anvil center rod having a proximal end and a distal end, the anvil head being supported on the distal end of the anvil center rod, the shell assembly supporting a plurality of staples, the anvil assembly being movable in relation to the shell assembly between spaced and approximated positions; exactly one pivotable handle disposed in mechanical cooperation with the housing, the pivotable handle being movable between a first open position and a second approximated position for effecting a function of the end effector; a ratchet mechanism disposed in mechanical cooperation with the pivotable handle, the ratchet mechanism configured to substantially prevent the pivotable handle from moving towards its first open position until the pivotable handle reaches the second position for effecting the function of the end effector, the ratchet mechanism including a pawl having a plurality of teeth, the pawl being capable of being physically contacted by a user when the surgical stapling device is fully assembled; and an approximation mechanism including an anvil retainer for supporting the anvil assembly, the anvil retainer including an annular shoulder configured to engage the anvil center rod to fasten the anvil center rod to the anvil retainer. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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13. A surgical stapling device comprising:
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a housing; an elongated portion extending distally from the housing; an end effector disposed adjacent a distal portion of the elongated portion and including an anvil assembly and a shell assembly, the anvil assembly including an anvil head and an anvil center rod having a proximal end and a distal end, the anvil head being supported on the anvil center rod, the shell assembly supporting a plurality of staples, the anvil assembly being movable in relation to the shell assembly between spaced and approximated positions; exactly one pivotable handle disposed in mechanical cooperation with the housing, the pivotable handle being pivotable between a first position and a second position for effecting firing of the staples; and a ratchet mechanism disposed in mechanical cooperation with the pivotable handle, the ratchet mechanism configured to substantially prevent the pivotable handle from moving towards its first position until the pivotable handle reaches the second position and the staples have been fired, the ratchet mechanism including a rack and a link, the rack having rack teeth and a cam surface and being disposed in mechanical cooperation with the housing, the link being disposed in mechanical engagement with the rack and being pivotably coupled to the housing. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification