Surgical cutting and stapling instrument with self adjusting anvil
First Claim
1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
- a cartridge supporting assembly configured to operably support a staple cartridge therein, said cartridge supporting assembly having at least one elongated slot therein wherein each said slot comprises at least one wall having a series of detents formed as notches therein to define a plurality of closed positions; and
an anvil having at least one mounting portion configured to facilitate selective movement between an open position and the closed positions, wherein each said mounting portion engages at least one detent of said series of detents to define one closed position of said closed positions, wherein at least one of said mounting portions corresponds to one said series of detents and is configured for engagement with any detent therein to automatically adjust a tissue clamping space between said anvil and said cartridge supporting assembly in response to a thickness of tissue clamped between a cartridge supported in said cartridge supporting assembly and said anvil.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical instrument for being endoscopically or laparoscopically inserted into a surgical site for simultaneous stapling and severing of tissue includes an elongate channel that is configured to operably support a staple cartridge therein. An anvil is coupled to the elongate channel and is configured to interact therewith such that at least a mounting portion of the anvil can seatingly engage corresponding portions of the elongate channel at any one of a discrete number of predetermined locations to adjust a tissue clamping space between the anvil and the elongate channel in response to a thickness of tissue received between the elongate channel and the anvil and application of a closing motion to the anvil.
3208 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
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a cartridge supporting assembly configured to operably support a staple cartridge therein, said cartridge supporting assembly having at least one elongated slot therein wherein each said slot comprises at least one wall having a series of detents formed as notches therein to define a plurality of closed positions; and an anvil having at least one mounting portion configured to facilitate selective movement between an open position and the closed positions, wherein each said mounting portion engages at least one detent of said series of detents to define one closed position of said closed positions, wherein at least one of said mounting portions corresponds to one said series of detents and is configured for engagement with any detent therein to automatically adjust a tissue clamping space between said anvil and said cartridge supporting assembly in response to a thickness of tissue clamped between a cartridge supported in said cartridge supporting assembly and said anvil. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A surgical instrument, comprising:
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a handle assembly; an elongate spine assembly coupled to said handle assembly; an elongate channel distally coupled to said elongate spine assembly and configured to support a staple cartridge therein, said elongate channel having at least one elongated slot therein, wherein each said slot comprises at least one wall and wherein said at least one wall has at least one series of detents formed as notches therein to define a plurality of closed positions; a selectively actuatable closure tube assembly movably received on said elongate spine assembly; and an anvil movably coupled to said elongate channel and configured to receive opening and closing motions from said selectively actuatable closure tube assembly, said anvil having at least one mounting portion configured to facilitate selective movement between an open position and the closed positions, wherein each said mounting portion engages at least one detent of said series of detents to define one closed position of said closed positions, wherein each said mounting portion corresponds to one said series of detents in said elongate channel and is configured to seatingly engage any one of said detents therein to automatically adjust a tissue clamping space between said anvil and a cartridge supported in said elongate channel in response to a thickness of tissue clamped between the cartridge supported in said elongate channel and said anvil and application of a closing motion to said anvil. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification