The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 29, 2026
Filed:
Oct. 22, 2024
Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Ashley Wellman, East Palo Alto, CA (US);
Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
A surgical instrument, such as a tissue sealing instrument, is provided with an end effector having first and second movable jaws that define a gap therebetween in the closed position for clamping, sealing and/or stapling tissue. The jaws are movable relative to each other in the closed position to reduce a thickness of least one portion of this gap. This configuration allows the jaws to be moved closer together to reduce the overall size of the instrument when, for example, the instrument is introduced and retracted through an opening in the patient, or maneuvered within a body cavity. The surgical instrument may also have multiple settings for use with different staple cartridges, while still maintaining a fixed dimension between the two jaws for clamping, stapling and/or sealing tissue, providing a more adaptable surgical instrument that allows the surgeon to use different staple cartridges without having to change surgical instruments.