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:
May. 19, 1998
Filed:
Oct. 18, 1994
Maciej J Kieturakis, San Carlos, CA (US);
Archimedes Surgical, Inc., Menlo Park, CA (US);
Abstract
A surgical instrument for gripping tissue in an endoscopic workspace. The instrument has an elongate introducer sleeve extending along a primary axis. An articulating jaw assembly is coupled to the distal end of the introducer sleeve with a ball and socket-type joint that provides jaws that open and close with around a secondary axis. Thus, the secondary axis of the jaw assembly is free to articulate and rotate relative to the primary axis of the introducer sleeve. When tissue is gripped by the jaws, lateral retraction forces cause the jaw assembly to align itself with the direction of retracting forces. A trigger within a proximal handle actuates the jaws in any articulated position. The instrument further provides a 'flex jaw' feature by which is meant the jaw working faces are somewhat free to rotate relative to the jaw arms. Thus, as the jaw arms close to grip tissue, the jaw working faces rotate to accommodate tissue thickness and density thereby uniformly apply gripping pressure on tissue.