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:
Aug. 27, 2002
Filed:
Jun. 06, 2001
David A. Nicholas, Trumbull, CT (US);
Robert C. Smith, Hamden, CT (US);
Scott E. Manzo, Shelton, CT (US);
United States Surgical Corporation, Norwalk, CT (US);
Abstract
A surgical instrument for performing an anastomosis includes a housing having a proximal end and a distal end; a shaft extending from the housing distal end; and a disposable loading unit configured and dimensioned to retain a plurality of surgical fasteners, the disposable loading unit extending from the shaft and forming a juncture with the shaft, the disposable loading unit including: i) opposed split-sections pivotably connected to facilitate movement of the opposed split-sections between open and closed configurations, the opposed split sections being movable through a firing stroke from a first position to a second position and back to the first position to form a plurality of surgical fasteners; and ii) a pivot lockout member including a latch portion which extends between the opposed split-sections, the latch portion including a contact surface which interacts with a corresponding surface formed on at least one of the opposed split-sections to retain the opposed split-sections in the closed configuration, wherein upon return of the fastener pusher member to the first position from the second position, the pivot lockout member is displaced relative to the opposed split sections to an unlocked configuration.