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US 10,245,057 B2Granted
Surgical instruments including knife assemblies with reducible cutting height
AssigneeCovidien LP
InventorsKim V. Brandt, Allan G. Aquino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A knife assembly of a surgical end effector assembly includes a knife body defining a longitudinal axis and having first and second arms. The first arm has a first head including a cutting edge at a distal end thereof and the second arm has a second head. The first head is pivotable relative to the second head to reduce a cutting height during translation of the knife assembly through a knife channel defined within the end effector assembly.
Claims15
A knife assembly of a surgical end effector assembly, the knife assembly comprising:
- a knife body defining a longitudinal axis and having first and second arms, the first arm having a first head including a cutting edge at a distal end thereof and the second arm having a second head, the first head including a notch defined in a proximal end thereof, the notch configured to receive the second head therein, wherein at least the first head is pivotable relative to the second head to reduce a cutting height during translation of the knife assembly through a knife channel defined within the end effector assembly.
A knife assembly of a surgical end effector assembly, the knife assembly comprising:
- a knife body defining a longitudinal axis and having first and second arms, the first arm having a first head including a cutting edge at a distal end thereof and the second arm having a second head, the second head including a cutting edge, the cutting edges of the first and second heads positioned to create a scissor-cutting action between the cutting edges thereof as at least the first head pivots relative to the second head,
- wherein the cutting edge of the first head includes a first longitudinal cutting edge and a first transverse cutting edge, the cutting edge of the second head includes a second longitudinal cutting edge and a second transverse edge, the first and second longitudinal cutting edges configured to cut in a shear direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the knife body, the first and second transverse cutting edges configured to cut in an axial direction along the longitudinal axis of the knife body, and
- wherein at least the first head is pivotable relative to the second head to reduce a cutting height during translation of the knife assembly through a knife channel defined within the end effector assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.