# US 10,499,979 B2 · Methods of manufacturing a pair of jaw members of an end-effector assembly for a surgical instrument

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- Number: US 10,499,979 B2
- Document ID: US10499979B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/623,751
- Filed: 2017-06-15
- Published: 2017-10-05
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2014-04-17
- Assignees: Covidien LP
- Applicants: Covidien LP
- Inventors: Daniel A. Joseph
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10499979B2

## CPC

- A61B 18/1445: {at the distal end of a shaft, e.g. forceps or scissors at the end of a rigid rod}
- A61B 2017/00526: {Methods of manufacturing}
- A61B 2018/1455: {having a moving blade for cutting tissue grasped by the jaws}
- Y10T 29/49826: Assembling or joining
- Y10T 29/49895: Associating parts by use of aligning means [e.g., use of a drift pin or a "fixture"]
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A method of manufacturing a matched pair of opposing jaw members of an end-effector assembly includes assembling a first jaw member having a knife channel, assembling a second jaw member having a knife channel, setting a jaw gap and aligning a first sealing plate of the first jaw member and a second sealing plate of the second jaw member in relation to one another by bringing the first jaw member and the second jaw member into clamped engagement with an alignment spacer. The alignment spacer is configured to engage the knife channel of the first jaw member and the knife channel of the second jaw member. The method also includes coupling the first jaw member to the second jaw member.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacturing an end-effector assembly, the method comprising:
positioning an alignment spacer in a first knife channel defined in a first jaw member;
positioning the alignment spacer in a second knife channel defined in a second jaw member; and
pivotally coupling the first and second jaw members relative to one another in a clamped configuration with the alignment spacer positioned between the first and second jaw members to set a jaw gap distance between the first and second jaw members and align the first and second jaw members relative to one another.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein positioning the alignment spacer in the first knife channel includes positioning the alignment spacer through a first elongated slot defined in a first seal plate of the first jaw member, and wherein positioning the alignment spacer in the second knife channel includes positioning the alignment spacer through a second elongated slot defined in a second seal plate of the second jaw member.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2, wherein pivotally coupling the first and second jaw members relative to one another in the clamped configuration includes setting the jaw gap distance between the first and second jaw members and aligning the first and second seal plates relative to one another.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein pivotally coupling the first and second jaw members relative to one another in the clamped configuration includes the jaw members being tip biased.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising releasing the alignment spacer from the first and second jaw members after pivotally coupling the first and second jaw members relative to one another.