Surgical instrument with lockout mechanism

Abstract

Drive assemblies for surgical clamping and cutting instruments, as well as surgical clamping and cutting instruments using these drive assemblies, are disclosed. The drive assemblies may include a drive member, a locking member mounted to the drive member, and a spring. The drive member may be configured to releasably engage at least one of a knife or a shuttle of a surgical clamping and cutting instrument for translating the knife and/or shuttle in a distal direction through a firing stroke. The locking member may be movable from a first position permitting distal translation of the drive member through the firing stroke, and a second position inhibiting distal translation of the drive member through the firing stroke. The spring may be configured to bias the locking member toward the second position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.