Surgical stapler with electromechanical lockout

A surgical instrument comprising:

• (a) a stapling head assembly, wherein the stapling head assembly comprises a plurality of staples;
• (b) a clamping member, wherein the clamping member comprises a plurality of staple forming features;
• (c) a clamping drive assembly, wherein the clamping drive assembly is operable to drive the clamping member toward and away from the stapling head assembly;
• (d) a firing assembly configured to actuate from a pre-fired position toward a fired position, wherein the firing assembly is operable to actuate the stapling head assembly to thereby drive the staples toward the staple forming features;
• and
• (e) a lockout assembly operable to lock the clamping drive assembly and thereby prevent actuation of the clamping drive assembly in response to the firing assembly actuating from the pre-fired position toward the fired position, wherein the firing assembly is configured to drive the lockout assembly into an unlocked configuration in response to the firing assembly actuating from the fired position into a post-fired position.

A surgical instrument comprising:

• (a) a stapling head assembly, wherein the stapling head assembly comprises a plurality of staples;
• (b) an anvil comprising a plurality of staple forming features;
• (c) an anvil coupling assembly configured to selectively couple with the anvil, wherein the anvil coupling assembly is operable to drive the anvil toward and away from the stapling head assembly;
• (d) a firing assembly operable to actuate from a pre-fired position into a fired position such that the stapling head assembly drives the staples toward the staple forming features, wherein the firing assembly is operable to actuate from the fired position into a post-fired position;
• and
• (e) a lockout assembly operable to transition between an unlocked configuration and a locked configuration, wherein the lockout assembly is configured to inhibit movement of the anvil coupling assembly in the locked configuration, wherein the lockout assembly is configured to allow movement of the anvil coupling assembly in the unlocked configuration, wherein the lockout assembly is configured to transition from the unlocked configuration into the locked configuration in response to the firing assembly actuating from the pre-fired position into the fired position, wherein the lockout assembly is configured to transition from the locked configuration into the unlocked configuration in response to the firing assembly actuating from the fired position into the post-fired position.