US 11,696,678 B2Granted

Applicator instruments with inverted handles and triggers, curved shafts, and visible orientation indicia

AssigneeEthicon, Inc.

InventorsMichael Cardinale, Doug Souls, Simon Cohn, Matthew Rohr Daniel, Jonathan B. Gabel, Danial Paul Ferreira

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An applicator instrument for dispensing surgical fasteners includes a housing, a firing system moveable along a first axis, a handle extending upwardly from the housing along a second axis that defines an acute angle with the first axis, the handle having an upper free end that defines a top of the applicator instrument, a trigger coupled with the housing for activating the firing system, and an elongated shaft extending from the distal end of the housing, the elongated shaft having a proximal shaft section extending along the first axis and a distal shaft section that is oriented at an angle relative to the proximal shaft section for extending upwardly toward the top of the applicator instrument. The trigger is squeezed for dispensing surgical fasteners from the distal end of the elongated shaft. The applicator instrument has at least one visual indicator for indicating a proper orientation for the applicator instrument in which the upper free end of the handle is positioned above the housing.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An applicator instrument for dispensing surgical fasteners comprising:

a housing having a proximal end, a distal end, an upper end, and a lower end that defines a bottom of said applicator instrument;
a firing system disposed in said housing and being moveable along a first axis between the proximal and distal ends of said housing;
a handle extending upwardly from the upper end of said housing along a second axis that defines an acute angle with the first axis, said handle having a lower end secured to the upper end of said housing and an upper free end that defines a top of said applicator instrument;
a trigger coupled with said housing for activating said firing system;
an elongated shaft extending from the distal end of said housing, said elongated shaft having a proximal shaft section that extends along the first axis and a distal shaft section that is oriented at an angle relative to said proximal shaft section for extending upwardly toward the top of said applicator instrument;
a plurality of surgical fasteners disposed in said elongated shaft, wherein said trigger is configured to be squeezed toward said handle for dispensing a leading one of said surgical fasteners from said distal shaft section of said elongated shaft;
at least one visual indicator provided on said applicator instrument for indicating a proper orientation for said applicator instrument in which the upper free end of said handle is positioned above said housing and said housing is positioned below the lower end of said handle, wherein said at least one visual indicator comprises a counter that shows how many of said surgical fasteners have been dispensed from said applicator instrument or how many of said surgical fasteners remain in said applicator instrument, and wherein said counter is located at a top of the upper free end of said handle to provide visibility of said counter when said applicator instrument is in the proper orientation with said handle positioned above said housing.

4 more elements

An applicator instrument for dispensing surgical fasteners comprising:

a housing defining a bottom of said applicator instrument;
a firing system disposed in said housing and being moveable in distal and proximal directions;
a handle extending upwardly from an upper end of said housing and being angled toward a distal end of said applicator instrument, said handle having an upper free end that defines a top of said applicator instrument;
an elongated shaft extending distally from said housing near the bottom of said applicator instrument, said elongated shaft having a proximal shaft section that extends along a first axis and a distal shaft section that is oriented at an angle relative to said proximal shaft section for extending upwardly toward the top of said applicator instrument;
a plurality of surgical fasteners disposed in series in said elongated shaft;
a trigger for actuating said firing system for dispensing said surgical fasteners from said distal shaft section of said elongated shaft;
at least one visual indicator provided on said applicator instrument for indicating a proper orientation for said applicator instrument in which the upper free end of said handle is positioned above said housing with the upper free end of said handle defining the top of said applicator instrument and a lower end of said housing defining the bottom of said applicator instrument, wherein said at least one visual indicator comprises a counter that shows how many of said surgical fasteners have been dispensed from said applicator instrument or how many of said surgical fasteners remain in said applicator instrument, and wherein said counter is located at a top of the upper free end of said handle to provide visibility of said counter when said applicator instrument is held in the proper orientation with said handle positioned above said housing.

4 more elements

An applicator instrument for dispensing surgical fasteners comprising:

a housing defining a bottom of said applicator instrument;
a handle extending upwardly from said housing, said handle having an upper end that defines a top of said applicator instrument;
an elongated shaft extending from said housing adjacent the bottom of said applicator instrument, said elongated shaft having a proximal shaft section that extends along a first axis and a distal shaft section that defines an angle with relative to said proximal shaft section for extending upwardly toward the top of said applicator instrument;
a plurality of surgical fasteners disposed in series in said elongated shaft;
a firing system disposed in said housing;
a trigger coupled with said housing for activating said firing system to dispense said surgical fasteners from said distal shaft section of said elongated shaft;
at least one visual indicator provided on an outer surface of said applicator instrument for indicating a proper orientation for said applicator instrument in which said handle and said trigger are positioned above said housing, wherein said at least one visual indicator comprises a counter that indicates how many of said surgical fasteners have been dispensed from said applicator instrument or how many of said surgical fasteners remain in said applicator instrument, and wherein said counter is located at a top of the upper free end of said handle to provide visibility of said counter when said applicator instrument is in the proper orientation with said handle positioned above said housing.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/268,084Filed 5 Feb 2019 · continuation
Priority: 11 May 2012
Published: US 2019/0208996 A111 Jul 2019
Granted: 11 Jul 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

A61B 17/0682
Surgical staplers , e.g. containing multiple staples or clamps: for applying U-shaped staples or clamps, e.g. without a forming anvil
A61B 17/08
Surgical instruments, devices or methods: wound clamps or clips, i.e. not or only partly penetrating the tissue ; Devices for bringing together…
A61B 17/064
Surgical instruments, devices or methods: surgical staples, i.e. penetrating the tissue
A61B 2017/003
Mounted on or guided by flexible, e.g. catheter-like, means: steerable

Family

Application13/470,022Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 11 May 2012
Application13/720,198Parent of this continuation · filed 19 Dec 2012
US 8,518,055 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 27 Aug 2013
US 2019/0208996 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Jul 2019
US 10,575,716 B2Parent of this continuation
Application13/720,198Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2013/0303845 A1Published application
US 11,696,678 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.