Interlock and surgical instrument including same
AssigneeEthicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.
InventorsFrederick E. Shelton, James R. Giordano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A surgical instrument is disclosed. The instrument includes an end effector comprising a moveable cutting instrument to cut an object and a motor coupled to the end effector. The motor actuates the cutting instrument in response to a current therethrough, causing the cutting instrument to move between a proximal-most position and a distal-most position. The instrument includes an interlock coupled to the end effector and to the motor to prevent actuation of the cutting instrument based on the current through the motor.
Claims19
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- an end effector comprising a moveable cutting instrument to cut an object;
- a motor coupled to the end effector, the motor to actuate the cutting instrument in response to a current therethrough, wherein actuation of the cutting instrument causes the cutting instrument to move between a proximal-most position and a distal-most position;
- and
- an interlock coupled to the end effector and to the motor, the interlock to prevent actuation of the cutting instrument based on the current through the motor.
A method for preventing operation of a surgical instrument, the surgical instrument configured for removably receiving an expendable staple cartridge and comprising a moveable cutting instrument and a motor to actuate the cutting instrument in response to a current therethrough, the method comprising:
- mechanically blocking actuation of the cutting instrument by the motor in the absence of an unexpended staple cartridge in the instrument;
- detecting the current through the motor resulting from the blocked actuation of the cutting instrument;
- and
- interrupting the current through the motor based on the detected current.
A method of processing a surgical instrument, comprising:
- obtaining the surgical instrument, wherein the surgical instrument comprises:
- an end effector comprising a moveable cutting instrument to cut an object;
- a motor coupled to the end effector, the motor to actuate the cutting instrument in response to a current therethrough, wherein actuation of the cutting instrument causes the cutting instrument to move between a proximal-most position and a distal-most position;
- and
- an interlock coupled to the end effector and to the motor, the interlock to prevent actuation of the cutting instrument based on the current through the motor;
- sterilizing the surgical instrument;
- and
- storing the surgical instrument in a sterile container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.