# US 2013/0158526 A1 · Medical Tubular Shaft Instrument

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2013/0158526 A1
- Document ID: US20130158526A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/718,686
- Filed: 2012-12-18
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-20
- Assignees: University of Dundee
- Inventors: Timothy Graham Frank; Stuart Coleman
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130158526A1

## CPC

- A61B 5/332: Portable devices specially adapted therefor
- A61B 17/00: Surgical instruments, devices or methods (A61B18/00 takes precedence; dental tools A61C3/00; eye surgery A61F9/007; ear surgery A61F11/20)
- A61B 17/29: Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
- A61B 34/70: {Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery}
- A61B 2017/00477: {Coupling (A61B2017/0046 takes precedence)}
- A61B 2017/2902: {characterized by features of the actuating rod}
- A61B 2017/2903: {transferring rotary motion}
- A61B 2017/2904: {curved, but rigid}
- A61B 2017/2905: {flexible}
- A61B 2017/2908: {Multiple segments connected by articulations}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)

## Abstract

A medical tubular shaft instrument comprises a tubular shaft, a handle at a proximal end of the shaft and a movable working part at a distal end of the shaft, wherein the shaft comprises a shaft section having a curvature and being arranged between the distal end and the proximal end of the shaft, wherein the handle and the working part are operatively connected via a force transmission element extending through the shaft and being movable in a longitudinal direction of the shaft, wherein the force transmission element has a section arranged within the curved shaft section of the shaft which is guided on an inner surface of the shaft and which comprises a plurality of interconnected single elements arranged one after the other along the longitudinal direction of the shaft. The single elements are pairwise connected by means of a pin forming a hinged joint, wherein each of the pins defines a rotation axis oriented substantially perpendicular relative to the shaft.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A medical tubular shaft instrument, comprising
a tubular shaft having a distal end, a proximal end, and defining a longitudinal direction, the shaft having a shaft section arranged between the distal end and the proximal end of the shaft and having a curvature and an inner surface,
a handle arranged at the proximal end of the shaft,
a movable working part arranged at the distal end of the shaft,
a force transmission element extending through the shaft and being movable in the longitudinal direction of the shaft, the force transmission element operatively connecting the handle and the working part, the force transmission element having a force transmission element section arranged within the shaft section having the curvature, the force transmission element section being guided on the inner surface of the shaft section, the force transmission element section further having
a plurality of interconnected single elements arranged one after the other along the longitudinal direction of the shaft, the single elements being pairwise connected through a hinged joint, each hinged joint having a pin, each of the pins oriented substantially perpendicular relative to the longitudinal direction of the shaft and defining a rotation axis of a pair of the interconnected single elements.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The instrument of claim 1, wherein the rotation axis defined by at least one of the pins is oriented non-parallel to the rotation axes defined by the other pins.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The instrument of claim 1, wherein the rotation axes defined by the pins of adjacent single elements are oriented substantially non-parallel to each other.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The instrument of claim 1, wherein the rotation axes defined by the pins of adjacent single elements are oriented at least approximately perpendicular to each other.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The instrument of claim 1, wherein the single elements are shaped in forms of cylinders, at least one longitudinal end face of the single elements being bevelled.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The instrument of claim 5, wherein the cylinders have outer surfaces being in circumferential contact with the inner surface of the shaft section for guiding the force transmission element.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The instrument of claim 5, wherein two adjacent single elements which are arranged face to face, form at least one wedge-like gap between the two adjacent single elements.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The instrument of claim 5, wherein a length of each of the cylinders is adapted to the curvature of the shaft.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The instrument of claim 7, wherein a size of the at least one wedge-like gap is adapted to the curvature of the shaft.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The instrument of claim 1, wherein the single elements having two opposite end faces, the single elements comprise at least one eye on each of the two end faces to bear at least one of the pins.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The instrument of claim 1, wherein one of the pins engages into at least a first eye of a first single element and at least a second eye of a second single element adjacent to the first single element.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The instrument of claim 1, wherein the force transmission element comprises a rigid elongated portion connected to the force transmission element section having the interconnected single elements.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The instrument of claim 1, wherein the force transmission element is rotatable relative to the shaft about the longitudinal direction of the shaft.