Articulating endoscopic surgical clip applier
AssigneeCovidien LP
InventorsKenneth H. Whitfield, Csaba L. Rethy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for application of surgical clips to body tissue is provided and includes a handle assembly and a shaft assembly. The handle assembly includes a drive assembly; and a trigger operatively connected to the drive assembly. The shaft assembly extends from the handle assembly and includes an articulating neck assembly; and an end effector assembly supported on a distal end of the articulating neck assembly and being configured to form a surgical clip in place on the body tissue.
Claims14
1-18. (canceled)
An apparatus for application of surgical clips to body tissue, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a drive block slidably supported in the housing;
- a drive screw rotatably supported in the housing, the drive screw configured for threadably mating with the drive block;
- and
- a ratchet mechanism supported in the housing, the ratchet mechanism including:
- a pawl pivotably supported on the drive block;
- a toothed-rack having a first recess, a second recess, and at least one tooth interposed therebetween, the at least one tooth configured to selectively engage the pawl;
- and
- a biasing member supported on the drive block and configured to bias the pawl into operative engagement with the at least one tooth of the toothed-rack to restrict longitudinal translation of the drive block in a second direction when the pawl is longitudinally translated in a first direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are opposite directions,
- wherein as the drive block is longitudinally translated in the first direction, the pawl is longitudinally translated in the first direction from the first recess to engage the at least one tooth of the toothed-rack such that the drive block is restricted from longitudinally translating in the second, opposite direction until the pawl longitudinally translates to the second recess.
An apparatus for application of surgical clips to body tissue, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a drive assembly supported in the housing, the drive assembly including:
- a drive screw rotatably supported in the housing, the drive screw supporting a crown of teeth;
- a clutch gear rotatably supported in the housing, the clutch gear defining a crown of gear teeth configured to cooperate and selectively engage the crown of teeth of the drive screw;
- a clutch bracket pivotably supported in the housing, the clutch bracket configured to approximate and separate the crown of gear teeth of the clutch gear with the crown of teeth of the drive screw;
- a drive shaft having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the drive shaft extending through the clutch gear and being rotatably supported in the drive screw;
- and
- a trigger operatively connected to the drive assembly and selectively engageable with the clutch bracket to space apart the crown of gear teeth of the clutch gear with the crown of teeth of the drive screw.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.