Surgical stapling instruments
AssigneeIntuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
InventorsBabak Jasemian, Tibor Laszlo Hites
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Surgical stapling instruments include mechanisms for identifying and/or deactivating stapler cartridges for use with the instruments. The stapling instrument includes a drive member for actuating a staple cartridge and a locking member movable from a disabled position permitting distal translation of the drive member through a staple firing stroke, to a locking position inhibiting distal translation of the drive member through the staple firing stroke. The staple cartridge may include a switch movable in a lateral direction to either maintain the locking member in the disabled position or to allow the locking member to move into the locking position.
Claims21
-11. (canceled)
A surgical instrument comprising:
- an end effector having first and second jaws;
- a drive member configured to translate distally through the end effector;
- a staple cartridge disposed within the second jaw and comprising a housing defining a longitudinal axis, a tissue contacting surface facing the first jaw with at least one row of staple pockets for receiving staples therein and a channel for receiving the drive member, the housing further comprising a proximal portion with an upper surface raised relative to the tissue contacting surface of the housing;
- and
- two or more protrusions extending towards the first jaw from the upper surface of the proximal portion of the housing.
A surgical instrument comprising:
- an end effector having first and second jaws, the second jaw having a cavity with a longitudinal axis;
- a staple cartridge removably disposable within the cavity and having a channel extending along the longitudinal axis, the staple cartridge comprising first and second rows of staple pockets on either side of the channel and a surface facing the first jaw, wherein the surface includes first and second lateral portions on either side of the channel and overlying the first and second rows of staple pockets and a central portion between the first and second rows of staple pockets, the central portion of the surface positioned further from the first jaw than the first and second lateral portions of the surface when the staple cartridge is positioned within the cavity of the second jaw;
- and
- a drive member having a cutting element and being configured to translate distally through the channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.