Clevis for disposable laparoscopic surgical instrument

In a disposable surgical instrument for insertion through a trocar tube, having a longitudinal axis with a hollow aluminum tube having an inner diameter, one of grasping, cutting, clamping, dissecting, and extracting end effector means, an actuating means coupled to said hollow aluminum tube, push rod means extending through said aluminum tube and coupled to said actuating means and said end effector means, electrically insulating shrink wrap covering at least a portion of said hollow aluminum tube, and a clevis means, with said clevis means fixedly engaging said hollow aluminum tube and having a pair of parallel, spaced apart, opposed arm members with at least one of said opposed arm members having a hold, and a pivot rod means engaging the opposed arm members at said hole in a manner substantially transverse said longitudinal axis with said end effector means pivotally engaging said pivot rod means, and with at least a portion of the clevis means being covered by said electrically insulating shrink wrap, an improvement in said clevis means comprising:

• a) a hollow first portion having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the aluminum tube, said hollow first portion press fit within the aluminum tube and fixedly engaging the aluminum tube;
• b) a second portion having a base section having with a bore corresponding to the inner diameter of the hollow first portion, and said pair of parallel, spaced apart, opposed arm members integrally joined to said base portion at respective first ends of said opposed arm members, said pair of arm members extending away from said hollow first portion, and each said opposed arm member having an undercut groove therein along an outer surface of said arm member substantially transverse said longitudinal axis, wherein the electrically insulating shrink wrap terminates in the undercut grooves of the arm members.

A surgical instrument for insertion through a trocar tube, said surgical instrument comprising:

• a) a hollow aluminum tube having an inner diameter and a longitudinal axis;
• b) one of grasping, cutting, clamping, dissecting, and extracting end effector means;
• c) a rod extending through said hollow aluminum tube, said rod coupled to said end effector means;
• d) actuation means engaging said rod for moving said rod relative to said hollow aluminum tube;
• and
• e) an integral aluminum clevis means having a hollow first portion having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of said aluminum tube and press fit within and fixedly engaging said aluminum tube, and a second portion having a base section with a bore corresponding to the inner diameter of the hollow first portion, and a pair of parallel, spaced apart, opposed arm members extending parallel to said longitudinal axis and away from said hollow first portion and integrally joined to said base portion at respective first ends of said opposed arm members,
• f) a pivot rod means engaging said opposed arm members of said clevis means in a manner substantially transverse said longitudinal axis, wherein said end effector means pivotally engage said pivot rod means.