US 8,551,116 B2Granted

In vivo accessories for minimally invasive robotic surgery

AssigneeIntuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

InventorsChristopher A. Julian, Daniel T. Wallace, Frederick H. Moll, Dean F. Hoornaert, David J. Rosa, John G. Freund, John W. Hill

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Surgical accessories are presented in vivo and used by surgical tools in the surgical site to perform additional tasks without the need to remove the tools from the surgical site for tool change or instrument loading. The accessories can be introduced into the surgical site by a dedicated accessory introducer, or can be supported on the body of a surgical tool inserted into the surgical site and be manipulated using another surgical tool in the surgical site. The accessory introducer can be resiliently biased to bias the accessories toward a predetermined position in the surgical site.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A robotic surgical system for performing a procedure on a body, the system comprising:

a surgical tool having first and second end effector members, wherein the first and second end effector members are arranged so as to be capable of grasping an object;
a master control device having an actuatable portion, wherein the actuatable portion is operatively coupled with the surgical tool such that specific actuation by a user of the actuatable portion causes the first and second end effector members to grasp the object;
and
an input device for accepting an input from the user to cause the first and second end effector members to continue to grasp the object without continuing the specific actuation by the user of the actuatable portion of the master control device.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/454,312Filed 24 Apr 2012 · division
Priority: 8 Dec 1998
Published: US 2012/0259345 A111 Oct 2012
Granted: 8 Oct 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification44 codes

A61B 18/18
Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body: by applying electromagnetic…
A61B 1/00149
Holding or positioning arrangements: using articulated arms
A61B 17/00234
Surgical instruments, devices or methods: for minimally invasive surgery
A61B 17/062
Needles ; Sutures; Needle-suture combinations; Holders or packages for needles or suture materials: needle manipulators

Family

Application60/111,711Us provisional application · filed 8 Dec 1998
Application09/453,978Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 2 Dec 1999
Application09/478,953Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 7 Jan 2000
Application10/116,504Parent of this division · filed 3 Apr 2002
Application11/522,852Parent of this division · filed 18 Sep 2006
Application12/727,060Parent of this division · filed 18 Mar 2010
US 2012/0259345 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Oct 2012
US 8,182,476 B2Parent of this division
US 7,722,599 B2Parent of this division
US 7,125,403 B2Parent of this division
US 6,770,081 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application10/116,504Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,309,397 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2002/0120254 A1Published application
US 2007/0093792 A1Published application
US 2010/0198215 A1Published application
US 8,551,116 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.