SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH SELECTIVELY ARTICULATABLE END EFFECTOR

1 . A surgical instrument comprising:

a handle assembly;

an elongated shaft assembly operably interfacing with said handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis;

a surgical end effector operably coupled to the elongated shaft assembly and configured to cut and staple tissue upon application of actuation motions thereto;

at least one articulation member operably supported by said elongated shaft assembly; and

an articulation system comprising:

an articulation transmission operably supported by said handle assembly and operably interfacing with said at least one articulation member; and

an actuator member rotatably supported on said handle member for selective rotation about an actuation axis that does not transversely intersect said longitudinal axis, said actuator member interfacing with said articulation transmission such that rotation of said actuator member in a first rotary direction about said actuation axis causes said at least one articulation member to articulate said surgical end effector relative to said longitudinal axis in a first articulation direction and rotation of said actuator member in a second rotary direction about said actuation axis causes said at least one articulation member to articulate said surgical end effector relative to said longitudinal axis in a second articulation direction relative to said longitudinal axis.

2 . The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein said elongated shaft assembly has a substantially flexible articulation joint segment therein that is coupled to said surgical end effector.

3 . The surgical instrument of claim 2 wherein said at least one articulation member comprises:

a first articulation band assembly operably supported by said elongated shaft assembly and coupled to a portion of said substantially flexible articulation joint segment on a first side of said longitudinal axis, said first articulation band assembly operably interfacing with said articulation transmission; and

a second articulation band assembly operably supported by said elongated shaft assembly and coupled to said portion of said substantially flexible articulation joint segment on a second said of said longitudinal axis, said second articulation band assembly operably interfacing with said articulation transmission.

4 . The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein said actuation axis is substantially coaxial with said longitudinal axis.

5 . The surgical instrument of claim 4 wherein said articulation transmission comprises:

a first articulation disc movably supported within said handle assembly and interfacing with said actuator member and said first articulation band assembly such that upon rotation of said actuator member in a first rotary direction causes said first articulation band assembly to move in a first axial direction; and

a second articulation disc movably supported within said handle assembly and interfacing with said actuator member and said second articulation band assembly such that upon rotation of said actuator member in said first rotary direction causes said second articulation disc to move in a second axial direction that is opposite to said first axial direction.

6 . The surgical instrument of claim 5 wherein said first articulation disc operably interfaces with said actuator member such that upon rotation of said actuator member in a second rotary direction causes said first articulation band assembly to move in said second axial direction and said second articulation band assembly to move in said first axial direction.

7 . The surgical instrument of claim 5 wherein said first and second articulation discs are in threaded engagement with said actuator member.

8 . The surgical instrument of claim 7 wherein said actuator member comprises an actuator wheel rotatably supported on said handle assembly for selective rotation relative thereto about said actuation axis, said actuator wheel having first threads in threaded engagement with said first articulation disc and second threads in threaded engagement with said second articulation, said first threads having a first thread direction and said second threads having a second thread direction that is opposite to said first thread direction.

9 . The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein said surgical end effector is configured to support an implantable staple cartridge therein.

10 . The surgical instrument of claim 1 further comprising:

a knife bar operably supported by said elongated shaft assembly;

a firing transmission operably supported by said handle assembly; and

a firing trigger operably supported by said handle assembly and configured to apply actuation motions to said firing transmission to cause said knife bar to be driven in a distal direction through said surgical end effector.

11 . A surgical cutting and fastening instrument, comprising:

an elongated channel;

a surgical staple cartridge operably supported within said elongated channel;

an anvil movably supported relative to said elongated channel between open and closed positions;

a knife bar supported for movable travel from a proximal end of said elongated channel to a distal end of said elongated channel upon application of a firing motion thereto;

a handle assembly;

an elongated shaft assembly coupled to said handle assembly and said elongated channel and operably supporting at least a portion of said knife bar, said elongated shaft assembly defining a longitudinal axis and configured to apply said firing motion to said knife bar;

a trigger assembly operably supported on said handle assembly and configured to apply said firing motion to said elongated shaft assembly;

an articulation system comprising:

an articulation transmission operably supported by said handle assembly and operably interfacing with said elongated shaft assembly; and

an actuator member rotatably supported on said handle member for selective rotation about an actuation axis that does not intersect said longitudinal axis, said actuator member interfacing with said articulation transmission such that rotation of said actuator member in a first rotary direction about said actuation axis causes said elongated shaft assembly to articulate said surgical end effector relative to said longitudinal axis in a first articulation direction and rotation of said actuator member in a second rotary direction about said actuation axis causes said elongated shaft assembly to articulate said surgical end effector relative to said longitudinal axis in a second articulation direction relative to said longitudinal axis.

12 . The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 11 wherein said surgical staple cartridge comprises a staple cartridge assembly that is compressible and implantable.

13 . The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 11 wherein said elongated shaft assembly is selectively rotatable about said longitudinal axis relative to said handle assembly.

14 . The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 11 wherein said knife bar comprises:

an elongated flexible segment movably supported within said elongated shaft assembly;

a cutting head coupled to said elongated flexible segment and configured for axial travel through said elongated channel, said cutting head having a cutting surface thereon and is configured for compressing engagement with said anvil as said cutting head is driven from said a proximal end of said elongated channel to a distal end of said elongated channel.

15 . The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 11 wherein said elongated shaft assembly comprises:

a substantially rigid proximal shaft segment operably interfacing with said handle assembly; and

a substantially flexible articulation joint extending between said substantially rigid proximal shaft segment and said elongated channel.

16 . The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 15 wherein said elongated shaft assembly further comprises:

a first articulation band assembly operably supported by said substantially rigid proximal shaft segment and being coupled to one of said substantially flexible articulation joint and said elongated channel on a first side of said longitudinal axis and operably interfacing with said articulation transmission; and

a second articulation band assembly operably supported by said elongated shaft assembly and coupled to one of said substantially flexible articulation joint segment and said elongated channel on a second said of said longitudinal axis, said second articulation band assembly operably interfacing with said articulation transmission.

17 . The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 16 wherein said articulation transmission comprises:

a first articulation disc movably supported within said handle assembly and interfacing with said actuator member and said first articulation band assembly; and

a second articulation disc movably supported within said handle assembly and interfacing with said actuator member and said second articulation band assembly and wherein:

rotation of said actuator member in said first rotary direction causes said first and second articulation discs to move axially toward each other to apply an articulation motion to said first articulation band assembly in a first axial a first axial direction and another articulation motion to said second articulation band assembly in a second axial direction that is opposite to said first axial direction.

18 . The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 17 wherein rotation of said actuator member in said second rotary direction causes said first and second articulation discs to move axially away from each other to apply an articulation motion to said first articulation band assembly in said second axial direction and another articulation motion to said second articulation band assembly in said first axial direction.

19 . The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 11 further comprising means interacting with said actuator member to provide a user with an indication that the actuator member is in a neutral position wherein said surgical end effector is substantially coaxially aligned on said longitudinal axis.

20 . A surgical cutting and fastening instrument, comprising:

an end effector comprising:

a channel configured to operably support a staple cartridge therein; and

an anvil movably supported relative to said channel and wherein said surgical cutting and fastening instrument further comprises:

an elongated shaft assembly defining a longitudinal axis and comprising:

a substantially rigid proximal shaft segment;

a substantially flexible articulation segment coupled to said substantially rigid distal shaft portion and said channel of said end effector;

a knife bar having a substantially flexible portion corresponding with said substantially flexible articulation segment and having a tissue-cutting head formed on a distal end thereof;

a knife tube operably interfacing with said knife bar to apply actuation motions;

a first articulation band assembly operably supported by said substantially rigid proximal shaft segment and being coupled to one of said substantially flexible articulation joint and said channel on a first side of said longitudinal axis; and

a second articulation band assembly operably supported by said substantially rigid proximal shaft segment and being coupled to said one of said substantially flexible articulation joint segment and said elongated channel on a second side of said longitudinal axis, and wherein said surgical cutting and fastening instrument further comprises:

a handle assembly operably coupled to said substantially rigid proximal shaft segment;

an actuator wheel rotatably supported on said handle assembly;

a first articulation disc movably supported within said handle assembly and interfacing with said actuator wheel and said first articulation band assembly; and

a second articulation disc movably supported within said handle assembly and interfacing with said actuator wheel and said second articulation band assembly, said first and second articulation discs configured such that rotation of said actuator wheel in a first rotary direction causes said first and second articulation discs to move axially toward each other to apply an articulation motion to said first articulation band assembly in a first axial direction and another articulation motion to said second articulation band assembly in a second axial direction that is opposite to said first axial direction; and

a firing trigger operably supported on said handle assembly and interfacing with said knife tube such that application of an actuation motion to said firing trigger causes said actuation motion to be applied to said knife tube.