SURGICAL INSTRUMENT INCLUDING ACCESSORY POWERING FEATURE
A surgical instrument system includes a surgical instrument, an accessory, and an energy device. The surgical instrument has a housing, a shaft extending from the housing, and a tool assembly operably coupled to the shaft. The accessory is selectively couplable to the surgical instrument. An energy device is operably coupled to the accessory when the accessory is coupled to the surgical instrument such that the energy device powers the accessory.
1 - 19 . (canceled)
20 . A surgical instrument system, comprising:
an energy storage device;
a surgical instrument including:
a housing;
a shaft extending from the housing and having at least one first electrical contact adapted to electrically communicate with the energy storage device; and
a tool assembly secured to the shaft; and
an accessory defining a U-shaped channel, the U-shaped channel supporting at least one second electrical contact therein, the U-shaped channel being securable to the shaft of the surgical instrument to electrically connect the at least one first electrical contact and the at least one second electrical contact together upon the shaft being inserted through an open side of the U-shaped channel, the at least one first electrical contact and the at least one second electrical contact being adapted to communicate electrical energy between the energy storage device and the accessory.
21 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 20 , wherein the at least one first electrical contact includes a slip ring, the slip ring being disposed about a circumference of the shaft to enable electrical connection to the at least one second contact at any radial orientation around the shaft.
22 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 20 , wherein the energy storage device includes a battery.
23 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 20 , wherein the energy storage device is removably positionable within the housing of the surgical instrument.
24 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 20 , wherein the accessory includes at a camera disposed in electrical communication with the at least one second electrical contact.
25 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 20 , wherein the accessory includes an illumination device disposed in electrical communication with the at least one second electrical contact.
26 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 2 , wherein the accessory includes an illumination device and a camera, the illumination device and the camera being disposed in electrical communication with the at least one second electrical contact.
27 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 20 , further including an instrument powering device operably coupled to at least one of the housing, the shaft, and the tool assembly, wherein the instrument powering device solely powers the surgical instrument and the energy storage device solely powers the accessory.
28 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 20 , wherein the at least one first electrical contact includes two first electrical contacts and the at least one second electrical contact includes two second electrical contacts, the two first electrical contacts configured to electrically connect to the two second electrical contacts.
29 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 20 , wherein the accessory includes a pair of wings that define the U-shaped channel, the pair of wings being adapted to flex to enable the shaft of the surgical instrument to be removably received within the U-shaped channel of the accessory by snap-fit.
30 . A surgical instrument system, comprising:
an energy storage device;
a surgical instrument including:
a housing;
a shaft extending from the housing and having a pair of first electrical contacts adapted to electrically communicate with the energy storage device, the shaft defining a longitudinal axis therethrough; and
a tool assembly secured to the shaft; and
an accessory defining a U-shaped channel, the U-shaped channel supporting a pair of second electrical contacts therein, the U-shaped channel being securable to the shaft of the surgical instrument to electrically connect the pair of first electrical contacts and the pair of second electrical contact together, the U-shaped channel defining an open side adapted to receive the shaft of the surgical instrument in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the pair of first electrical contacts and the pair of second electrical contacts being adapted to communicate electrical energy from the energy storage device to the accessory to operate the accessory.
31 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 30 , wherein the pair of first electrical contacts includes a slip ring, the slip ring being disposed about a circumference of the shaft to enable electrical connection to the pair of second contacts at any radial orientation around the shaft.
32 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 30 , wherein the energy storage device includes a battery.
33 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 30 , wherein the energy storage device is removably positionable within the housing of the surgical instrument.
34 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 30 , wherein the accessory includes at a camera disposed in electrical communication with the pair of second electrical contacts.
35 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 30 , wherein the accessory includes an illumination device disposed in electrical communication with the pair of second electrical contacts.
36 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 30 , wherein the accessory includes an illumination device and a camera, the illumination device and the camera being disposed in electrical communication with the pair of second electrical contacts.
37 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 30 , further including an instrument powering device operably coupled to at least one of the housing, the shaft, and the tool assembly, wherein the instrument powering device solely powers the surgical instrument and the energy storage device solely powers the accessory.
38 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 30 , wherein the accessory includes a pair of wings that define the U-shaped channel, the pair of wings being adapted to flex to enable the shaft of the surgical instrument to be received within the U-shaped channel of the accessory by snap-fit.
39 . The surgical instrument system according to claim 37 , wherein the accessory is selectively removable from the shaft.