IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,594,069
Granted Patent B2
US 12,594,069 · App. 16/926,928 · Granted Apr 7, 2026

Handle assembly providing unlimited roll

Inventors: Deepak Sharma (Ann Arbor, MI); Gregory Brian Bowles (Fenton, MI); James Michael Licht (Boyne Falls, MI); Zachary Zimmerman (Northville, MI); Shorya Awtar (Ann Arbor, MI); James Duncan Geiger (Ottawa Hills, OH)
Assignee: LivsMed, Inc.
A61B17/062A61B17/00234A61M25/0136A61B1/00147A61B1/0052A61B2017/00314A61B2017/00323A61B2017/00424A61B2017/00438A61B2017/00442
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,594,069
App. No.
16/926,928
Granted
Apr 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An example roll handle assembly includes a handle body, a roll body, a closure body, and a shuttle body. The roll body is coupled to the handle body and has a rotational degree of freedom about a roll axis relative to the handle body. The roll body is translationally constrained along the roll axis relative to the handle body. The closure body is coupled to the handle body and has one or more degrees of freedom of motion relative to the handle body. The shuttle body is coupled to the roll body and the closure body, and has a translational degree of freedom along the roll axis relative to the roll body. The shuttle body is rotationally constrained about the roll axis relative to the roll body, and has a rotational degree of freedom about the roll axis relative to the closure body.

Claims (31)

1 . A roll handle assembly, comprising:

a handle body;

a roll body coupled to said handle body, said roll body having a rotational degree of freedom about a roll axis relative to said handle body and being translationally constrained along said roll axis relative to said handle body;

a closure body coupled to said handle body, said closure body having at least one degree of freedom of motion relative to said handle body;

a shuttle body coupled to said roll body and coupled to said closure body, said shuttle body having a translational degree of freedom along said roll axis relative to said roll body and being rotationally constrained about said roll axis relative to said roll body, said shuttle body having a rotational degree of freedom about said roll axis relative to said closure body; and

an articulation input joint residing adjacent said roll body, said articulation input joint having two articulation degrees of freedom relative to said handle body to effect pitch and yaw motions at said articulation input joint relative to said handle body.

2 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 1 , wherein movement of said closure body about said at least one degree of freedom of motion relative to said handle body effects movement of said shuttle body about said translational degree of freedom along said roll axis relative to said roll body.

3 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said at least one degree of freedom of motion of said closure body is a translational degree of freedom along said roll axis relative to said handle body, said closure body being rotationally constrained about said roll axis relative to said handle body.

4 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a closure input and a closure input mechanism, said closure input having at least one degree of freedom of motion relative to said handle body, wherein movement of said closure input about said at least one degree of freedom of motion effects movement of said closure body about said at least one degree of freedom of motion relative to said handle body, said closure input mechanism spanning between said closure body and said closure input, said closure input mechanism transmitting movement of said closure input about said at least one degree of freedom of motion relative to said handle body to movement of said closure body about said at least one degree of freedom of motion relative to said handle body.

5 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a roll input and a roll input mechanism, wherein movement of said roll input effects movement of said roll body about said rotational degree of freedom about said roll axis relative to said handle body, said roll input mechanism spanning between said roll body and said roll input, said roll input mechanism transmitting movement of said roll input to movement of said roll body about said rotational degree of freedom about said roll axis relative to said handle body.

6 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a shaft extending distally from the roll handle assembly, and comprising an end-effector at a distal end of said shaft so that rotation of said roll body about said roll axis relative to said handle body effects rotation of said end-effector relative to said handle body.

7 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said end-effector comprises a jaw assembly, opening and closing movements of said jaw assembly are effected by movement of said closure body about said at least one degree of freedom of motion relative to said handle body.

8 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said end-effector comprises a jaw assembly, said jaw assembly is coupled to said shuttle body via a jaw closure transmission assembly, opening and closing movements of said jaw assembly are effected by movement of said shuttle body about said translational degree of freedom along said roll axis relative to said roll body.

9 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said closure body comprises a trigger, a lever, a button, a push rod, or a mechanism that couples a lever to a push rod.

10 . A surgical tool comprising the roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 1 .

11 . A roll handle assembly, comprising:

a handle assembly comprising:

a handle body;

a roll body coupled to said handle body, said roll body having a rotational degree of freedom about a roll axis relative to said handle body and being translationally constrained along said roll axis relative to said handle body; and

a shuttle body coupled to said roll body, said shuttle body having a translational degree of freedom along said roll axis relative to said roll body and being rotationally constrained about said roll axis relative to said roll body;

a frame; and

an input joint providing a pitch rotation and a yaw rotation between said handle assembly and said frame, wherein said roll body and said frame are connected together via said input joint, said input joint constraining rotation between said roll body and said frame, rotation of said roll body about said roll axis relative to said handle body effects rotation of said frame relative to said handle body.

12 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said input joint having a pitch motion path and a yaw motion path, said pitch motion path transmitting a pitch motion of said handle assembly relative to said frame about a pitch axis of rotation, said yaw motion path transmitting a yaw motion of said handle assembly relative to said frame about a yaw axis of rotation, and said input joint is a parallel kinematic input joint with said pitch motion path and said yaw motion path arranged parallel with each other.

13 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 12 , wherein said pitch axis of rotation and said yaw axis of rotation are situated proximal to said handle assembly.

14 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said handle assembly further comprises a closure body coupled to said handle body and having at least one degree of freedom of motion relative to said handle body, said shuttle body coupled to said closure body and having a rotational degree of freedom about said roll axis relative to said closure body.

15 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 14 , further comprising a shaft extending from said frame, and comprising an end-effector at a distal end of said shaft so that rotation of said roll body about said roll axis relative to said handle body effects rotation of said end-effector relative to said handle body.

16 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 15 , wherein said end-effector comprises a jaw assembly, opening and closing movements of said jaw assembly are effected by movement of said closure body about said at least one degree of freedom of motion relative to said handle body.

17 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 16 , wherein said jaw assembly is coupled to said shuttle body via a jaw closure transmission assembly, opening and closing movements of said jaw assembly are effected by movement of said shuttle body about said translational degree of freedom along said roll axis relative to said roll body.

18 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 15 , further comprising an output joint residing between said shaft and said end-effector, said pitch motion path transmitting pitch motion of said handle assembly relative to said frame to said output joint, and said yaw motion path transmitting yaw motion of said handle assembly relative to said frame to said output joint.

19 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 18 , wherein said roll body and said frame are connected together via said input joint.

20 . The roll handle assembly as set forth in claim 19 , wherein said input joint constrains rotation between said roll body and said frame, rotation of said roll body about said roll axis relative to said handle body effects rotation of said frame, said shaft, and said end-effector relative to said handle body for any pitch rotation and yaw rotation of said input joint.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 23, 2025
From: FLEXDEX INC.
To: LIVSMED, INC.
Reel/Frame 073301/0096 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 23, 2025
From: FLEXDEX INC.
To: LIVSMED, INC.
Reel/Frame 073302/0202 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2020
From: SHARMA, DEEPAK; BOWLES, GREGORY BRIAN; LICHT, JAMES MICHAEL; ZIMMERMAN, ZACHARY; AWTAR, SHORYA; GEIGER, JAMES DUNCAN
To: FLEXDEX, INC.
Reel/Frame 053188/0639 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation In Part 15943689 · Apr 2, 2018
Continuation PCTUS2016055105 · Oct 3, 2016
Provisional Application 62236835 · Oct 2, 2015
Related Publication 20210038865A1 · Feb 11, 2021
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