Method of operating a surgical instrument

Inventors: Gregory J. Bakos (Mason, OH); Darryl A. Parks (Mason, OH); Benjamin D. Dickerson (San Francisco, CA); Steven G. Hall (Cincinnati, OH); Robert J. Simms (Liberty Township, OH); Spencer J. Witte (Los Altos, CA); Taylor W. Aronhalt (Loveland, OH); Paul Moubarak (West Chester, OH); William C. Ryle (Covington, KY)

Assignee: Cilag GmbH International

A61B17/0686 A61B17/00234 A61B17/068 A61B17/072 A61B17/07207 A61B17/29 A61B17/320092 A61B34/30 A61B2017/00314 A61B2017/00323 A61B2017/00336 A61B2017/00367 A61B2017/00389 A61B2017/00398 A61B2017/00477 A61B2017/07214 A61B2017/07257 A61B2017/07271 A61B2017/07278 A61B2017/07285 A61B2017/2927 A61B2017/320071 A61B2017/320093 A61B2017/320094 A61B2017/320095 A61B2017/320097 A61B2034/301

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12,611,211
App. No.: 18/536,451
Granted: Apr 28, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A method of operating an articulatable surgical instrument. The method includes providing a rotary drive motion to a rotary drive member of a surgical end effector and converting the rotary drive motion to an upper axial motion and a lower axial motion at locations that are distal to the articulation joint. The method further includes applying the upper axial motion to an upper portion of a firing member and applying the lower axial motion to a lower portion of the firing member such that the upper axial motion and lower axial motion drives the firing member distally through the surgical end effector from a starting position to an ending position.

Claims (40)

1 . An apparatus, comprising:

(a) a shaft;

(b) an end effector operatively coupled with the shaft, wherein the end effector includes:

(i) a first jaw, and

(ii) a second jaw configured to cooperate with the first jaw to clamp and staple tissue with a plurality of staples;

(d) a closure driver actuatable independently of the firing driver and rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the end effector to cammingly engage at least one of the first jaw or the second jaw and thereby transition the end effector from an open position to a closed position.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the closure driver is housed within the end effector.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first jaw is configured to receive a replaceable staple cartridge that houses the staples and the second jaw includes an anvil configured to form the staples, wherein the second jaw is movable relative to the first jaw between the open position and the closed position.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the closure driver is rotatable in a first direction to transition the end effector from the open position toward the closed position, wherein the closure driver is rotatable in a second direction opposite the first direction to transition the end effector from the closed position to the open position.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the second jaw is movable relative to the first jaw between the open position and the closed position, wherein the closure driver is rotatable in the first direction to close the second jaw, wherein the closure driver is rotatable in the second direction to open the second jaw.

6 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the closure driver includes a cam lobe and the second jaw includes a cam follower configured to cammingly engage the cam lobe to provide closure of the end effector.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cam follower is configured to move within a cradle of the second jaw when the cam follower engages the cam lobe.

8 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the end effector is resiliently biased toward the open position, wherein the end effector is actuatable from the closed position toward the open position via the resilient bias in response to rotation of the closure driver in the second direction.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the closure driver includes a spring and a bushing, wherein the bushing is translatable along the closure driver and is biased by the spring into contact with the at last one of the first jaw or the second jaw to thereby bias the end effector toward the open position.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the spring is configured to resiliently bias the bushing distally.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the closure driver includes a first cam and a second cam longitudinally offset from the first cam, wherein the first cam is configured to cammingly engage the at least one of the first jaw or the second jaw to thereby drive the end effector from the open position toward the closed position, wherein the second cam is configured to cammingly engage the at least one of the first jaw or the second jaw to thereby drive the end effector from the closed position toward the open position.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second jaw is pivotably coupled with the first jaw about a pivot axis, wherein the first cam is proximal to the pivot axis and the second cam.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the closure driver is at least partially housed within the end effector, wherein each of the first cam and the second cam is proximal to the pivot axis.

14 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the closure driver is rotatable about the longitudinal axis while remaining longitudinally fixed.

15 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the firing driver comprises a first rotary shaft, wherein the closure driver comprises a second rotary shaft rotatable independently of the first rotary shaft and having a cam lobe configured to directly contact and thereby actuate the at least one of the first jaw or the second jaw as the second rotary shaft with the cam lobe rotates about the longitudinal axis.

16 . An apparatus, comprising:

(a) a shaft;

(b) an end effector operatively coupled with the shaft, wherein the end effector includes:

(i) a first jaw, and

(ii) a second jaw configured to cooperate with the first jaw to clamp and staple tissue with a plurality of staples, wherein the second jaw is movable relative to the first jaw between an open position and a closed position; and

(c) a rotary driver having a cam, wherein the rotary driver with the cam is rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the end effector in a first direction so the cam drives the second jaw toward the closed position, wherein the rotary driver is rotatable about the longitudinal axis in a second direction opposite the first direction to enable the second jaw to assume the open position.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the cam comprises a cam lobe, wherein the second jaw includes a cam follower configured to cammingly engage the cam lobe to provide closure of the second jaw relative to the first jaw.

18 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the second jaw is resiliently biased toward the open position, wherein the second jaw is configured to move from the closed position toward the open position via the resilient bias in response to rotation of the rotary driver in the second direction.

19 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the cam comprises a first cam, wherein the rotary driver further includes a second cam longitudinally offset from the first cam and configured to cammingly drive the second jaw from the closed position toward the open position in response to rotation of the rotary driver in the second direction.

20 . An apparatus, comprising:

(a) a shaft;

(b) an end effector operatively coupled with the shaft, wherein the end effector includes:

(i) a first jaw, and

(i) a first cam, and

(ii) a second cam longitudinally offset from the first cam,

wherein the first cam is configured to cammingly engage and thereby drive the second jaw from the open position toward the closed position in response to rotation of the rotary driver in a first direction,

wherein the second cam is configured to cammingly engage and thereby drive the second jaw from the closed position toward the open position in response to rotation of the rotary driver in a second direction opposite the first direction.