{
  "patent_number": "US 10736702",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Surgical Tool with Flexible, Articulating, and Rotating End Effectors",
  "original_title": "Activating and rotating surgical end effectors",
  "summary": "This patent describes a surgical tool with a flexible tip that can bend in multiple directions and also twist, allowing surgeons to precisely control instruments like graspers and cutters inside the body.",
  "what_it_does": "The surgical tool features an elongate shaft with an end effector, such as jaws for grasping tissue, at its tip. A multi-axis articulation joint connects the shaft and end effector, allowing the tip to bend in various directions (Claim 1). Inside, a flexible torque transmission tube, part of a first rotary driver, extends through this joint to open and close the jaws (Claim 1). A linear pull cable runs inside this tube, also helping to move the jaws (Claim 1). The tool can also include a second rotary driver to advance a cutting element (Claim 3) and a rotation shaft to twist the end effector around its own axis (Claim 6), providing highly versatile movement for complex surgical tasks.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover surgical tools where the end effector cannot articulate in multiple axes relative to the shaft.",
    "Does not cover tools where the jaw-actuating rotary driver does not use a flexible torque transmission tube extending through the joint.",
    "Does not cover tools where the linear pull cable for jaw movement is not at least partially within the flexible torque transmission tube.",
    "Does not cover tools that articulate but lack the ability to rotate the end effector distal to the multi-axis articulation joint.",
    "Does not cover simple laparoscopic tools that only articulate in a single plane or lack a rotary driver for jaw actuation."
  ],
  "filed": "2016-08-16",
  "granted": "2020-08-11",
  "expires": "2036-08-16",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Ethicon",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/ethicon",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Frederick E. Shelton, IV",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/frederick-e-shelton-iv"
    },
    {
      "name": "Charles J. Scheib",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/charles-j-scheib"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jason L. Harris",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jason-l-harris"
    },
    {
      "name": "Michael J. Vendely",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/michael-j-vendely"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 207,
  "tags": [
    "medical_devices",
    "robotics",
    "surgical_equipment",
    "mechanical",
    "healthcare"
  ],
  "abstract": "Various surgical tools are provided with multi-axis articulation joints and with the ability to rotate distal to the joint. In one embodiment, a surgical tool is provided having an elongate shaft with an end effector disposed at a distal end of the elongate shaft. The end effector can have first and second jaws configured to grasp tissue and a sled or cutting element configured to advance through the jaws and cut tissue therein. A multi-axis articulation joint can be formed on the shaft or between the shaft and the end effector. The joint can allow articulation of the end effector in multiple directions. The end effector can be configured to rotate distal to the multi-axis articulation joint about a longitudinal axis of the elongate shaft. Methods for allowing rotation and articulation of the end effector are also provided.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10736702/activating-and-rotating-surgical-end-effectors",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10736702/activating-and-rotating-surgical-end-effectors/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US10736702",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "11786761",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How a Robotic Surgical Tool Clamps Tissue Manually and Automatically",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11786761/ultrasonic-robotic-tool-actuation"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "12414825",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How a Surgical Robot Arm's Wrist Moves Instruments",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12414825/surgical-arm"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "12127807",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How a Surgical Robot Attaches Tools and Stays Sterile",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12127807/surgical-system-instrument-mounting"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "10959744",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "Customizing Surgical Dissectors Using 3D Printing",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10959744/surgical-dissectors-and-manufacturing-techniques"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "9949801",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Surgical Robots Reconfigure Their Arms Without Moving the Tool Tip",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9949801/systems-and-methods-for-commanded-reconfiguration-of-a-surgical-manipulator-usin"
    }
  ]
}