{
  "patent_number": "US 10959744",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Customizing Surgical Dissectors Using 3D Printing",
  "original_title": "Surgical dissectors and manufacturing techniques",
  "summary": "This patent describes a surgical tool's working tip, called an end effector, which has two jaws whose gripping features can be custom-made using 3D printing for specific surgical needs.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent describes a surgical end effector, which is the working tip of a surgical instrument, featuring two jaw members that can open and close. The key innovation is that at least one specific 'feature' on these jaws can be chosen by a user and created using an 'additive manufacturing process' (Claim 1). This means a surgeon or manufacturer can design unique patterns or shapes on the gripping surfaces of the jaws, such as a 'tooth' on one jaw and a complementary 'void' on the other (Claim 4), or even use different materials for different features (Claims 5, 6). For example, a surgeon could specify a unique symmetrical pattern of protrusions on one jaw and a complementary pattern on the other for a specialized tissue grip (Claim 7), then have it 3D printed.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Surgical instruments that do not include two jaw members that are independently movable relative to each other (Claim 1).",
    "End effectors where neither the first feature of the first jaw member nor the first feature of the second jaw member is selected by a user in an additive manufacturing process (Claim 1).",
    "Manufacturing methods for the jaw features that are not additive manufacturing, such as traditional molding or machining (Claim 1).",
    "Surgical tools where the jaw members do not pivot about a joint between an open and closed configuration (Claim 1).",
    "Dissectors where the features on the jaws are fixed and cannot be customized or varied by a user during manufacturing."
  ],
  "filed": "2018-08-24",
  "granted": "2021-03-30",
  "expires": "2038-08-24",
  "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": "Chester O. Baxter, III",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/chester-o-baxter-iii"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jason L. Harris",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jason-l-harris"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 354,
  "tags": [
    "medical_devices",
    "manufacturing",
    "software"
  ],
  "abstract": "A surgical instrument comprising an end effector is disclosed. The end effector comprises a surgical dissector.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10959744/surgical-dissectors-and-manufacturing-techniques",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10959744/surgical-dissectors-and-manufacturing-techniques/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US10959744",
  "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": "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"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "12114954",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "Uniform Scaling of Haptic Forces in Surgical Systems",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12114954/uniform-scaling-of-haptic-actuators"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "12409012",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "A Modular Dental Tool for Holding Back Lips, Cheeks, and Tongue",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12409012/raptor-chamber-pressure"
    }
  ]
}