{
  "patent_number": "US 11786761",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How a Robotic Surgical Tool Clamps Tissue Manually and Automatically",
  "original_title": "Ultrasonic robotic tool actuation",
  "summary": "This patent describes a surgical tool for robotic operations that can clamp tissue using a motor-driven yoke, but also allows a surgeon to manually control the clamping action.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent describes a surgical tool for clamping tissue during endoscopic surgery. It uses a \"yoke\" inside the tool's housing that slides back and forth along a \"shaft assembly\" (Claim 1). This movement, called \"longitudinal translation,\" makes a \"clamp arm\" on the tool's end open and close against a \"blade\" to grab tissue. A motor on a surgical robot can move the yoke by pushing \"first and second actuators\" (Claim 1). Alternatively, a surgeon can directly grasp and move \"at least one linear actuator\" on the tool's housing to control the clamp manually (Claim 5). For example, a surgeon could use the robot to precisely clamp a blood vessel, then take manual control to adjust the clamping force if needed. The tool can also apply different clamping forces based on how far the yoke moves (Claim 4).",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Surgical tools that only use a rotational mechanism to open and close the clamp arm, rather than linear translation of a yoke.",
    "Clamping mechanisms that do not involve a specific \"clamp arm\" and a \"blade\" for engaging tissue.",
    "Surgical tools that are exclusively robotic or exclusively manual, without the ability to switch between both modes of actuation.",
    "Systems where the clamping force cannot be varied based on the distance the internal mechanism travels."
  ],
  "filed": "2019-10-31",
  "granted": "2023-10-17",
  "expires": "2039-10-31",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Cilag GmbH International",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/cilag-gmbh-international",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Jeffery Kirk",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jeffery-kirk"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kevin D. Felder",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/kevin-d-felder"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "medical_devices",
    "robotics",
    "mechanical",
    "surgical"
  ],
  "abstract": "Described herein include various embodiments of a tool assembly for performing endoscopic surgery that can be used manually and/or with a robotic surgical system. The tool assembly can include a shaft assembly that extends from a housing of the tool assembly. A distal end of the shaft can include an end effector that includes a clamp arm pivotally coupled to a blade for cutting and/or sealing tissue. Pivoting of the clamp arm between the open and closed configurations can be caused by movement of a yoke that is slidably disposed within the housing of the tool assembly. For example, the yoke can be caused to move by one or more outputs (e.g., a manual output, a rotary output, and/or a linear mechanical output). Furthermore, some tool assembly embodiments can include a biasing system that biases the yoke such that the clamp arm is in the open configuration. In some embodiments, the tool assembly can be configured for tissue spread dissection using the clamp arm and blade.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11786761/ultrasonic-robotic-tool-actuation",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11786761/ultrasonic-robotic-tool-actuation/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11786761",
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}