Surgical Stapler Battery Health Check During Operation
This patent describes a powered surgical stapler that can detect if some of its rechargeable battery cells are damaged while it's actually firing staples, helping ensure the procedure finishes safely.
Original patent title: “Mechanisms for compensating for battery pack failure in powered surgical instruments”
What this patent covers
The actual claim
The patent describes a surgical instrument, like a stapler, that uses an electric motor to deploy staples into tissue. This motor is powered by a rechargeable battery pack. The clever part is an electronic control circuit within the power pack that constantly checks the health of individual battery cells using special indicators. If the circuit detects that a subset of these rechargeable battery cells is damaged *during* the firing sequence, it can assess this issue. This allows the instrument to potentially compensate or alert the surgeon, preventing a complete power failure during a critical moment.
What this patent does NOT cover
The boundaries
- Does not cover surgical instruments powered by non-rechargeable batteries.
- Does not cover battery health assessment performed only before or after a firing sequence, but not during.
- Does not cover systems that only detect a complete failure of the entire battery pack, rather than a subset of cells.
- Does not cover instruments where the electric motor is not directly coupled to a firing assembly for staples.
- Does not cover battery health monitoring in non-surgical or non-medical devices.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The novelty lies in assessing the health of a *subset* of rechargeable battery cells *during* the active firing sequence of a surgical instrument. This real-time, granular monitoring allows for early detection of partial battery degradation, which is crucial for maintaining power during a critical operation.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Powered surgical staplers
Robotic surgical instruments with integrated power packs
Advanced electrosurgical devices
Why it matters
The bigger picture
In surgery, reliable power for instruments like staplers is critical for patient safety. A sudden power loss during a procedure could have serious consequences. This invention aims to make powered surgical instruments safer by providing real-time battery health monitoring, specifically identifying partial failures before they lead to complete system shutdown. This allows for more predictable and controlled surgical outcomes.
Filed
September 19, 2023
Granted
June 10, 2025
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Major medical device companies like Johnson & Johnson (CILAG GMBH INT is part of J&J MedTech), Medtronic, and Intuitive Surgical are continuously developing and improving powered surgical instruments. These companies invest heavily in battery management systems to enhance the safety and reliability of their devices, especially for critical applications like stapling and cutting.
Market impact
This type of technology enhances the safety profile of powered surgical instruments, which are a growing segment of the medical device market. By reducing the risk of unexpected power failures during surgery, it builds greater trust in these advanced tools. This can lead to broader adoption of powered instruments, potentially making surgical procedures more efficient and safer for patients, while also setting a higher standard for battery management in critical medical applications.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent describes a surgical instrument, like a stapler, that uses an electric motor to deploy staples into tissue. This motor is powered by a rechargeable battery pack. The clever part is an electronic control circuit within the power pack that constantly checks the health of individual battery cells using special indicators. If the circuit detects that a subset of these rechargeable battery cells is damaged *during* the firing sequence, it can assess this issue. This allows the instrument to potentially compensate or alert the surgeon, preventing a complete power failure during a critical moment.
The clever bit
The novelty lies in assessing the health of a *subset* of rechargeable battery cells *during* the active firing sequence of a surgical instrument. This real-time, granular monitoring allows for early detection of partial battery degradation, which is crucial for maintaining power during a critical operation.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover surgical instruments powered by non-rechargeable batteries.
- Does not cover battery health assessment performed only before or after a firing sequence, but not during.
- Does not cover systems that only detect a complete failure of the entire battery pack, rather than a subset of cells.
- Does not cover instruments where the electric motor is not directly coupled to a firing assembly for staples.
- Does not cover battery health monitoring in non-surgical or non-medical devices.
Patent Journey
From filing to today
Patent Filed
2023
Patent Granted
2025 · 2yr after filing
Highly Cited
10,551 patents cite this
Active Today
2026
Expires
2043
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Strong
Citation count
40/40
Highly cited
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claims
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assignee
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Citations
Patent lineage
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