{
  "patent_number": "US 12402879",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Surgical Tools Give Haptic Feedback Near Operation Limits",
  "original_title": "Surgical instrument having force feedback capabilities",
  "summary": "This patent describes a surgical instrument that uses a motor to move a tool, continuously tracking its position and providing a tactile vibration or haptic feedback to the surgeon as the tool approaches the end of its movement, improving precision and safety.",
  "what_it_does": "This surgical instrument includes a shaft and an end effector, which has a first and second jaw that move relative to each other. A motor-driven 'driver' moves these jaws through a specific action, like closing or firing staples. A control circuit continuously monitors the driver's position throughout this movement. As the driver gets close to the end of its motion, the control circuit delivers a feedback to the user, such as a tactile vibration (Claim 2) or a haptic signal (Claim 5), to indicate that the limit of the surgical function is approaching. For example, a surgeon using a motorized stapler might feel a specific vibration pattern in the handle as the staples are almost fully deployed, preventing them from over-compressing tissue.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover surgical instruments that provide only visual or auditory feedback without any tactile or haptic component.",
    "Does not cover feedback systems that only alert the user *after* the driver has already reached or exceeded its limit position.",
    "Does not cover surgical instruments where the driver's movement is not motorized.",
    "Does not cover feedback based on factors other than the driver's position or status throughout its motion.",
    "Does not cover surgical instruments where the end effector does not include a first and second jaw movable relative to each other."
  ],
  "filed": "2024-02-21",
  "granted": "2025-09-02",
  "expires": "2044-02-21",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Cilag GmbH International",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/cilag-gmbh-international",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Frederick E. Shelton, IV",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/frederick-e-shelton-iv"
    },
    {
      "name": "Richard L. Leimbach",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/richard-l-leimbach"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jerome R. Morgan",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jerome-r-morgan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mark D. Overmyer",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/mark-d-overmyer"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "medical_devices",
    "robotics",
    "software",
    "mechanical",
    "consumer_electronics"
  ],
  "abstract": "A surgical instrument. The surgical instrument has a force delivery system which communicates a changing force to a user of the surgical instrument when a limit of a surgical function is reached. A sensor senses position of a moving element to communicate a signal to the force delivery system. In various embodiments, the system generates a vibratory force to signal the user.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12402879/surgical-instrument-having-force-feedback-capabilities",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12402879/surgical-instrument-having-force-feedback-capabilities/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12402879",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "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": "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": "10736702",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "Surgical Tool with Flexible, Articulating, and Rotating End Effectors",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10736702/activating-and-rotating-surgical-end-effectors"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "12414825",
      "countryCode": "US",
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      "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"
    }
  ]
}