Patent ID: 11918195
Assignee: CILAG GMBH INTERNATIONAL
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 15:
16. A method of decoupling a drive input of a surgical tool, comprising:
providing a drive housing having a first end, a second end, a lead screw and at least one spline axially aligned with the drive input and extending between the first and second ends, a spline pinion gear mounted to the spline, an input pinion gear provided on the drive input, and a clutch axially aligned with and defining an internal gear matable with the spline and input pinion gears; and
engaging the clutch with an armature and thereby shifting the clutch from a first position, where the internal gear simultaneously mates with the spline and input pinion gears such that rotation of the drive input correspondingly rotates the spline, to a second position, where the internal gear is disengaged from the input pinion gear such that the spline is rotatable independent of the drive input.