Patent ID: 11950869
Assignee: INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  G | IPC A  G

Claim 16:
17. A system for providing on-demand functionality during a medical procedure comprising:
an instrument comprising an instrument body and an end effector, the end effector providing a first functionality;
an accessory providing a second functionality; and
a mounting device comprising:
a first mounting component attached to the accessory, the first mounting component including a first magnet having a first polarity; and
a second mounting component integrated in the instrument, the second mounting component including a second magnet having a second polarity different from the first polarity,
wherein the first mounting component is decouplable from the second mounting component, and wherein the first mounting component is configured to interact with the second mounting component to removably couple the accessory to the instrument to augment the first functionality with the second functionality,
wherein the mounting device is configured to transition the accessory between a first configuration and a second configuration while both the accessory and the end effector are inside a patient body based on an interaction between the first polarity of the first magnet and the second polarity of the second magnet,
wherein in the first configuration, the accessory is in a distal-facing orientation relative to the instrument, and
wherein in the second configuration, the accessory is in a proximal-facing orientation relative to the instrument.