Patent ID: 11937813
Assignee: COVIDIEN LP
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 3:
4. A surgical stapling instrument, comprising:
a reload including a staple cartridge assembly and an anvil assembly;
an adapter assembly having an elongate shaft, an articulating distal end, and a mounting member disposed at the articulating distal end and pivotably attached to the elongate shaft to move the reload between an unarticulated position and an articulated position, wherein the adapter assembly defines a first centerline extending longitudinally through the adapter assembly and the reload defines a second centerline extending longitudinally through the reload; and
a drive mechanism in the adapter assembly and including a bar extending through the mounting member, the bar supported by a pair of bar guides, blowout plates, and a support block defining an opening, wherein the bar and the blowout plates are disposed in the opening of the support block, and wherein when the reload is disposed in the unarticulated position, the bar, the bar guides, the blowout plates, and the support block are substantially aligned with the first and second centerlines, and wherein when the reload is disposed in the articulated position, at least one of the bar, the pair of bar guides, the support block, or the pair of blowout plates is pivoted to an offset position relative to the first and second centerlines, and wherein the mounting member is configured to pivot relative to the elongate shaft in a first direction, and the bar guides are configured to pivot in a second direction opposite to the first direction when the mounting member is pivoted in the first direction.