Patent ID: 11864756
Assignee: CILAG GMBH INTERNATIONAL
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A  F

Claim 0:
1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
a surgical end effector comprising a firing member supported for axial travel within said surgical end effector;
an upper chain-drive assembly operably interfacing with a top portion of said firing member and having an upper proximal end and an upper distal end;
a lower chain-drive assembly operably interfacing with a bottom portion of said firing member and having a lower proximal end and a lower distal end;
a drive member, wherein said drive member operably interfaces with said upper chain-drive assembly and said lower chain-drive assembly to cause said upper chain-drive assembly and said lower chain-drive assembly to apply axial drive motions to said firing member to move said firing member between a starting position and an ending position within said surgical end effector; and
a coupler, wherein said upper proximal end is coupled to said lower proximal end by said coupler, wherein said coupler is supported in operable engagement with a proximal support that facilitates movement of said coupler and said upper chain-drive assembly and said lower chain drive assembly, and wherein said proximal support is configured to translate axially as said upper chain-drive assembly and said lower chain-drive assembly translate axially.