Patent ID: 11871927
Assignee: nan
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. An end effector for use by a surgeon to staple an anatomical structure of a patient during a minimally invasive procedure, the anatomical structure having a first outer side and a second outer side, the end effector comprising:
(a) a first jaw having a distal end, a proximal end, a longitudinal axis, and an anvil, the anvil comprising an anvil face positionable on the first outer side of the anatomical structure, the anvil further comprising a plurality of pocket rows, each pocket row comprising a plurality of staple pockets, wherein the plurality of pocket rows includes at least one pocket row whose plurality of staple pockets comprises a depth that differs from the depth of the plurality of staple pockets of at least one other pocket row;
(b) a second jaw having a distal end, a proximal end, a longitudinal axis, and a cartridge operably configured to house a plurality of staples, the cartridge having a cartridge face positionable on the second outer side of the anatomical structure;
(c) a first coupling that couples the distal end of the first jaw to the distal end of the second jaw; and
(d) a second coupling including a monolithic rigid link, the monolithic rigid link being inflexible, the monolithic rigid link having a first end and a second end, and wherein, when the end effector is in both a first open position and a second closed position, the first end of the monolithic rigid link is movably and fixedly connected to the first jaw, and the second end of the monolithic rigid link is movably and fixedly connected to the second jaw,
wherein the monolithic rigid link includes a first portion offset and angled from a second portion, the monolithic rigid link further including a ramp surface;
wherein the end effector has a distal end and a proximal end, and a distance between the distal end and the proximal end is fixed; and
wherein a staple configuration in which a staple of the plurality of staples is formed is based on the depth of a corresponding staple pocket.