Patent ID: 9622832
Date: 2017-04-18
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. A surgical instrument adapted to be repeatedly heat sterilized when exposed to an associated sterilizing heat source, the surgical instrument comprising: a handle portion; a tip; an energy generator and storage device configured to generate and store energy when the surgical instrument is heat sterilized, the energy generator and storage device comprising: a tip sensor provided on the handle portion, the tip sensor being operatively coupled with the energy generator and storage device and configured to distinguish between different tips based on a tip identifying device comprising at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID), a shape identification, or a barcode identification, wherein the tip identifying device is configured to provide identification data from the tip to the tip sensor that allows the tip sensor to determine which one of the different tips is attached to the handle portion to facilitate use of the surgical instrument in an associated medical navigation system.