Patent ID: 8764748

Claim:
An end effector assembly for use with a forceps, comprising; a pair of opposing jaw members operatively connected to each other about a pivot, each jaw member including a structural support member having a seal plate secured thereto, each of the seal plates having electrically conductive top and bottom surfaces with a slot defined therebetween having a depth and configured to translate a knife blade therethrough, wherein the top surfaces are utilized to secure the seal plates to the respective structural support member, the slots extending only partially through a full thickness of the seal plates, the combined depth of the slots being greater than a height of the knife blade such that during translation of the knife blade through the slots, the knife blade does not extend into the structural support members, wherein each of the structural support members includes at least one aperture extending partially therethrough such that at least a portion of each structural support member remains between the aperture and the respective seal plate to facilitate coupling of the structural support members to the respective seal plates.