Patent ID: 7670334

Claim:
An articulating surgical instrument, the instrument comprising: a shaft having a longitudinal axis; an end effector operationally coupled to the shaft at an articulation pivot, wherein the end effector comprises a boss centered on the articulation pivot; a first band operationally connected to the end effector and extending through at least a portion of the shaft, wherein the first band is mechanically coupled to the end effector at a first point of the boss that is offset from the articulation pivot such that force translated through the first band is translated to the boss to effect rotation of the boss about the articulation pivot; and an articulation control, wherein the articulation control comprises an articulation slide that is movable substantially perpendicularly across the shaft for applying a force in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, said articulation slide being operationally connected to the first band such that application of the force is translated through the first band to the end effector to effect rotation of the end effector relative to the shaft about the articulation pivot.