Patent ID: 8114120

Claim:
A surgical instrument, comprising: an elongate tube extending along an axis; an actuation rod coaxially slidable within the elongate tube; a first tip having a proximal end with a proximal end surface, the first tip comprising a first pin formed on the proximal end surface of the first tip; and a second tip having a proximal end with a proximal end surface, the second tip comprising a second pin formed on the proximal end surface of the second tip, the second tip being pivotally connected to the first tip at a common pivot pin operably connected to the elongate tube to open and close the tips in response to movement of the actuation rod, and wherein the actuation rod comprises a fork actuation rod having a first side and a second side, wherein each of the first side and the second side comprises a slot to accept a corresponding one of the pins of the first and second tips, the slots each having camming surfaces for the corresponding pin to slide within the slot, and the slot of the first side extending transverse to the slot of the second side of the actuation rod, and wherein the proximal ends of the tips extend minimally outside the diameter of the elongate tube during actuation of the tips.