Patent ID: 7294139

Claim:
An endoscopic instrument for manipulating an object, the instrument comprising: a generally hollow elongated sheath; a selectively operable handle assembly generally adjacent one end of said sheath; a plurality of manipulation members generally adjacent an opposite end of said sheath, said manipulation members being generally longitudinally fixed relative to said sheath and being at least partially deflectable in at least one lateral direction; an elongated activation cable extending generally longitudinally within said hollow sheath and being longitudinally moveable therein, said cable member further being interconnected with said handle assembly for selective longitudinal movement between a longitudinally retracted position relative to said sheath and a longitudinally extended position relative to said sheath in response to selective operation of said handle assembly; and a cam member fixed relative to said cable member for longitudinal movement therewith between said retracted and extended positions, said longitudinally moveable cam member engaging and forcibly deflecting said longitudinally fixed manipulation members laterally inwardly in response to movement of said cam member toward said extended position and laterally outwardly in response to movement of said cam member toward said retracted position in order to force said manipulation members into a gripping engagement with the object, said manipulation members remaining generally longitudinally fixed relative to said sheath during said non-longitudinal deflection, and said cam member has having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, each of said openings slidably receiving said at least a portion of one of said manipulation members extending therethrough during said longitudinal movement of said cam member.