Patent ID: 7721934

Claim:
A surgical instrument comprising: a drive for generating a drive motion; an end effector for performing at least one surgical procedure in response to said drive motion; said end effector further comprising a clamping member configured to receive opening and closing motions thereto; a proximate drive shaft operably communicating with said drive to transmit said drive motion therefrom; a distal drive shaft operably communicating with said end effector to transmit said drive motion thereto; an articulation joint interfacing with said proximate drive shaft and said distal drive shaft for transmitting said drive motion from said proximate drive shaft to said distal drive shaft while permitting said distal drive shaft to articulate relative to said proximate drive shaft; and a closure member operably coupled to said clamping member, wherein said closure member is configured to move between first and second positions to provide at least one of said opening motion and said closing motion, and wherein said closure member traverses said articulation joint when moving between said first and second positions; wherein said closure member comprises a proximate closure tube, a distal closure tube, and at least one link, wherein said proximate closure tube is pivotally connected to said distal closure tube by said at least one link, and wherein said at least one link is configured to traverse said articulation joint.