Patent ID: 7559941

Claim:
A surgical instrument for delivering an implant to a damaged tissue site comprising: a main shaft having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end and a distal end; and a slide member juxtaposed with the main shaft having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end and a distal end; wherein: the surgical instrument has open and closed positions; the slide member is movable in a proximal-distal direction with respect to the main shaft to move the surgical instrument between the open and closed positions, the distal end of the slide member having an open position when the surgical instrument is in the open position and a closed position when the surgical instrument is in the closed position, the closed position of the distal end of the slide member being spaced from the open position of the distal end of the slide member in the proximal-distal direction; there is a gap between the distal end of the slide member and the distal end of the main shaft when the instrument is in the open position; there is a smaller gap between the distal end of the slide member and the distal end of the main shaft when the instrument is in the closed position; the slide member and the main shaft include a slot and pin received within the slot for guiding the movement of the slide member, the slot defining an obtuse angle with the longitudinal axes of the slide member and the main shaft and defining a path of travel for the pin; and the pin is in one position in the slot when the instrument is in the closed position and in a second position in the slot when the instrument is in the open position, the two positions of the pin with respect to the slot being displaced in a proximal-distal direction and in a second direction.