Patent ID: 8357161

Claim:
A surgical instrument, comprising: a handle adapted for manipulation by a user to control the surgical instrument; an elongated shaft extending distally from the handle, the elongated shaft including a proximal portion defining a longitudinal axis and an articulating distal portion pivotally coupled to the proximal portion; an end effector extending distally from the articulating distal portion of the elongated shaft and defining an end effector axis, the end effector coupled to the articulating distal portion such that the end effector is rotatable about the end effector axis; and a drive mechanism including at least one actuator disposed on the handle, the at least one actuator operable to move the end effector in at least three independent modes relative to the longitudinal axis or the end effector axis, the at least three modes including: an articulation mode wherein the articulating distal portion of the elongated shaft pivots relative to the longitudinal axis; a shoulder roll mode wherein the articulating distal portion of the elongated shaft rotates about the longitudinal axis; and a wrist roll mode wherein the end effector rotates about the end effector axis, wherein the drive mechanism is configured to transmit mechanical motion through the elongated shaft in either a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal axis or a rotational direction about the longitudinal axis to induce each of the at least three independent modes, and wherein the drive mechanism includes an articulation spool movable in the longitudinal direction to induce movement of the end effector in the articulation mode and a shoulder roll knob movable in the rotational direction to induce movement of the end effector in the shoulder roll mode, and wherein a splined slip joint is defined between the articulation spool and the shoulder roll knob such that movement of the shoulder roll knob in the rotational direction imparts a corresponding rotational movement in the articulation spool, and wherein longitudinal movement of the articulation spool is independent of motion in the shoulder roll knob.