Patent ID: 7637410

Claim:
A surgical instrument, comprising: a handle portion; a body portion extending distally from the handle portion and defining a first longitudinal axis; an articulating tool assembly defining a second longitudinal axis, the articulating tool assembly being disposed at a distal end of the body portion and being movable from a first position in which the second longitudinal axis is substantially aligned with the first longitudinal axis to at least a second position in which the second longitudinal axis is disposed at an angle to the first longitudinal axis; a locking assembly including a pusher in mechanical cooperation with the body portion and a pivot in mechanical cooperation with the articulating tool assembly, the pusher having an elongated pusher mating surface dimensioned to mate with an elongated pivot mating surface of the pivot, the pusher being distally biased towards the pivot and forced proximally as the articulating tool assembly is moved to the second position; wherein each of the elongated pusher and pivot mating surfaces extends laterally across the first longitudinal axis; and wherein a majority of a length of the pusher mating surface is substantially flat, the substantially flat length of the pusher mating surface being substantially perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis, and wherein a majority of a length of the pivot mating surface is substantially flat, the substantially flat length of the pivot mating surface being substantially perpendicular to the second longitudinal axis.