Patent ID: 7886952

Claim:
A surgical instrument, comprising: a handle assembly; a housing at least partially positioned distally of the handle assembly, the housing including an elongate body extending therefrom; and a loading unit removably supportable on a distal end of the housing, the loading unit including: a housing portion including a distal end and a proximal end; a drive assembly slidably supported within the housing portion of the loading unit; and a locking mechanism in the form of a lever having a distal end defining a hook for selectively engaging a portion of the drive assembly, the locking mechanism having a first position wherein the hook of the locking mechanism engages a portion of the drive assembly and maintains the position of the drive assembly relative to the housing portion of the loading unit, and the locking mechanism having a second position wherein the hook of the locking mechanism is disengaged from the drive assembly and enables the drive assembly to move relative to the housing portion, wherein the locking mechanism is configured for movement from the first position to the second position in response to a connection of the loading unit to the elongate body of the housing, whereupon during connection, the housing of the surgical instrument engages a proximal end of the lever to disengage to hook of the locking mechanism from the drive assembly.