Patent ID: 7494501

Claim:
A surgical instrument, comprising: an elongate tube extending along an axis, the elongate tube having a lumen extending along the axis through at least a portion of the elongate tube; an actuation rod positioned within the lumen and adapted to slide longitudinally along the axis of the elongate tube; a first jaw spine having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end having a first series of gear teeth formed around a first hole; a second jaw spine having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end having a second series of gear teeth formed around a second hole, the second jaw spine being pivotally joined to the first jaw spine by a pivot pin through the first and second holes that operably opens and closes the jaw spines in response to movement of the actuation rod; and the elongate tube having a first fenestration of windows extending axially on one side of the tube and a second fenestration of windows extending on an opposite side of the tube opposing the first fenestration of windows such that the first series of gear teeth can be positioned to ride within the first fenestration of windows and the second series of gear teeth can be positioned to ride within the second fenestration of windows, the elongate tube further having an elongate slot formed therein, the elongate slot receiving a portion of the pivot pin.