Patent ID: 8475473

Claim:
A single clip jaw assembly, comprising: a handle assembly having at least one handle and defining a central longitudinal axis wherein said handle assembly has a scissor configuration and is capable of grasping an object; and a single cartridge comprising: a pair of jaws adapted to receive a surgical clip, the jaws being movable between an open state and a closed state; a pair of elongate support arms each adapted to support an associated one of the jaws between the open state of the jaws and the closed state of the jaws; a bridge disposed between the support arms hold the jaws in an aligned relationship between the open state and the closed state; a housing disposed over at least the bridge, the housing having a generally fixed relationship with the bridge while permitting movement of the jaws between the open state and the closed state, and the housing having no automatic clip loading mechanism housed therein; and a coupling included on the housing, the coupling being adapted for removably attaching the housing to the handle assembly to an operative disposition such that the housing is rotationally fixed with respect to the at least one handle of the handle assembly about the central longitudinal axis and such that actuation of the at least one handle moves the jaws between the open state and the closed state, wherein the coupling comprises a first mounting stub configured to be received by a first mounting aperture of the handle assembly and a second mounting stub configured to be received by a second mounting aperture of the handle assembly, and; wherein the jaw assembly is configured to receive only a single surgical clip at a time, and the pair of jaws is adapted to receive a surgical clip exteriorly of the jaw assembly.