Patent ID: 8579937

Claim:
A surgical instrument comprising: a body portion; a tool assembly supported on the distal end of the body portion; an elongated cover supported about the body portion of the instrument, the elongated cover being formed from a collapsible material and having a substantially tubular configuration having open proximal and distal ends, the elongated cover being movable about the body portion of the instrument from a first position located proximally of the tool assembly to a second position at least partially encompassing the tool assembly, wherein when the elongated cover is in the first position the distal end of the elongated cover is secured to the instrument adjacent to the tool assembly such that the elongated cover can be inverted about the tool assembly as the elongated cover is moved from the first position to the second position; and a cover deployment device at least partially disposed about the body portion between the body portion and the elongated cover when the elongated cover is in the first position, the cover deployment device being in releasable engagement with the cover and being advanceable along the body portion to move the cover from the first position to the second position.