Patent ID: 8028882

Claim:
A surgical instrument incorporating a jaw position detector comprising: a support member having a first longitudinal axis; a jaw movably mounted on the support member and having a second longitudinal axis, the jaw including a tissue engaging surface and an outer surface disposed in a directly opposite relation to the tissue engaging surface, the outer surface defining a proximal portion and a distal portion, the proximal portion being disposed at an angle relative to the first longitudinal axis of the support member, the distal portion being disposed parallel to the first longitudinal axis of the support member when the jaw is in a closed position; a drive mechanism associated with the support member and operable to move the jaw relative to the support member as the drive mechanism translates between proximal and distal positions; and a position detector including a notch formed on a proximal region of the distal portion of the outer surface, a projection mounted to the drive mechanism, and a indicator mechanism electrically coupled to the notch and the projection, wherein the projection is configured and dimensioned to move along the jaw with respect to the first longitudinal axis as the jaw moves from an open position to the closed position to provide an indication to an operator of the surgical instrument when the first longitudinal axis is in substantial alignment with the second longitudinal axis, wherein the projection snaps into the notch after the jaw is in the closed position to fix the jaw in the closed position, wherein the projection is located in the notch when the drive mechanism is in the distal position, and wherein when the notch and projection are engaged, the indictor mechanism provides an indication to the user or operator that the jaw and the drive mechanism are properly engaged.