Surgical stapling instrument incorporating an electroactive polymer actuated firing bar track through an articulation joint
CA 2513950 C · Owner: Wales, Kenneth S. · Inventors: Shelton, Frederick E. Iv; Wales, Kenneth S.
Overview
Its claims, description and drawings are in the Canadian Patents Database.
Open the CIPO recordAbstract From the Canadian patent
A surgical stapling instrument particularly suited to endoscopic use articulates an end effector (e.g. stapling and severing) that is actuated by a firing bar. An articulation mechanism in an elongate shaft incorporates electrically actuated polymer (EAP) actuators that laterally support the firing bar so that the firing bar is sufficiently constrained to avoid a blow-out yet is guided without excessive friction and binding. Thereby effective, consistent firing is accomplished without an undue increase in firing force required when the end effector is articulated.
Read the whole patent
Listed from its CIPO record in Patent Yard's archive of Canadian patents past their term. Its claims, description and drawings are in the CIPO record and on Google Patents, and the Claude kit works from them.
Why it's free to use
- Filed July 27, 2005 and granted March 5, 2013. A Canadian patent filed from October 1, 1989 lasts 20 years from filing, so its term ended July 27, 2025.
- Certificates of supplementary protection extend only drug patents, and it isn't classified as one.
- We check Canadian rights only. A patent in its family in another country could still be in force: check its family on Google Patents.
Timeline
Timeline From CIPO dates
Sources & verification
Official CIPO records
Everything on this page comes from the CIPO record linked above. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.