US Patent Issued to Covidien on Sept. 2 for "Pinion blade drive mechanism for a laparoscopic vessel dissector" (Colorado Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 3 -- United States Patent no. 12,402,932, issued on Sept. 2, was assigned to Covidien LP (Mansfield, Mass.).

"Pinion blade drive mechanism for a laparoscopic vessel dissector" was invented by Thomas J. Gerhardt (Littleton, Colo.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A surgical instrument comprises a handle assembly including an actuator. An elongate shaft extends distally from the handle assembly and defines a longitudinal axis. A reciprocating member extends at least partially through the elongate shaft, and is mounted for longitudinal motion through the elongate shaft in response to manipulation of the actuator. A drive mechanism includes a first rotating component coupled t...