U.S. Patent 7670334 was awarded to Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. on 2010-03-02 and describes a “Surgical instrument having an articulating end effector.” This patent has been cited 580 times by other U.S. patents which places it in the top 500 cited patents since 2010 according to our law firm research, and makes it of the most innovative medical technology patents in the field of instruments. The abstract states:

An articulating surgical instrument is shown, which comprises a shaft and an end effector. The shaft has a longitudinal axis, and the end effector is operationally coupled, preferably mechanically coupled, to the shaft at an articulation pivot. The instrument also comprises a first band, and in some embodiments, a second band, each operationally connected to the end effector and extending through at least a portion of the shaft. An articulation control applies a force in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis, wherein the force, when applied in one direction, is translated through the first band to the end effector to effect rotation of the end effector relative to the shaft about the articulation pivot in a first rotational direction, and when the force is applied in the opposite direction, is translated through the second band to the end effector to effect rotation of the end effector relative to the shaft about the articulation pivot in a second rotational direction. Link: U.S. Patent 7670334

This patent was originally filed on 2006-01-10 which gives it a processing time of 1512 days, compared to an average processing time of 1933 in the field. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. has 2128 total patents. The first named inventor is Joseph C. Hueil of Loveland, CO. The assistant examiner was Jennifer L Hornberger.

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