U.S. Patent 8132703 was awarded to Tyco Healthcare Group LP on 2012-03-13 and describes a “Surgical instrument with indicator.” This patent has been cited 253 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:

A surgical stapling instrument including a handle assembly, an elongated body portion extending distally from the handle assembly, and a head portion. The handle assembly includes a firing trigger and a firing indicator. The firing trigger is movable between a first non-actuated position and a second actuated position. The head portion is disposed adjacent a distal portion of the elongated body portion and includes an anvil assembly and a shell assembly. The anvil assembly is movable in relation to the shell assembly between spaced and approximated positions. Engagement structure of the firing trigger moves the firing indicator from a first position to a second position when the firing trigger is moved from its first non-actuated position toward its second actuated position. Link: U.S. Patent 8132703

This patent was originally filed on 2010-02-01 which gives it a processing time of 771 days, compared to an average processing time of 983 in the field. Tyco Healthcare Group LP has 1168 total patents. The first named inventor is Keith L. Milliman of Bethel, MN. The primary examiner was Scott A. Smith.

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