U.S. Patent 8132706 was awarded to Tyco Healthcare Group LP on 2012-03-13 and describes a “Surgical stapling apparatus having articulation mechanism.” This patent has been cited 244 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 articulation mechanism for use with a surgical apparatus having an articulating tool assembly is described. The articulation mechanism includes a rotatable shaft which is fixedly secured to a disk defining a spiral groove or slot. A linearly movable translation member is provided and includes a pin which is received within the spiral groove such that rotation of the disk effects linear translation of the translation member. The configuration of the spiral groove can be selected to provide any desired ratio of angular rotation of the disk to linear advancement of the translation member. As such, the configuration of the spiral slot can be selected to provide a uniform rate of articulation of the tool assembly of the surgical apparatus or a variable rate of articulation. Link: U.S. Patent 8132706

This patent was originally filed on 2009-06-05 which gives it a processing time of 1012 days, compared to an average processing time of 1080 in the field. Tyco Healthcare Group LP has 1168 total patents. The first named inventor is Stanislaw Z. Marczyk of Stratford, CA. The primary examiner was Brian D Nash.

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