US 12,402,877 B2
Needle loader devices and related systems and methods
Jake Anthony Luckman, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Ronald George Litke, Jr., Sunnyvale, CA (US); and Jorge Alberto Trevino Blanco, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 6, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/833,845.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/197,786, filed on Jun. 7, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0387020 A1, Dec. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 17/062 (2006.01); A61B 17/06 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 17/062 (2013.01) [A61B 2017/0608 (2013.01); A61B 2017/06142 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A needle loader, comprising:
a housing;
a movable arm disposed within the housing, wherein the movable arm is slidably disposed along a first direction along a length of a cavity defined within the housing; and
a needle mount defined on the movable arm to releasably attach to at least a portion of a suturing needle, wherein the needle mount and the at least a portion of the suturing needle are configured to deflect within the cavity along a second direction that is different from the first direction while the needle mount and the at least a portion of the suturing needle slide along the first direction from a first position to a second position, wherein the needle mount and the at least a portion of the suturing needle are spaced apart from a needle track of a suturing device in the first position, and wherein the needle mount and the at least a portion of the suturing needle are adjacent the needle track of the suturing device in the second position.