US 12,121,282 B2
Surgical instrument and method
Ryan Abbott, San Jose, CA (US); and Fred Ginnebaugh, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to Maquet Cardiovascular LLC, Wayne, NJ (US)
Filed by Maquet Cardiovascular LLC, Wayne, NJ (US)
Filed on Apr. 24, 2018, as Appl. No. 15/961,676.
Application 15/961,676 is a division of application No. 13/094,783, filed on Apr. 26, 2011, granted, now 9,968,396.
Application 13/094,783 is a continuation in part of application No. 12/472,657, filed on May 27, 2009, granted, now 9,402,679, issued on Aug. 2, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/327,792, filed on Apr. 26, 2010.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/056,207, filed on May 27, 2008.
Prior Publication US 2018/0310980 A1, Nov. 1, 2018
Int. Cl. A61B 18/14 (2006.01); A61B 18/08 (2006.01); A61B 18/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 18/085 (2013.01) [A61B 18/1445 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00345 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00404 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00601 (2013.01); A61B 2018/0063 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00916 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A surgical instrument comprising:
a jaw assembly having a concave side and a convex side, the jaw assembly comprising a first jaw and a second jaw, wherein the first jaw includes
a support structure including a first through opening that extends fully through the support structure;
an electrically insulative material disposed on the support structure; and
an operative element for applying energy to tissue;
wherein the second jaw has a raised portion that faces toward the first jaw;
wherein the electrically insulative material extends fully through the first through opening of the support structure to thereby secure the electrically insulative material to the support structure;
wherein the electrically insulative material integrally forms a layer on opposite sides of the support structure, wherein the opposite sides are on either side of the first through opening, and wherein the layer encircles the support structure; and
wherein at least one of the first jaw or the second jaw includes a tapered protrusion that extends continuously along an entire length of the first or second jaw on the concave side of the jaw assembly, and that extends and tapers in a direction lateral to the first or second jaw on the concave side of the jaw assembly an outermost thereby forming concave edge along the concave side of the jaw assembly that has a greater distance from the support structure than an outermost convex edge along the convex side of the jaw assembly.