US Patent Issued to Covidien on June 23 for "Articulating ultrasonic surgical instruments and systems" (Colorado Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 15 -- United States Patent no. 12,661,141, issued on June 23, was assigned to Covidien LP (Mansfield, Mass.).

"Articulating ultrasonic surgical instruments and systems" was invented by Matthew S. Cowley (Frederick, Colo.), Thomas E. Drochner (Longmont, Colo.), Michael B. Lyons (Boulder, Colo.), David J. Van Tol (Boulder, Colo.) and James R. Fagan (Erie, Colo.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An ultrasonic end effector includes a substantially cylindrical blade and a jaw including a structural body and a jaw liner. The jaw is movable from an open to a clamping position, wherein the blade-facing surface of the jaw liner opposes the blade with the first and second blade-facin...