Claims
- 1. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw for use with an endoscopic biopsy forceps instrument having a hollow member with a control member extending therethrough, actuating means coupled to the proximal ends of the hollow member and control member for reciprocally moving the control member through the hollow member, and a pair of forceps jaws, at least one of said pair being said endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw, said endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw comprising:
- a) a distal jaw cup having an outer edge and an interior hollow portion;
- b) a proximal coupling means for coupling said distal jaw cup to at least one of the control member and the hollow member of the biopsy forceps instrument such that the pair of forceps jaws will open and close with the reciprocally moving control member, wherein
- said distal jaw cup has a plurality of teeth extending from said outer edge, each tooth having at least two surfaces which intersect along a line which is angled upward from said outer edge and which terminates at a vertex which is located upward and inward from said outer edge.
- 2. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 1, wherein:
- each tooth has a substantially triangular inner surface with said vertex being a vertex of said substantially triangular inner surface, a substantially quadrilateral base, and a surface which extends from said vertex outward and downward to said outer edge.
- 3. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 1, wherein:
- said distal jaw cup has a plurality of tooth valleys interposed between said teeth, each tooth valley having a nadir which is located downward and inward from said outer edge.
- 4. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 3, wherein:
- each of said tooth valleys has two inclined surfaces which intersect along a line extending inward and downward from said outer edge.
- 5. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 1, wherein:
- each of said teeth has four substantially triangular surfaces.
- 6. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 3, wherein:
- each of said tooth valleys has three substantially triangular surfaces which intersect at a nadir point located inward and downward from said outer edge.
- 7. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 1, wherein:
- said teeth are radially arranged along said outer edge of said distal jaw cup.
- 8. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 7, wherein:
- said teeth include first teeth on a first side of said distal jaw cup, and second teeth on a second side of said distal jaw cup, said first teeth and said second teeth being offset by one-half pitch relative to each other.
- 9. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 1, wherein:
- said jaw cup is substantially oblate hemispherical.
- 10. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 9, wherein:
- said outer edge is substantially U-shaped.
- 11. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 9, wherein:
- said outer edge is substantially oblate circular.
- 12. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 1, wherein:
- said outer edge has an outer lip, said teeth extending from said outer edge from a location interior of said outer lip.
- 13. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 12, wherein:
- said outer lip is unsharpened.
- 14. An endoscopic biopsy forceps jaw according to claim 12, wherein:
- said outer lip is sharpened.
- 15. An endoscopic biopsy forceps instrument, comprising:
- a) a hollow member having a proximal and a distal end;
- b) a control member having a proximal and a distal end and extending through said hollow member;
- c) actuating means coupled to said proximal ends of said hollow member and said control member for reciprocally moving said control member through said hollow member; and
- d) a pair of forceps jaws, wherein
- each of said forceps jaws has a distal jaw cup having an outer edge and an interior hollow portion, a proximal coupling means for coupling said distal jaw cup to at least one of said control member and said hollow member such that the pair of forceps jaws will open and close in response to reciprocally moving said control member, and said distal jaw cup has a plurality of teeth extending from said outer edge, each tooth having at least two surfaces which intersect along a line which is angled upward from said outer edge and which terminates at a vertex which is located upward and inward from said outer edge.
- 16. An endoscopic biopsy forceps instrument according to claim 15, wherein:
- each tooth has a substantially triangular inner surface with said vertex being a vertex of said substantially triangular inner surface, a substantially quadrilateral base, and a surface which extends from said vertex outward and downward to said outer edge.
- 17. An endoscopic biopsy forceps instrument according to claim 15, wherein:
- said distal jaw cup has a plurality of tooth valleys interposed between said teeth, each tooth valley having a nadir which is located downward and inward from said outer edge.
- 18. An endoscopic biopsy forceps instrument according to claim 17, wherein:
- each of said tooth valleys has two inclined surfaces which intersect along a line extending inward and downward from said outer edge.
- 19. An endoscopic biopsy forceps instrument according to claim 15, wherein:
- each of said teeth has four substantially triangular surfaces.
- 20. An endoscopic biopsy forceps instrument according to claim 17, wherein:
- each of said tooth valleys has three substantially triangular surfaces which intersect at a nadir point located inward and downward from said outer edge.
- 21. An endoscopic biopsy forceps instrument according to claim 15, wherein:
- said teeth are radially arranged along said outer edge of said distal jaw cup.
- 22. An endoscopic biopsy forceps instrument according to claim 21, wherein:
- said teeth include first teeth on a first side of said distal jaw cup, and second teeth on a second side of said distal jaw cup, said first teeth and said second teeth being offset by one half pitch relative to each other.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part of co-owned application Ser. No. 08/177,536 filed Jan. 5, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,885 and of co-owned Ser. No. 08/265,217 filed Jun. 23, 1994 which in turn is a continuation of now abandoned Ser. No. 08/016,595 filed Feb. 11, 1993.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Continuations (1)
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Date |
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16595 |
Feb 1993 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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177536 |
Jan 1994 |
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