US 2,019,201,136 · Filed 2018-12-04

How Surgeons See Two Feeds at Once During Robotic Surgery

Imagine a surgeon in an operating room needing to watch live camera feeds from two different machines at the same time—one from a surgical camera outside the sterile zone and another from a robotic arm inside it. This patent covers the method that lets both feeds display on a single screen without interference, keeping the surgeon's view clean and focused.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a method of establishing two separate communication pathways: one from a surgical visualization system (like a camera) located outside the sterile operating field to a primary display, and another from a surgical robotic hub to that same display. What's protected is the specific process of managing these dual data streams so that image frames from both sources can be transmitted to and displayed on a single primary monitor without conflict or data loss.

Why it matters

In modern minimally invasive robotic surgery, surgeons rely on real-time visual feedback from multiple sources. This patent solves a critical logistical problem: how to consolidate feeds from independent systems (external camera and robotic unit) onto one display without requiring separate screens or manual switching. This kind of seamless integration reduces cognitive load on the surgeon and improves safety and precision during complex procedures.

Real-world use

When a surgeon performs a robotic-assisted operation, they're watching a unified screen that blends the external surgical camera view with data from the robotic arm—this patent's method is what makes that dual-feed coordination work without dropping frames or creating lag.

Original USPTO abstract

Disclosed is a method including establishing a first communication link between a surgical visualization system outside a sterile field in an operating room and a primary display inside the sterile field, transmitting an image frame from the surgical visualization system to the primary display, establishing a second communication link between a surgical robotic hub in the operating room and the primary display, and transmitting another image frame from the surgical robotic hub to the primary display.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,019,201,136
Filing date: 2018-12-04
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Ethicon Llc
Inventor(s): SHELTON, IV, FREDERICK E., YATES, DAVID C., WIENER, EITAN T., ALDRIDGE, JEFFREY L., MESSERLY, JEFFREY D., HARRIS, JASON L., WIDENHOUSE, TAMARA, MORGAN, JEROME R.
CPC class: H04L67/10

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