Surgical stapler

Claim 2

The stapler of claim 1 including common drive means for moving both said driver and said anvil. 3. The stapler of claim 2 including a handle rotatably mounted to said housing with said driver and said anvil being operatively sezured to said handle, whereby rotation of said handle causes movement of said driver and said anvil to function as said common drive means, said driver being.fixedly mounted to said handle for joint movement therewith and said anvil being mounted to said handle by lost motion drive means, and with a pin secured to said handle for joint movement therewith, said anvil having a slot and said handle pin being disposed in said anvil slot. 4. The stapler of claim 3 including stop means for limiting the amount of movement of said anvil with a slot in said housing and a projection on said anvil disposed in said housing slot, whereby said housing slot and said anvil projection comprise said stop means. The stapler of claim 3 wherein said driver and said anvil are each a plate mounted for movement in an arcuate path. 6. The stapler of claim 3 wherein said handle is mounted for telescopic movement into and out pf said housing with complementary stop means on said housing and said handle to prevent said handle from moving completely out of said housing, said driver and said anvil being mounted to said handle at spaced portions thereof near the center of rotation of said handle, spring means urging said handle in a downward direction for movement out of said housing, and said complementary stop means comprises an in-turned flange on said housing and an outwardly extending flange on said handle. 7. The stapler of claim 1 wherein said means for disposing staples includes a transparent cassette having a supply of staples therein and said housing has at least one window disposed in the area of said cassette, whereby the amount of staples in said cas- sette is visibly apparent from outside said housing. 8. The stapler of claim 1 including guide grooves for guiding said anvil and said driver in their respective movements, said housing including a flat planar end, said discharge opening being in said planar end, said anvil being in a generally horizontal position at said discharge opening, said driver being in a generally vertical position at said discharge opening, said housing having a vertical wall extending upwardly from said planar end to act as. a guide surface for said driver, said staples being mounted in a cassette, and said cassette having a slot at its discharge end for receiving said driver. J// -O 10 9. In a method of applying staples at a work site by means of a stapler having a plurality of staples and a driver for bending the staples one at a time around an anvil in the stapler housing, the improvement which comprises retracting the anvil within the housing away from the staple and driver upon the completion of the bending step, whereby the stapler may be selectively moved to the next work site. The method of claim 14 wherein the staples are applied during a surgical skin stapling operation including mounting the driver and the anvil at spaced locations to a rotatable handle, moving the driver and the anvil in response to the rotational movement of the handle, forming a slot in the anvil and a pin on the handle disposed in the anvil slot, moving the handle pin in the anvil slot upon initial rotation of the handle, and then causing the anvil to move upon further rotation of the handle in response to movement of the pin, stop means having provided in the housing to prevent the anvil from further movement upon actuation of th stop means. 11. A stapler substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 12. DATED this SIXTH day of JULY, 1982 HOWMEDICA, INC. Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON S, in ToIImwifl aHiiIVIIl Pa w, it known tof'lr/us* J~p2. 0Zt~4 Sj2 0 0 0 000 00 0 00 00 00 0 c 00a Do 0 0.00. 00 400 0 0 0 00 a 00 00 0 00 000 J~7~ .nrfom~n~ KtJ 0 0 0 00 1 0 00 0 0 0000a 00 0 0 0 00 o -00 0 00 0 0 0 24 0 00 00 00 00 0 SOC~ ge C* e S S S 00 j7Fl so S. S 0S 5* 6- 5.5 SO .5 6 0* 5*

Claim 3

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