Surgical clip applicator

Claim 1

AN INSTRUMENT FOR APPLYING CLIPS OF U-SHAPE HAVING A REAR BAIL PORTION AND A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL SIDE ARMS EXTENDING FORWARDLY FROM SAID BAIL WITH SPICULES EXTENDING INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY FROM THE FORWARD EDGE PORTION OF THE SPACED PARALLEL SIDE ARMS COMPRISING A MAGAZINE FOR RECEIVING A NUMBER OF SAID CLIPS IN SAID INSTRUMENT ALIGNED IN END-TO-END RELATION, SAID MAGAZINE INCLUDING A CLIP-RECEIVING GUIDEWAY IN SAID BODY, MEANS IN SAID GUIDEWAY FOR URGING CLIPS THERETHROUGH, SAID GUIDEWAY ENGAGING SAID SLIDABLY SUPPORTING THE LATERAL EDGE PORTIONS OF THE SIDE ARMS OF SAID CLIPS, AND MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY APPLYING THE CLIPS IN THE MAGAZINE TO THE WORK INCLUDING JAWS AND POSITIONED IN ADVANCE OF SAID GUIDEWAY A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF AN INDIVIDUAL CLIP, SAID JAWS HAVING SEATS FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING THE FRONT EDGE OF THE SIDE ARM OF SAID CLIP WHILE THE ADJACENT END OF SAID GUIDEWAY IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT THE REAR EDGE OF THE CLIP, WHEREBY THE AREA BETWEEN THE ARMS OF SAID CLIP IS UNOBSTRUCTED AND THE POINTS OF THE CLIP CAN BE EASILY OBSERVED AND MOVABLE ABUTMENT MEANS MOVABLE TO ONE POSITION WITH THE ABUTTING SURFACE THEREOF NORMALLY LOCATED WITHIN SAID GUIDEWAY A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF COMPRISING AN INDIVIDUAL CLIP FROM THE END OF SAID GUIDEWEAY AND MOVABLE FROM ITS NORMAL POSITION OUT OF SAID GUIDE WHEREBY THE BODY OF THE CLIP FOLLOWING THE CLIP NEXT TO BE APPLIED MAY BE NORMALLY RESTRAINED AND WHEREBY SAID FOLLOWING CLIP MAY BE RELEASED TO EFFECT URGING THEREOF INTO APPLICATION POSITION.