Surgical needle

Claim 1

A NEEDLE COMPRISING: (A) A POINTED END PORTION, (B) A BLUNT OPPOSITE END PORTION, (C) A THICKENED SHANK TAPERING GRADUALLY FROM SAID BLUNT END PORTION TO SAID POINTED END PORTION, (D) SAID SHANK BEING SPLIT LONGITUDINALLY INTO TWO SECTIONS OF UNEQUAL LENGTH, (E) THE SHORTER OF SAID SECTIONS EXTENDING FROM THE EXTREMITY OF SAID BLUNT END PORTION TO AN OPPOSITE FORWARD END REARWARDLY ADJACENT SAID POINTED END PORTION, WHEREBY SAID OTHER, LONGER ONE OF SAID SECTIONS INCLUDES THE ENTIRE SAID POINTED END PORTION, (F) SAID SECTIONS BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TOGETHER AT A POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSER TO SAID BLUNT END THAN TO SAID FORWARD END OF SAID SHORTER SECTION, (G) SAID SECTIONS HAVING A FIRST PAIR OF PARTING SURFACES EXTENDING FROM SAID BLUNT END TO A POSITION REARWARDLY ADJACENT SAID PIVOTAL AXIS, AND A SECOND PAIR OF INWARDLY OPPOSED PARTING SURFACES NORMAL TO SAID FIRST PARTING SURFACES AND SAID PIVOTAL AXIS, AND EXTENDING FROM SAID FIRST PARTING SURFACES TO SAID FORWARD END OF SAID SHORTER SECTION, (H) SAID SHANK SECTIONS REARWARD OF SAID PIVOTAL AXIS, INCLUDING SAID FIRST PARTING SURFACES, DEFINING A PAIR OF JAWS WHICH OPEN AND CLOSE IN CORRESPONDING WITH THE LATERAL SEPARATION AND REGISTRATION OF SAID SHANK SECTIONS FORWARD OF SAID PIVOTAL AXIS, INCLUDING SAID SECOND PARTING SURFACES, (I) SAID FIRST PARTING SURFACES INCLUDING GRIPPING MEANS FOR SECURELY GRIPPING A LENGTH OF THREAD PLACED THEREBETWEEN WHEN SAID JAWS ARE CLOSED, (J) SAID SECOND PARTING SURFACES HAVING COOPERATIVE DETENT MEANS ADJACENT SAID FORWARD END OF SAID SHORTER SECTION AND OPERABLE UPON THE LATERAL REGISTRATION OF SAID SHANK SECTIONS FOR LOCKING SAID JAWS IN A CLOSED POSITION, (K) SAID DETENT MEANS INCLUDING A PROJECTION FROM ONE OF SAID SECOND PARTING SURFACES AND A COMPLEMENTARY RECESS IN THE OTHER THEREOF WHICH INTERLOCKS WITH SAID PROJECTION WHEN SAID SECTIONS ARE IN REGISTER WITH ONE ANOTHER.