US3650453A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Staple cartridge with drive belt
Assignee: United States Surgical Corp
•
Filing: 1970-08-13
•
Granted: 1972-03-21
•
Expires: 1990-08-13
Abstract
Abstract A staple-housing cartridge suitable for use in a surgical arena, adapted to be mounted on a powering unit, and suitable for suturing the skin or fascia of a patient. A plurality of staples are guided and are driven by a continuous belt adapted for rotation in the cartridge housing. When the powering unit is activated, a pusher element integral with the cartridge ejects and form a staple and simultaneously advances the continuous belt, with its supply of staples, to ready the cartridge for the next stapling operation.
Inventors
- 👤 Forrest P Smith Jr
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-22 17:27
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/068; A61B17/0682; A61B17/0684
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
144 words
A cartridge for housing a plurality of surgical staples, which is adapted to be mounted on a powering instrument, and which is capable of joining the disunited skin or fascia of a patient with surgical staples, the cartridge comprising: an elongated main cartridge body; cover means for maintaining the integrity of the cartridge elements and including an anvil means; a belt movably mounted in tHe longitudinal direction of the main body; a plurality of staple receiving grooves evenly spaced about said belt; a plurality of driving surface means spaced about said belt; driving means for engaging said driving surfaces and for controlling movement of said belt; means responsive to rectilinear motion in said powering instrument for activating said driving means; and pusher means for singly ejecting and bending said plurality of staples from said main cartridge body and bending same on said anvil means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
144 words
A cartridge for housing a plurality of surgical staples, which is adapted to be mounted on a powering instrument, and which is capable of joining the disunited skin or fascia of a patient with surgical staples, the cartridge comprising: an elongated main cartridge body; cover means for maintaining the integrity of the cartridge elements and including an anvil means; a belt movably mounted in tHe longitudinal direction of the main body; a plurality of staple receiving grooves evenly spaced about said belt; a plurality of driving surface means spaced about said belt; driving means for engaging said driving surfaces and for controlling movement of said belt; means responsive to rectilinear motion in said powering instrument for activating said driving means; and pusher means for singly ejecting and bending said plurality of staples from said main cartridge body and bending same on said anvil means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
The cartridge recited in claim 1, wherein said driving surface means comprises a plurality of driving surfaces in said belt and respectively positioned intermediate each pair of adjacent staple grooves.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
51 words
The cartridge recited in claim 2, wherein said driving means is adapted to singly engage said driving surfaces, to move said melt in response to the forward movement of said powering instrument, and to move to the next successive driving surface in response to the rearward movement of said powering instrument.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
The cartridge recited in claim 3, wherein said driving means is a ball.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The cartridge defined in claim 4, wherein said means for activating said driving means is a slot defined in said pusher means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The cartridge recited in claim 5, wherein said slot has a forward face transverse to the plane of said pusher means and a rearward face sloped with respect to the plane of said pusher means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
The cartridge recited in claim 6, wherein the slope of said rearward face maintains said driving means in contact with a respective driving surface to cause movement of said belt during the forward motion of said pusher.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The cartridge recited in claim 1, and further comprising: biasing spring means for singly removing the forwardmost staple from its staple groove and for biasing the removed staple into the plane of said pusher means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
36 words
The cartridge recited in claim 8, and further comprising: tab means integral with said biasing spring for moving said biasing spring means out of the plane of said staple grooves during the movement of said belt.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
38 words
The cartridge recited in claim 9, wherein said tab means is cammed by the crossbar of the forwardmost staple and by the pusher when said staple and said pusher are, respectively, in the forward region of said cartridge.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The cartridge recited in claim 10, wherein said biasing spring means is biased into the plane of said pusher.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
49 words
The cartridge recited in claim 1, and further comprising: ledge means defined in said elongated main cartridge body, said ledge means extending in the plane of said staple grooves in the upper region of said cartridge for receiving the legs of the staples carried in said staple receiving grooves.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
45 words
The cartridge recited in claim 12, wherein said ledge means terminates, at the forward end of said cartridge, in a ramp serving to move the legs of the forwardmost staple out of the plane of said staple grooves and into the plane of said pusher.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
35 words
The cartridge recited in claim 13, and further comprising: biasing spring means for urging the crossbar of the forwardmost staple out of the plane of said staple grooves and into the plane of said pusher.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
48 words
The cartridge recited in claim 14, and further comprising: a staple guiding space defined in the lower region of said elongated main cartridge body, said staple guiding space being in the plane of said staple grooves and communicating with said ledge means through a curved staple guiding path.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
40 words
The cartridge recited in claim 15, wherein said ledge means, said staple guiding space and said curved staple guiding path are continuous so that staples may be positioned in said staple grooves substantially around the entire periphery of said belt.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
83 words
The cartridge recited in claim 1, wherein said driving surface means takes the form of a plurality of driving surfaces spaced about the periphery of said belt and positioned intermediate each pair of said staple grooves; eaCh driving surface comprising a cylindrical forward wall and a sloped rearward wall; wherein said driving means has a curved surface to mate with said cylindrical forward wall; and wherein said means for activating said driving means takes the form of a slot in said pusher means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
80 words
The cartridge recited in claim 17, wherein the forward wall of said pusher slot is perpendicular to the plane of said pusher and wherein the rearward wall of said pusher slot is angled with respect to the plane of said pusher, the angle of said rearward wall being such that when said angled wall contacts said driving means, said driving means is maintained in contact with said cylindrical forward wall of said driving surface and causes movement of said belt.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
32 words
The cartridge recited in claim 18, and further comprising: biasing spring means for urging the forwardmost staple out of the plane of said staple grooves and into the plane of said pusher.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
43 words
The cartridge recited in claim 19, and further comprising: tab means integral with said biasing spring for contacting said forwardmost staple and said pusher means, respectively, for urging said biasing spring out of the plane of said grooves during movement of said belt.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
13 words
The cartridge recited in claim 1, wherein said belt is a continuous belt.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3156376A
Cited
US3543987A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-03-21 | 1975-09-20 | 1976-03-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-03-21 | 1979-09-20 | 1980-03-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-03-21 | 1983-09-20 | 1984-03-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |