Surgical stapler and method of applying plastic staples to body tissue
First Claim
1. A surgical stapler comprising:
- a pair of jaws movable between open and closed positions;
a handle and trigger assembly for controlling operation of the jaws;
an elongated tubular structure connecting the handle and trigger assembly to the jaws;
means for ejecting at least one staple from one of the jaws against the other of the jaws; and
an anvil and a horn in the other of the jaws arranged to receive ends of the ejected staple such that the ends overlap between the anvil and the horn, the horn for melting and bonding at least a portion of the overlapping ends of the staple upon being energized by a predetermined form of energy, and wherein one of the anvil and the horn is movable from within the bonded staple to allow the Jaws to be moved to an open position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical stapler utilizing plastic staples and ultrasonic welding to secure the staples in body tissue. The stapler includes a pair of jaws movable between open and closed positions, a handle and trigger assembly for controlling operation of the jaws, and an elongated tubular structure connecting the handle and trigger assembly to the jaws. The stapler also includes an ejection assembly for ejecting at least one staple from one of the jaws against the other of the jaws. An anvil and a horn are positioned in the other of the jaws and are arranged to receive ends of the ejected staple such that the ends overlap between the anvil and the horn. The horn is for melting and bonding at least a portion of the overlapping ends of the staple upon being energized by a predetermined form of energy, and one of the anvil and the horn is movable from within the bonded staple to allow the jaws to be moved to an open position.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A surgical stapler comprising:
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a pair of jaws movable between open and closed positions;
a handle and trigger assembly for controlling operation of the jaws;
an elongated tubular structure connecting the handle and trigger assembly to the jaws;
means for ejecting at least one staple from one of the jaws against the other of the jaws; and
an anvil and a horn in the other of the jaws arranged to receive ends of the ejected staple such that the ends overlap between the anvil and the horn, the horn for melting and bonding at least a portion of the overlapping ends of the staple upon being energized by a predetermined form of energy, and wherein one of the anvil and the horn is movable from within the bonded staple to allow the Jaws to be moved to an open position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of stapling body tissue comprising:
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clamping body tissue between a pair of jaws;
ejecting at least one staple from one of the jaws, so that ends of the staple pass through the clamped tissue towards the other of the jaws;
receiving the ends of the ejected staple between an anvil and a horn in the other of the jaws such that the ends overlap;
energizing the horn with a predetermined form of energy so that the horn melts and bonds at least a portion of the overlapping ends of the staple; and
moving one of the anvil and the horn from between the bonded staple and the body tissue to allow the jaws to be opened. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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15. A stapler for ejecting at least one staple of resilient thermoplastic material having a base member and two legs extending from the base member to sharp ends and wherein the legs include overlapping distal portions for engaging body tissue, the stapler comprising:
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a pair of jaws movable between open and closed positions;
a handle and trigger assembly for controlling operation of the jaws;
an elongated tubular structure connecting the handle and trigger assembly to the jaws;
means for ejecting at least a staple from one of the jaws against the other of the jaws; and
posts for holding normally overlapping distal portions of legs of the staple generally parallel until after the staple is ejected from the stapler.
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21. A method of stapling body tissue comprising:
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providing at least one staple comprising a single piece of resilient thermoplastic material having a base member and two legs extending from the base member to sharp ends, and wherein the legs include overlapping distal portions for securing the staple to body tissue;
clamping body tissue between a pair of jaws;
securing the base member of the staple in one of the jaws;
supporting the distal portions of the staple so that the distal portions are parallel and the sharp ends of the staple are directed towards the other of the jaws;
ejecting the staple from the jaw so that the ends of the staple pass through the clamped tissue towards the other of the jaws;
allowing the distal portions of the ejected staple to overlap; and
releasing the base member of the ejected staple. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 25)
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24. A surgical stapler comprising:
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a pair of jaws movable between open and closed positions;
a handle and trigger assembly for controlling operation of the jaws;
an elongated tubular structure connecting the handle and trigger assembly to the jaws;
a platform for ejecting a plurality of staples from one of the jaws against the other of the jaws upon being moved towards the other of the jaws;
a cam for moving the platform towards the other of the jaws upon being rotated; and
a bar for rotating the cam upon being linearly moved by the handle and trigger assembly.
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Specification