Sheet containing a plurality of surgical needles

• US 4,777,096 A
• Filed: 03/17/1987
• Issued: 10/11/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Borysko, Emil
• Primary Examiner(s): Thaler, Michael H.
• Application Number:
  US07/026,929
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 128/339, 223/102, 163/1, 163/5, 29/413, 29/415, 428/571, 428/577
• US Class Current: 428/571
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06004 Means for attaching suture to needle tipping A61B17/06195; connecting wire to other metallic objects B21F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06066 Needles, e.g. needle tip configurations making needles B21G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B21G 1/08 of hollow needles or needles with hollow end, e.g. hypodermic needles, larding-needles B21G1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/00 Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor using photoresist structures for special production processes, see the relevant places, e.g. B44C, H01L, e.g. H01L21/00, H05K
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12188 having marginal feature for indexing or weakened portion for severing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12229 Intermediate article [e.g., blank, etc.]

Abstract

Surgical needles are produced by a process which comprises the steps of:

(a) coating at least one side of a metal sheet with a light sensitive photoresist;

(b) exposing the photoresist with light in the image of a plurality of surgical needles, each needle having a pointed end and a suture attachment end;

(c) removing the unexposed photoresist, to thereby leave in place on the metal sheet hardened photoresist in the image of a plurality of surgical needles;

(d) exposing the product of step (c) to an etchant to remove metal not protected by said hardened photoresist, to thereby form a plurality of surgical needles.

Claims

1. A unitary metal sheet formed from a single sheet of metal containing a plurality of surgical needles, each needle having a pointed end and a suture attachment end, wherein the needles are arranged in a spaced relationship along a plurality of continuous rows, and wherein said needles are attached at said suture attachment end by breakable connections to base rows that extend substantially across the width of said sheet.

2. The metal sheet of claim 1 wherein the suture attachment end of said needle includes a bilevel channel including a channel on opposite sides of said needle, wherein the said two channels are offset longitudinally but overlap, and wherein the two channels communicate with each other at the overlap.