Stapling device

• US 5,782,397 A
• Filed: 08/30/1996
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Surgical Technology Incorporated (Surgalign Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Surgical Technology Incorporated (Surgalign Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koukline, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US08/666,314
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 227/19, 227/175.1, 227/176.1, 227/180.1, 227/119, 227/120, 128/4, 606/219
• US Class Current: 227/176.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0686 having a forming anvil staying below the tissue during stapling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07264 characterised by its staple forming cavities, e.g. geometry or material
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2929 with a head rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the shaft

Abstract

The stapler includes a staple advancing system for applying an advancing force to a plurality of "U" shaped staples (19); a guide (16) for maintaining said plurality of "U" shaped staples (19) parallel to each other along a feed axis, said guide (35) having a channel cross section (33) including a horizontal top portion, substantially perpendicular to said feed axis, and two semi-vertical portions (37) below said horizontal top portion, each having a plane oriented downwardly inward at such an angle which does not cause plastic deformation of said "U" shaped staples (19) inserted in said guide (35), said guide (35) having an open end wherein said semivertical portions (37) merge with vertical portions (39) having walls which are substantially vertically aligned; a lower aperture (6) aligned along said feed axis with said vertically aligned walls; and a displaceable staple ejector (2) without displacing an adjacent "U" shaped staple (19).

Claims

1. A stapler, comprising:

(a) a staple advancing system for applying an advancing force to a plurality of "U" shaped staples;

(b) a guide, for maintaining said plurality of "U" shaped staples parallel to each other along a feed axis, said guide having a channel cross section including a horizontal top portion, substantially perpendicular to said feed axis, and two semi-vertical portions below said horizontal top portion, each having a plane oriented downwardly inward at such an angle which does not cause plastic deformation of said "U" shaped staples inserted in said guide, said guide having an open end wherein said semivertical portions merge with walls having vertical portions which are substantially aligned with a vertical axis;

(d) a lower aperture, aligned with respect to said feed axis with said vertically aligned walls; and

(e) a displaceable staple ejector, for displacing one of said "U" shaped staples proximate to said open end through said lower aperture, without displacing an adjacent "U" shaped staple.

2. The stapler according to claim 1, further comprising:

(a) a mechanism producing an actuation signal;

(b) an actuation signal transmission system;

(c) a displaceable former, for plastically deforming staple ends, said former being displaceable between a first position in which the former is substantially displaced along said vertical axis from said lower aperture and a second position in which the former is substantially proximate to said lower aperture along said vertical axis; and

(d) control means for displacing said former from the first position to said second position and for displacing said staple ejector.

3. The stapler according to claim 2, wherein said actuation signal transmission system comprises a system selected from the group consisting of mechanical, electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic.

4. The stapler according to any of claim 1, wherein said staple advancing system for applying an advancing force comprises a helical spring pressing against a staple feeding member.

5. The stapler according to any of claim 1, further comprising a former arm and an ejector arm, said former arm and said ejector arms each being hinged with a return spring at a point distant from said open end, wherein said control means comprises a displaceable sleeve riding over a portion of said pusher arm and a portion of said former arm, depressing said pusher arm and said former arm during displacement.

6. The stapler according to any of claims 1-3, further comprising a former arm and an ejector arm, said former arm and said ejector arms each being hinged with a return spring at a point distant from said open end, wherein said control means comprises a displaceable sleeve riding over a portion of said pusher arm and a portion of said former arm, depressing said pusher arm and said former arm during displacement, and wherein said staple advancing system for applying an advancing force comprises a helical spring pressing against a staple feeding member.

7. The stapler according to any of claim 1, further comprising an end guide aligned with said vertical axis, a first recess aligned with said vertical axis and a second recess, deeper than said first recess, aligned with said vertical axis, said lower aperture being aligned with said vertical axis and said displaceable staple ejector being displaceable along said vertical axis in said second recess, and guided thereby.

8. The stapler according to any of claim 1, wherein a staple in said guide has its legs elastically deformed to conform to the trapezoidal profile of said guide, and a staple exiting said longitudinal guide into said open end has its legs projecting parallel to one another, abutting said vertical portions.

9. The stapler according to any of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of staple guides and a plurality of lower apertures, for providing a plurality of simultaneously inserted staples.

10. The stapler according to any of claim 1, further comprising a selectively engageable lock to prevent ejection of a staple.

11. A method of attaching sheet-like materials, comprising providing a stapler comprising:

(a) a mechanism producing an actuation signal;

(b) an actuation signal transmission system;

(c) a staple cartridge having

(i) a staple advancing system for applying an advancing force to a plurality of "U" shaped staples;

(ii) a guide, for maintaining said plurality of "U" shaped staples parallel to each other along a feed axis, said guide having a channel cross section including a horizontal top portion, substantially perpendicular to said feed axis, and two semi-vertical portions below said horizontal top portion, each having a plane oriented downwardly inward at such an angle which does not cause plastic deformation of said "U" shaped staples inserted in said guide, said guide having an open end wherein said semivertical portions merge with walls having vertical portions which are substantially aligned with a vertical axis;

(iii) a lower aperture, aligned with respect to said feed axis with said vertically aligned walls; and

(iv) a displaceable staple ejector, for displacing one of said "U" shaped staples proximate to said open end through said lower aperture, without displacing an adjacent "U" shaped staple;

placing the sheets to be attached along the vertical axis of the staple ejector, between the staple and the former;

(d) a displaceable former, for plastically deforming staple ends, said former being displaceable between a first position in which the former is substantially displaced along said vertical axis from said lower aperture and a second position in which the former is substantially proximate to said lower aperture along said vertical axis; and

(e) control means for displacing said former from the first position to said second position and for displacing said staple ejector;

displacing said former from the first position to said second position; and

displacing said staple ejector.

12. A method of attaching sheets according to claim 11, wherein said former is displaced in a first phase to compress the sheets and the staple ejector is displaced in a second phase to eject said "U" shaped staple and staple said sheets.

13. A method according to claim 11 further comprising the step of displacing said staple ejector away from said former along said vertical axis in a third phase, during which a staple is released from said guide into said open end, with its legs springing outward to contact said vertically aligned walls.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein said actuation signal transmission system comprises a system selected from the group consisting of mechanical, electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic.

15. The method according to any of claim 11, further comprising the step of applying said advancing force by means of a helical spring pressing against a staple feeding member.

16. The method according to any of claim 11, further comprising providing a former arm and an ejector arm, said former arm and said ejector arms each being hinged with a return spring at a point distant from said open end, wherein said control means comprises a displaceable sleeve riding over a portion of said pusher arm and a portion of said former arm, said displacing step comprising depressing said pusher arm and said former arm by displacing said sleeve.

17. The method according to any of claim 11, further comprising providing a former arm and an ejector arm, said former arm and said ejector arms each being hinged with a return spring at a point distant from said open end, wherein said control means comprises a displaceable sleeve riding over a portion of said pusher arm and a portion of said former arm, said displacing step comprising depressing said pusher arm and said former arm by displacing said sleeve, and wherein said staple advancing system for applying an advancing force comprises a helical spring pressing against a staple feeding member.

18. The method according to any of claim 11, further comprising providing an end guide aligned with said vertical axis, a first recess aligned with said vertical axis and a second recess, deeper than said first recess, aligned with said vertical axis, said lower aperture being aligned with said vertical axis and said displaceable staple ejector being displaceable along said vertical axis in said second recess, and guided thereby.

19. The method according to any of claim 11, further comprising the step of elastically deforming the legs of a staple in said guide to conform to the trapezoidal profile of said guide, and expelling a staple from said longitudinal guide into said open end so that its legs projecting parallel to one another, abutting said vertical portions.