Staple cartridges for forming staples having differing formed staple heights
First Claim
1. A staple cartridge for use with a stapling device that has an actuator and cutting portion and an anvil that is selectively movable between open and closed positions for forming a plurality of like-sized staples, said staple cartridge comprising:
- a cartridge body supportable within the stapling device for selective confronting relationship with the anvil when the anvil is in a closed position, said cartridge body configured to operably receive the actuator and cutting portion therein to enable said actuator and cutting portion to be longitudinally advanced through said cartridge from a proximal end to a distal end;
a plurality of first staple drivers movably supported within said cartridge body and being sequentially movable from an unactuated position to an actuated position upon sequential interaction with the actuator, each said first staple driver defining a first staple support cradle therein for supporting a staple thereon, each said first staple support cradle located a first staple forming distance from a corresponding portion of the closed anvil; and
a plurality of second staple drivers movably supported within said cartridge body and being laterally spaced from said first staple driver, said at least one second staple driver being sequentially movable from another unactuated position to another actuated position upon sequential interaction with the actuator, each said second staple driver defining a second staple support cradle therein for supporting another staple thereon that, when unformed, is substantially similar in size to said staple supported on said first staple support cradle, each said second staple support cradle located a second staple forming distance from another portion of the closed anvil that corresponds to the second staple support cradle and wherein said second staple forming distance differs in magnitude from said first staple forming distance.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A staple cartridge for use with a stapling device that has an actuator that is selectively actuatable in an axial direction and an anvil portion that is selectively movable between open and closed positions is disclosed. Various embodiments of the present invention include a cartridge body that movably supports first and second staple drivers. The staple drivers each support a staple thereon and serve to drive the staples into forming contact with the anvil upon actuation by the actuator. The various embodiments of the present invention enable the final formed heights of the staples to be varied without the need to use different sizes of staples.
-
Citations
23 Claims
-
1. A staple cartridge for use with a stapling device that has an actuator and cutting portion and an anvil that is selectively movable between open and closed positions for forming a plurality of like-sized staples, said staple cartridge comprising:
-
a cartridge body supportable within the stapling device for selective confronting relationship with the anvil when the anvil is in a closed position, said cartridge body configured to operably receive the actuator and cutting portion therein to enable said actuator and cutting portion to be longitudinally advanced through said cartridge from a proximal end to a distal end; a plurality of first staple drivers movably supported within said cartridge body and being sequentially movable from an unactuated position to an actuated position upon sequential interaction with the actuator, each said first staple driver defining a first staple support cradle therein for supporting a staple thereon, each said first staple support cradle located a first staple forming distance from a corresponding portion of the closed anvil; and a plurality of second staple drivers movably supported within said cartridge body and being laterally spaced from said first staple driver, said at least one second staple driver being sequentially movable from another unactuated position to another actuated position upon sequential interaction with the actuator, each said second staple driver defining a second staple support cradle therein for supporting another staple thereon that, when unformed, is substantially similar in size to said staple supported on said first staple support cradle, each said second staple support cradle located a second staple forming distance from another portion of the closed anvil that corresponds to the second staple support cradle and wherein said second staple forming distance differs in magnitude from said first staple forming distance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A staple cartridge for use with a surgical instrument having an end effector that has an anvil portion pivotally attached thereto for travel between open and closed positions and further including a firing bar that is selectively reciprocatable therein for forming a plurality of like-sized unformed staples, said staple cartridge comprising:
-
a cartridge body sized to be supported within the end effector, said cartridge body having a longitudinally extending slot therein for reciprocatingly receiving the firing bar therein; a first plurality of inside staple drivers axially aligned in a first row of inside staple drivers in a portion of said cartridge body adjacent a first side of said longitudinally extending slot and a second plurality of inside staple drivers axially aligned in a second row of inside staple drivers in another portion of said cartridge body adjacent a second side of said longitudinally extending slot, said inside staple drivers movably supported within said cartridge body for selective movement toward the anvil when the anvil is in a closed position, each said inside staple driver defining a first staple support cradle for supporting a staple thereon, each said first staple support cradle located a first staple forming distance from a corresponding portion of the anvil when the anvil is in a closed position; a first plurality of outside staple drivers axially aligned in a first row of outside staple drivers adjacent to said first row of said inside staple drivers and a second plurality of outside staple drivers axially aligned in a second row of outside staple drivers and adjacent to said second row of inside staple drivers, each of said outside staple drivers movably supported within said cartridge body for selective driving movement toward the anvil when the anvil is in the closed position, each of said outside staple drivers defining a second staple support cradle for supporting another staple thereon that, when unformed, is substantially similar in size to said staple supported on said first staple support cradle, each said second staple support cradle located a second staple forming distance from another corresponding portion of the anvil when the anvil is in the closed position, said second staple forming distance differing in magnitude from said first staple forming distance; and a wedge sled supported within said cartridge body for driving contact by the firing bar and actuating contact with said first and second pluralities of said inside staple drivers and said first and second pluralities of said outside staple drivers such that, as said firing bar moves within said elongated slot in said cartridge body in a first axial direction, said wedge sled drives each of said inside and outside drivers towards the anvil to bring the staples supported thereon into forming contact with the anvil when the anvil is in the closed position. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A staple cartridge for use with a surgical instrument having an end effector that has an anvil portion pivotally attached thereto for travel between open and closed positions and further including a firing bar that is selectively axially reciprocatable therein, said staple cartridge comprising:
-
a cartridge body sized to be supported within the end effector, said cartridge body having a longitudinally extending slot therein for reciprocatingly receiving the firing bar therein; a plurality of first inside staple drivers axially aligned in a first row of first inside staple drivers on a first side of said longitudinally extending slot, each of said first inside staple drivers movably supported within said cartridge body for selective movement toward the anvil when the anvil is in a closed position and supporting at least one staple thereon; a plurality of first outside staple drivers aligned in a first row of first outside staple drivers on said first side of said longitudinally extending slot and adjacent to said first row of said first inside staple drivers, each of said first outside staple drivers movably supported within said cartridge body for selective driving movement toward the anvil when the anvil is in the closed position and supporting another one of said staples thereon; and a wedge sled supported within said cartridge body for contact with said firing bar, said wedge sled comprising; a first inside sled cam having a first maximum sled cam height measured from a bottom-most drive surface of said first inside cam to an upper-most portion of said first inside cam, said first inside sled cam oriented for sequential sliding actuating contact with said first inside staple drivers in said first row of said first inside staple drivers when said firing bar is axially advanced through said elongated slot in a first axial direction such that said first inside staple drivers are driven towards the anvil a first distance equal to said first maximum sled cam height; and a first outside sled cam having a second maximum sled cam height measured from a bottom-most drive surface of said first outside cam to an upper-most portion of said first outside cam, said second maximum sled cam height differing in magnitude from said first maximum sled cam height, said first outside sled cam oriented for sequential sliding actuating contact with said first outside staple drivers in said first row of said first outside staple drivers when said firing bar is advanced through said elongated slot in the first direction such that said first outside staple drivers are driven towards the anvil a second distance equal to said second maximum sled cam height. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A staple cartridge for use with a stapling device that has an actuator and cutting member that is selectively actuatable in an axial direction and an anvil portion that is selectively movable between open and closed positions, said staple cartridge comprising:
-
a cartridge body supportable within the stapling device for selective confronting relationship with the anvil portion thereof when in a closed position, said cartridge body configured to axially receive the actuator and cutting member therein; a plurality of first staple drivers movably supported within said cartridge body for sequential contact by the actuator such that, as the actuator is axially advanced through said cartridge body, said first staple drivers are sequentially driven in a direction toward the anvil when the anvil is in the closed position, each said first staple driver defining a first staple support cradle therein for supporting a staple thereon, said first staple support cradle located a first staple forming distance from a corresponding portion of the closed anvil; a plurality of second staple drivers movably supported within said cartridge body for sequential contact by the actuator such that as the actuator is axially advanced through said cartridge body, said second staple drivers are sequentially driven in said direction toward the closed anvil, each said second staple driver defining a second staple support cradle therein for supporting another staple thereon, said second staple support cradle located a second staple forming distance from another portion of the closed anvil that corresponds to the second staple support cradle and wherein said second staple forming distance differs from said first staple forming distance; a plurality of third staple drivers movably supported within said cartridge body and being sequentially movable from a third unactuated position to a third actuated position upon sequential interaction with the actuator, each said third staple driver defining a third staple support cradle therein that is located a third maximum staple forming distance from another portion of the closed anvil that corresponds to the third staple support cradle when the closed anvil is substantially parallel to said top cartridge surface, and wherein said first maximum staple forming distance differs from at least one of said second and third maximum staple forming distances; a first staple disposed in at least one of said first staple support cradles; a second staple disposed in at least one of said second staple support cradles; and a third staple in each of said third staple in at least one of said third staple support cradles, said first, second, and third staples having substantially the same unformed size.
-
Specification