Surgical stapler with splaying mechanism
First Claim
1. A surgical stapler, comprising:
- a pusher;
at least one generally planar staple, wherein said pusher holds at least one said staple; and
a splay arm that includes spaced-apart splay fingers extending generally distally;
whereinat least one splay finger includes a splay tip extending therefrom; and
whereinrelative motion of said pusher and said splay fingers causes said at least one said splay tip to engage and then splay at least one said staple;
wherein said pusher includes a camming bump extending therefrom toward said splay arm.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
One example of a surgical stapler may include a pusher, at least one generally planar staple, where the pusher holds at least one staple, and a splay arm that includes spaced-apart splay fingers extending generally distally, where at least one splay finger includes a splay tip extending therefrom, and where relative motion of said pusher and said splay fingers causes said at least one said splay tip to engage and then splay at least one said staple. Another example of a surgical stapler may include a plurality of staples positioned out of contact with one another; a pusher that engages each staple; and at least one splay tip, each splay tip configured to contact a distal surface of the distalmost staple. Another example of a surgical stapler may include a plurality of staples, a pusher that holds the staples, the pusher having a longitudinal axis and being slidable longitudinally both proximally and distally substantially along that longitudinal axis, where the pusher is substantially constrained against motion away from the longitudinal axis; and a splay arm movable in a direction away from the longitudinal axis, from a position in which the splay arm contacts one staple to a position in which the splay arm no longer contacts that staple.
266 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A surgical stapler, comprising:
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a pusher; at least one generally planar staple, wherein said pusher holds at least one said staple; and a splay arm that includes spaced-apart splay fingers extending generally distally;
whereinat least one splay finger includes a splay tip extending therefrom; and
whereinrelative motion of said pusher and said splay fingers causes said at least one said splay tip to engage and then splay at least one said staple; wherein said pusher includes a camming bump extending therefrom toward said splay arm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A surgical stapler, comprising:
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a plurality of staples positioned out of contact with one another; a pusher that engages each said staple; and at least one splay tip, each said splay tip configured to contact a distal surface of the distalmost of said plurality of staples; wherein said pusher includes a camming bump extending therefrom, and wherein said camming bump is configured to move said splay tips relative to said pusher as said pusher moves longitudinally. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A surgical stapler, comprising:
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a plurality of staples; a pusher that holds said staples, said pusher having a longitudinal axis and said pusher slidable longitudinally both proximally and distally substantially along said longitudinal axis, wherein said pusher is substantially constrained against motion away from said longitudinal axis; and a splay arm movable in a direction away from said longitudinal axis, from a position in which said splay arm contacts one said staple to a position in which said splay arm no longer contacts said staple;
wherein said splay arm includes a plurality of splay fingers extending therefrom, wherein said splay fingers initially engage a corresponding said staple and are located in the same plane as said pusher, and wherein said splay fingers then move downward out of plane relative to said pusher. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification