Patent US4881544A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4881544A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Surgical stapler apparatus with improved tissue shield
Assignee: United States Surgical Corp
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Filing: 1988-12-19
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Granted: 1989-11-21
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Expires: 2008-12-19
Abstract
Abstract An improved surgical stapler for simultaneously applying a plurality of surgical fasteners to body tissue, incorporating a flexible and resilient shield assembly comprising a substantially U-shaped wedge member mounted to and around the end of the anvil assembly, for separating extraneous body tissue from tissue to be fastened, and two shutter blades mounted on the sides of the wedge member for preventing extraneous body tissue from entering into the gap between the anvil assembly and fastener holder.
Inventors
- 👤 David T. Green
- 👤 Ernest Aranyi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 03:05
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/068; A61B17/072; A61B2017/07214; A61B2017/0725; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S227/00; Y10S227/901
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
184 words
In an improved surgical stapler for substantially simultaneously applying a plurality of surgical fasteners to body tissue comprising a handle, a gripping lever, a frame with a U-shaped distal portion, an anvil assembly mounted at the distal leg of the U-shaped distal portion, a fastener holder pivotally connected to the anvil assembly adjacent one end of the anvil assembly thereby defining a gap between them and containing a plurality of surgical fasteners and optionally including a knife means for cutting body tissue, the stapler mechanism further including a fastener driving means for substantially simultaneously driving all of the fasteners from the fastener holder, and means for actuating the fastener holder, the improvement comprising: shield assembly means mounted on the sides of the anvil assembly for preventing extraneous body tissue from being operated upon the surgical stapler, said shield assembly means comprising a wedge member for separating the extraneous tissue from the body tissue to be fastened and two shutter blades acting in cooperation with the wedge member for deflecting the extraneous tissue from entering the gap between the anvil assembly and the fastener holder.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
184 words
In an improved surgical stapler for substantially simultaneously applying a plurality of surgical fasteners to body tissue comprising a handle, a gripping lever, a frame with a U-shaped distal portion, an anvil assembly mounted at the distal leg of the U-shaped distal portion, a fastener holder pivotally connected to the anvil assembly adjacent one end of the anvil assembly thereby defining a gap between them and containing a plurality of surgical fasteners and optionally including a knife means for cutting body tissue, the stapler mechanism further including a fastener driving means for substantially simultaneously driving all of the fasteners from the fastener holder, and means for actuating the fastener holder, the improvement comprising: shield assembly means mounted on the sides of the anvil assembly for preventing extraneous body tissue from being operated upon the surgical stapler, said shield assembly means comprising a wedge member for separating the extraneous tissue from the body tissue to be fastened and two shutter blades acting in cooperation with the wedge member for deflecting the extraneous tissue from entering the gap between the anvil assembly and the fastener holder.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
52 words
The surgical stapler of claim 1 wherein the wedge member is a substantially U-shaped member having a rounded end and two prongs, the inside surfaces of said prongs being fixed at one end to the sides of the anvil assembly, and the rounded end of the wedge extending beyond the anvil assembly.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The surgical stapler of claim 2 wherein the shield assembly is flexibly moveable in response to pressure between a first proximal position and a second distal position.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The surgical stapler of claim 3 wherein the wedge means and the shutter blades are flexibly pivotable in opposite directions of rotation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
The surgical stapler of claim 4 wherein the two prongs of the wedge means each have an indentation on the edge of the prong distal to the stapler to facilitate flexing, and the shutter blades each have an indentation on the edge of the blade distal to the stapler to facilitate flexing.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The surgical stapler of claim 3 wherein the shield assembly is resiliently biased to its proximal first position.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
59 words
The invention of claim 2 wherein the two shutter blades each have a relatively narrow end fixedly mounted to one of each of two opposite sides of the wedge member in proximity to the rounded end of said wedge member, and having a relatively wider end in proximity to the fixed end of the prongs of the wedge member.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The surgical stapler of claim 1 wherein the shield assembly is made of resilient material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
The surgical stapler of claim 7 wherein the resilient material is a polymeric material.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
13 words
The surgical stapler of claim 8 wherein the polymeric material is a polycarbonate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
183 words
In an improved surgical stapler for substantially simultaneously applying a plurality of surgical fasteners to body tissue comprising a handle, a gripping lever, a frame with a U-shaped distal portion, an anvil assembly mounted at the distal leg of the U-shaped distal portion, a fastener holder pivotally connected to the anvil assembly adjacent one end of the anvil assembly thereby defining a gap between them and containing a plurality of surgical fasteners and including a knife means for cutting body tissue, the stapler mechanism further including a fastener driving means for substantially simultaneously driving all of the fasteners from the fastener holder, and means for actuating the fastener holder, the improvement comprising: shield assembly means mounted on the sides of the anvil assembly for preventing extraneous body tissue from being operated upon the surgical stapler, said shield assembly means comprising a wedge member for separating the extraneous tissue from the body tissue to be fastened and two shutter blades acting in cooperation with the wedge member for deflecting the extraneous tissue from entering the gap between the anvil assembly and the fastener holder.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
183 words
In an improved surgical stapler for substantially simultaneously applying a plurality of surgical fasteners to body tissue comprising a handle, a gripping lever, a frame with a U-shaped distal portion, an anvil assembly mounted at the distal leg of the U-shaped distal portion, a fastener holder pivotally connected to the anvil assembly adjacent one end of the anvil assembly thereby defining a gap between them and containing a plurality of surgical fasteners and including a knife means for cutting body tissue, the stapler mechanism further including a fastener driving means for substantially simultaneously driving all of the fasteners from the fastener holder, and means for actuating the fastener holder, the improvement comprising: shield assembly means mounted on the sides of the anvil assembly for preventing extraneous body tissue from being operated upon the surgical stapler, said shield assembly means comprising a wedge member for separating the extraneous tissue from the body tissue to be fastened and two shutter blades acting in cooperation with the wedge member for deflecting the extraneous tissue from entering the gap between the anvil assembly and the fastener holder.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
52 words
The surgical stapler of claim 11 wherein the wedge member is a substantially U-shaped member having a rounded end and two prongs, the inside surfaces of said prongs being fixed at one end to the sides of the anvil assembly, and the rounded end of the wedge extending beyond the anvil assembly.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The surgical stapler of claim 12 wherein the shield assembly is flexibly moveable in response to pressure between a first proximal position and a second distal position.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The surgical stapler of claim 13 wherein the wedge means and the shutter blades are flexibly pivotable in opposite directions of rotation.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
52 words
The surgical stapler of claim 14 wherein the two prongs of the wedge means each have an indentation on the edge of the prong distal to the stapler to facilitate flexing, and the shutter blades each have an indentation on the edge of the blade distal to the stapler to facilitate flexing.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The surgical stapler of claim 13 wherein the shield assembly is resiliently biased to its proximal first position.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
15 words
The surgical stapler of claim 11 wherein the shield assembly is made of resilient material.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
14 words
The surgical stapler of claim 17 wherein the resilient material is a polymeric material.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
13 words
The surgical stapler of claim 18 wherein the polymeric material is a polycarbonate.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
59 words
The invention of claim 11 wherein the two shutter blades each have a relatively narrow end fixedly mounted to one of each of two opposite sides of the wedge member in proximity to the rounded end of said wedge member, and having a relatively wider end in proximity to the fixed end of the prongs of the wedge member.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4354628A
Cited
US4665916A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-11-20 | 1993-05-22 | 1993-11-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-11-20 | 1997-05-22 | 1997-11-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-11-20 | 2001-05-22 | 2001-11-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |