Surgery – Instruments – Suture – ligature – elastic band or clip applier
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-15
2001-08-21
Jackson, Gary (Department: 3731)
Surgery
Instruments
Suture, ligature, elastic band or clip applier
C227S019000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06277131
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to feeding arrangements for medical clip and stapling devices, particularly for the pinching or clipping of blood vessels or for the closure of wounds, and is related to commonly owned, co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.: 09/504,498, filed Feb. 15, 2000, entitled “Medical Clip Device with Cyclical Pusher Mechanism”, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
2. Prior Art
Surgical staplers and clips have been used more and more to replace suturing and for closing wounds or to tie-off blood vessels during a surgical procedure or other traumatic medical event. Such surgical clips and stapler applicators generally comprise of closed jaws, which crimp a U-shaped clip flat across the tissues to be tied or sutured. Typically, such an application device is arranged through the spaced clips in a sequential manner, those clips being fed serially to the jaws.
The tools typically in use dispense such clips to the jaws sequentially, the distalmost clip being pinched, and the next adjacent clip immediately therebehind being advanced immediately adjacent the pinched clip. Examples of such clip feeding arrangements are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,450 to Thornton et al, showing a clip feeding and dispenser mechanism which uses a spring to force the movement of clips in line with an applicator.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,847 to Noiles et al., shows a ratchet driven cartridge for advancing sequentially a plurality of staples. U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,585 to Mittelsteate et al., shows a ligating clip-advancing device for advancing a plurality of clips along a track between a pair of pinched jaws. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,504 to Klieman et al., shows a spring activated homeostatic clip applicator wherein a double ratchet apparatus advances clips through a magazine to cause a clip-feed blade to slide through the magazine to place a clip in the deforming jaws. Each of the above identified prior art patents is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
It is an object of the present invention, to provide a medical clip feeding mechanism which is an improvement over the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention, to provide a medical clip feeding mechanism which advances the distalmost clip into the jaws of the stapling device prior to the advancement of the next available clip moving along the feed track.
It is yet a still further object of the present invention, to provide a simple and easy to use clipper feeder arrangement which is tolerant of a slight dimensional irregularity in the clips or staples utilized by the stapling device or gun.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a clip or staple feeding arrangement for providing clips or staples to the biased-open jaws of a stapling gun. The new staple clip gun comprises a handle at one end thereof, for holding and actuating the clip stapling arrangement. The handle comprises a housing and a trigger mechanism for actuating the jaws and clip feeding mechanism. The housing has an opening through which a proximal end of a barrel is supported. The barrel has a distal end where the jaws, utilized for feeding and pinching the clips or staples, is located. A generally U-shaped frame member is arranged through the length of the inside of the barrel. The frame member has a plurality of bridges spaced along its elongated length. A jaw control rod, moveable proximally and distally, is arranged on the bridges, to provide the pinching movement to the jaws at the distal end of the barrel. The frame has several portions along its length on its lowermost side, having elongated slots therein. The distalmost slot is arranged near the distal end of the barrel, and a mid-slot is arranged along a mid portion of the frame's length. A ramp-like projection is arranged at a location on each side of the distalmost slot and mid-portion slot in the frame, which ramps act as cam tracks to guide pins extending from the sides of upstanding fingers of an elongated, spring stainless steel clip feeder bar into engagement with the distalmost clip and the elongated, slotted ladder respectively. The elongated, slotted ladder pushes all but the distalmost clip distally along in the frame.
The barrel is arranged to receive a clip cartridge at its rearmost opening at the housing in the handle. The frame is arranged to receive the clip or staple cartridge which cartridge includes the elongated, slotted ladder. The clips are generally U-shaped, and have leg members which extend distally from the housing. The clips and the elongated ladder are arranged to be slidable within the generally U-shaped channel, the channel providing their enclosure in the package. The elongated ladder has a plurality of elongated slots or holes of generally rectangular shape arranged longitudinally down the middle portion thereof. The ladder has a distal end, which abuts the last (proximalmost) clip within the cartridge.
In each of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, about twenty U-shaped clips or staples may be held seriatim in the cartridge. Each clip being in an abutting and in a pushing arrangement with its adjacent distal clip.
The elongated cycling clip feeder bar is arranged within the barrel and supported beneath the frame member therewithin. The cycling clip feeder has a distalmost finger of ramp-like configuration, having a pin extending from each transverse side thereof. The clip feeder also has a proximal finger extending upwardly in a spaced relation to the elongated slot location in the lowermost side of the mid portion location of the frame member. The elongated cycling clip feeder is advanceable distally and returnably proximally in a cyclic manner according to the actuation of the trigger mechanism within the handle of the clip device. The proximate finger has a pin extending transversely from each side thereof in a manner similar to that of the distalmost finger.
Squeezing of the trigger mechanism in the handle cycles the longitudinal distal advancement of the elongated clip feeder relative to the frame member. Release of that trigger advances simultaneously the proximal fingers with the distal finger, the proximal finger is permitted by the spring action of the clip feeder, and the ramp-like tracks on the side of the slot in the frame, to enter the hole of the elongated ladder corresponding to the location of the opening in the lower portion of mid portion of the frame. The same longitudinal advance of the clip feeder effects simultaneous advancement of the distal finger. As the distalmost finger advances, its spring like bias pushes it into the slot in the frame where permitted by the ramp-like tracks. The distal finger then touches the backside of the distalmost clip, to push it distally and effect its entry between the pincher jaws. The trigger mechanism effects the squeezing together of the open pincher jaws by distally advancing a crimp box on the push rod to crimp the clip or staple onto a body component to be pinched close.
Release of the trigger mechanism also opens the jaws and advances the proximal finger on the clip feeder member, which finger has traveled the length of the rectangular slot or hole in the ladder at its location adjacent its opening in the framed member. As the proximal finger enters the distal end of that rectangular hole in the ladder, it continues to move within that rectangular hole until it comes to the distal end of that hole, where it then begins to push the ladder distally a spaced distance, to then also push upon the series of clips within the cartridge, thus effecting delivery of the next available clip to its stand-by position at the distal end of the frame. Squeezing of the trigger mechanism effects the rearward or proximate cycle of movement of the clip feeder bar proximally, and the side pins of each respective finger engaging the ramp walls of the lower side of the slot on the the frame member, so as to also bias downwardly the fingers out of the way of the respective clips and ladder openings or holes
Halgren Don
Jackson Gary
Microline, Inc
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