Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
2007-03-06
2007-03-06
Omgba, Essama (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C029S771000, C029S505000, C029S517000, C029S564600, C029S03300H, C029S03300H, C029S712000, C029S715000, C029S788000, C163S005000
Reexamination Certificate
active
10768811
ABSTRACT:
An apparatus for forming armed sutures has a swaging station for receiving, holding and swaging needles that are deposited therein. A linear motor drives a suture insertion gripper, which pulls suture from a supply reel and inserts a cut end thereof into a needle held in the swaging station. A ganged needle transfer assembly with a plurality of spaced needle gripper units carries needles along a line substantially at right angles to the suture line and transfers them to and from the swaging station and other needle processing stations. A precisor orients needles prior to placement in the swaging station and a pull test assembly tests armed sutures in both destructive and non-destructive modes. Both ends of the production line may be automated, e.g., by robots which load and offload needles prior to and after swaging, respectively. The apparatus is capable of forming double armed sutures by using a rotatable mount for the suture insertion gripper and a secondary, loop gripper. A suture transfer gripper extending up to the suture from a multi-tiered stack of slide tables. The suture transfer gripper cooperates with the suture insertion and loop grippers to hold the suture during cutting, insertion and transfer to the pull test apparatus and thereby protects the suture during processing.
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David Demarest D.
Lenihan Timothy P.
Ethicon Inc.
Omgba Essama
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