Method of making a surgical braid

A method of making a surgical braid, the method comprising:

• moving a plurality of bobbins along an active track, the active track being an endless track;
• selectively moving a bobbin to a passive track while continuing to move the remaining bobbins along the active track;
• shifting a gate from a closed position to an open position before selectively moving the bobbin to a passive track;
• and
• shifting a gate from an open position to a closed position after selectively moving the bobbin to a passive track.

A method of making a surgical braid, the method comprising:

• moving a plurality of bobbins along an active track, the active track being an endless track;
• selectively moving a bobbin to a passive track while continuing to move the remaining bobbins along the active track;
• the bobbin moved to the passive track carries a colored strand, the bobbin being a first bobbin;
• and
• the method further comprising moving at least a second bobbin from the plurality of bobbins past the passive track while the first bobbin is still on the passive track.

A method of making a surgical braid, the method comprising:

• moving a plurality of bobbins along an active track, the active track being an endless track;
• selectively moving a bobbin to a passive track while continuing to move the remaining bobbins along the active track;
• and
• moving a second bobbin onto a second passive track.

A method of making a surgical braid, the method comprising:

• moving a plurality of bobbins along an active track, the active track being endless track;
• selectively moving a bobbin to a passive track while continuing to move the remaining bobbins along the active track;
• the bobbin selectively moved to a passive track is a first bobbin and carries a strand having a first color;
• and
• the method further comprises selectively moving a second bobbin to a passive track, the second bobbin carrying a second color.

A method of making a surgical braid, the method comprising:

• moving a plurality of bobbins along an active track, the active track being an endless track;
• selectively moving a bobbin to a passive track while continuing to move the remaining bobbins along the active track;
• wherein the bobbin selectively moved to a passive track is a first bobbin and carries a strand having a first color;
• moving the first bobbin from the passive track to the active track and selectively moving a second bobbin to a second passive track, the second bobbin carrying a second color;
• and
• wherein none of the bobbins on the active track are moved past the passive track before the acts of moving the first bobbin from the passive track to the active track and selectively moving the second bobbin to the second passive track.

A method of making a surgical braid, the method comprising:

• moving a plurality of bobbins along an active track, the active track being an endless track;
• selectively moving a bobbin to a passive track while continuing to move the remaining bobbins along the active track;
• the plurality of bobbins moving along the active track comprising a determined number of bobbins arranged in a first sequence;
• and
• selectively moving the bobbin from the passive track to the active track to form a second sequence of bobbins moving along the active track, the second sequence of bobbins being different than the first sequence of bobbins.

A method of making a surgical braid further comprising:

• moving a plurality of bobbins along an active track, the active track being an endless track;
• selectively moving a bobbin to a passive track while continuing to move the remaining bobbins along the active track;
• the plurality of bobbins moving along the active track comprising a determined number of bobbins arranged in a first sequence;
• each of the bobbins carrying a strand and each of the strands has a color, and the strand on the bobbin moved to the passive track has a different color than at least one of the strands on the bobbins continuing to move along the active track;
• selectively returning the bobbin from the passive track to the active track to form a second sequence of bobbins on the active track, and
• the surgical braid being braided when the bobbins on the active track are in the first sequence has a different color pattern than the surgical braid being braided when the bobbins on the active track are in the second sequence.

A method of making a surgical braid the method comprising:

• moving a plurality of bobbins along an active track, the active track being an endless track;
• selectively moving a bobbin to a passive track while continuing to move the remaining bobbins along the active track;
• each of the bobbins carrying a strand;
• and
• braiding the strands carried on the bobbins moving along the active track around the strand from the bobbin moved to the passive track, the strand carried by the bobbin on the passive track forming a core for the surgical braid.

A method of making a surgical braid, the method comprising:

• moving a plurality of bobbins along an active track, the active track forming an endless path for the bobbins, each of the bobbins carrying a strand and each of the strands having a color, the plurality of bobbins moving along an active track comprising a determined number of bobbins arranged in one sequence;
• selectively moving a bobbin to a passive track while continuing to move the remaining bobbins along the active track, the passive track being outside the endless path, the strand on the bobbin moved to the passive track having a different color than at least one of the strands on the bobbins continuing to move along the active track;
• moving at least one of the bobbins on the active track past the bobbin moved to the passive track;
• returning the bobbin on the passive track to the active track, the bobbins moving along the active track being in another sequence different than the one sequence;
• and
• the strands being braided into one pattern when the bobbins are in the one sequence and into a different pattern when the bobbins are in the other sequence.