Means and methods for suturing tissue

A suturing device comprising:

• a housing, containing and connecting together the various components, said housing having a distal end and a proximal end;
• an actuator, attached to said housing which moves between two positions when squeezed by the user using the user's thumb or finger, thereby defining said two positions;
• a first at-rest position where said actuator is not squeezed, and a second fully squeezed position where said actuator has traveled to the mechanically limited end of it movement;
• a curved needle with a distal end having a sharp tissue penetrating point, a proximal end not sharpened, a midsection with a suture attached, where said curve is circular and said proximal and distal ends define an angle of arc of said needle where said angle is less than 360 degrees;
• a fixed clamping means located within said housing aligned to receive and selectively grip or release said proximal end of said needle through an opening in said housing;
• a catch arm that swings in an arcing motion concentric with a curved needle and includes a clamping means for receiving and selectively gripping or releasing said needle, and also enclosing and protecting the sharpened tip of said needle, said swinging arcing motion terminating in two positions, an at-rest position where the catch arm encloses the needle tip when it is gripped at its proximal end by said fixed clamp, and a retracted position where said catch arm swings in said arcing motion into said housing, further, said catch arm is connected to said actuator by mechanical means such that when said actuator is not squeezed, said catch arm is in said at-rest position, and when said actuator is fully squeezed, said catch arm is in its retracted position;
• and
• a clamp activating means employed such that it can selectively cause the fixed clamp and the catch arm clamp to exist in either of two states;
• a first state where said fixed clamp grips said proximal end of said needle and said catch arm clamp releases said distal end of said needle while in its at-rest position, and a second state where said fixed clamp releases said proximal needle end and said catch arm clamp grips said distal needle end, further, while gripping said distal needle end, said catch arm clamp will maintain said grip through said catch arm's entire arcing motion from said at-rest position to said retracted position, further still, said clamp activating means is mechanically connected to said actuator such that said clamp activating means will switch from said first state to said second state when said actuator moves from its said fully squeezed position to said un-squeezed at-rest position.