US 6,309,202 B1Granted

Suture cutting system

AssigneeEthicon, Inc.

InventorsDavid D. Demarest, Timothy Lenihan

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Apparatus for cutting an indefinite length suture to uniform lengths for subsequent threading and swaging to surgical needles includes a drawing tower having first and second guide members defining a drawing axis parallel thereto. First and second grippers are provided to grip the indefinite length suture and to alternately draw it along the drawing axis, with each gripper being mounted for reciprocal movement along a guide member. Each gripper alternately grips the suture and draws it a distance beyond the location of a cutter assembly while the other gripper reciprocates to a start position before the cutter assembly. A tipping assembly heats a predetermined small length of the suture to stiffen the suture thereat after subsequent cooling, in preparation for cutting the suture and inserting a stiffened lead cut end of the suture into an end of a needle for swaging thereto. The tipping assembly operates by directing a constant flow of heated air to flow either through a heating aperture in which the suture is intermittently stopped during a tipping operation, or through a diverter channel to dump the heated air into the surrounding atmosphere.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An apparatus for cutting an indefinite length of suture to uniform lengths for subsequent threading and swaging to surgical needles having a suture receiving opening formed therein, comprising:

(a) a drawing frame having a first longitudinal frame member and a second longitudinal frame member and defining a drawing axis parallel thereto;
(b) a heater disposed on the drawings for heating a predetermined small length of suture to enable stiffening of the small length of the suture after subsequent cooling thereof, wherein the heater provides a constant flow of air at a regulated flow rate and regulated pressure to provide a constant flow of heated air across the predetermined small length of suture;
(c) cutting means for cutting said indefinite length suture at the stiffened small length to provide uniform lengths of suture;
(d) first and second gripping means, mounted respectively for reciprocal movement on said first and second longitudinal frame members, for gripping said indefinite length suture and alternately drawing it along said drawing axis such that the first and second gripping means are used alternately to draw suture through the apparatus and feed and insert the cut stiffened small length of suture into the suture receiving opening of the surgical needle for swaging thereto.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/803,573Filed 21 Feb 1997 · continuation in part
Priority: 13 Jan 1994
Granted: 30 Oct 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification38 codes

A61B 17/0467
For suturing wounds; Holders or packages for needles or suture materials: instruments for cutting sutures
A61B 17/06
For suturing wounds; Holders or packages for needles or suture materials: needles ; Sutures; Needle-suture combinations; Holders or packages for…
A61B 17/06004
Needles ; Sutures; Needle-suture combinations; Holders or packages for needles or suture materials: means for attaching suture to needle
A61B 17/06133
Packages or dispensers for needles or sutures: of parallelepipedal shape, e.g. made of rectangular or slightly oval panels