Pitney Bowes Inc.

United States Surgical Corporation

Other

Joseph F Zuzick, Jr

Edward M Ifkovits

Jeffrey J Blewett

Robert C Savage

Paul M Kasarauskas

Karel J Janatka

Richard F Stengl

Douglas P Sprenger

A method and device for improving the stacking efficiency in a sheet accumulation system using a continuous web cutter for cutting a web of material into sheets and a plurality of right angle turn-over modules for changing the direction of the sheets and causing overlapping between adjacent sheets. Different movement mechanisms are used to move the sheets with different moving speeds from the web cutter toward the right angle turn-over modules for increasing the overlapped amount.

Method and device for moving cut sheets in a sheet accumulating system

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for receiving at least one sheet from a first upstream direction and feeding the at least one sheet in either a second mainstream direction or a third disposal direction. Conventionally, this invention may be used to reorient a sheet, or an accumulation of sheets, from landscape to portrait or vice versa, and to dispose of an incorrect accumulation of sheets into an out-sort station.

Apparatus for directionally reorienting sheets

An apparatus for accumulating sheets from a secondary source and changing their conveyance direction 90.degree.. The accumulator is a group of vertically stacked bins that discharge batchwise and are loaded from the secondary source alternately by way of a diverter. Discharge is synchronous with a directionally constant primary sheet source.

Apparatus for accumulating and directionally reorienting sheets

A self contained gas powered endoscopic surgical apparatus is provided for placing lateral lines of surgical fasteners into body tissue. The apparatus includes an anvil member and a surgical fastener cartridge member mounted to the distal end of an elongated endoscopic portion. A tubular collar of the endoscopic portion moves distally to engage the anvil member and bias the anvil member and the cartridge member into cooperative alignment, thereby clamping body tissue to be fastened between the anvil member and the cartridge member. A self contained pneumatic system is disposed in the surgical apparatus and is actuable to eject and/or form the surgical fasteners in the clamped body tissue. The apparatus further comprises a locking mechanism for preventing approximation of the anvil member and the cartridge. In one embodiment a clamping interlock is shown which prevents approximation of the jaws when the jaws are either misaligned or improperly inserted into the instrument. In a second embodiment a clamping interlock is shown which directly engages the tubular collar preventing approximation of the jaws when a cartridge member is not fully inserted. In a third embodiment a clamping interlock is shown which directly engages the tubular collar when an unfired cartridge is not present or properly inserted into the instrument.

Lockout mechanism for surgical apparatus

Apparatus for folding paper sheets of different length or into different folding patterns and for combining the folded sheets into a single collation. The apparatus includes: a first, right angle paper path for folding paper sheets s of a given size; and a second, straight paper path for folding paper sheets either of a different size than the paper sheets in the first path or in a different folding pattern than the paper sheets in the first path. The first, right angle paper path includes a first accumulator for receiving a first plurality of paper sheets and aligning the first plurality of paper sheets into a first collation, a first folder downstream of the first accumulator for folding the first collation, a right angle transfer for receiving the first, folded collation and for feeding the first, folded collation out of the transfer in a direction perpendicular from the direction of entry of the first, folded collation into the transfer without changing the orientation of the first, folded collation, and a drop feeder downstream of the right angle transfer for dropping the first, folded collation onto the second, straight paper path. The second, straight paper path intersects with the drop feeder of the first, right angle paper path, and the second, straight paper path includes a second accumulator for receiving a second plurality of paper sheets and aligning the second plurality of paper sheets into a second collation, a second folder downstream of the second accumulator for folding the second collation differently than the first collation, a device for receiving the second, folded collation and the first, folded collation at a registration location, and a device for conveying the combined first and second, folded collations downstream from the receiving device.

Parallel sheet processing apparatus

A self contained gas powered endoscopic surgical apparatus is provided for placing lateral lines of surgical fasteners into body tissue. The apparatus includes an anvil member and a surgical fastener cartridge member mounted to the distal end of an elongated endoscopic portion. A tubular collar of the endoscopic portion moves distally to engage the anvil member and bias the anvil member and the cartridge member into cooperative alignment, thereby clamping body tissue to be fastened between the anvil member and the cartridge member. A self contained pneumatic system is disposed in the surgical apparatus and is actuable to eject and/or form the surgical fasteners in the clamped body tissue. The apparatus further comprises a locking mechanism for preventing approximation of the anvil member and the cartridge. In one embodiment, a clamping interlock is shown which prevents approximation of the jaws when the jaws are either misaligned or improperly inserted into the instrument. In a second embodiment, a clamping interlock is shown which directly engages the tubular collar preventing approximation of the jaws when a cartridge member is not fully inserted. In a third embodiment, a clamping interlock is shown which directly engages the tubular collar when an unfired cartridge is not present or properly inserted into the instrument.

A self contained gas powered endoscopic surgical apparatus is provided for placing lateral lines of surgical fasteners into body tissue. The apparatus includes an anvil member and a surgical fastener cartridge member mounted to the distal end of an elongated endoscopic portion. A tubular collar of the endoscopic portion moves distally to engage the anvil member and bias the anvil member and the cartridge member into cooperative alignment, thereby clamping body tissue to be fastened between the anvil member and the cartridge member. A self contained pneumatic system is disposed in the surgical apparatus and is actuable to eject and/or form the surgical fasteners in the clamped body tissue. The apparatus further comprises a locking member for preventing approximation of the anvil member and the cartridge. In one embodiment a clamping interlock is shown which prevents approximation of the jaws when the jaws are either misaligned or improperly inserted into the instrument. In a second embodiment a clamping interlock is shown which directly engages the tubular collar preventing approximation of the jaws when a cartridge member is not fully inserted. In a third embodiment a clamping interlock is shown which directly engages the tubular collar when an unfired cartridge is not present or properly inserted into the instrument.

Growing community of inventors

Naugatuck, CT, United States of America

Joseph F Zuzick, Jr