The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 04, 1984
Filed:
Jun. 25, 1981
John F Krumme, Woodside, CA (US);
Alchemia, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
The staples are made of a material having the intrinsic property of shape memory, such that heating the material above a certain temperature known as the transition temperature causes any deformation introduced at temperatures below the transition temperature to be reversed, and the staple recovers fully to its shape prior to the deformation. By forming the staple into any desired closed position at a temperature above the transition temperature and then cooling the staple below the transition temperature before deforming it into an open position, the resulting staple will revert to its closed position when it is subsequently reheated above the transition temperature. Consequently, the staple can be used for surgical suturing by merely positioning it in contact with the tissues to be sutured and heating it sufficiently to cause it to penetrate and clinch the tissues together. A low-cost, lightweight surgical staple applicator utilizes a battery for heating the staples to produce closure, and is sterilizable by gamma radiation.