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:
Feb. 20, 1996
Filed:
Jan. 13, 1994
Martin Sobel, Flemington, NJ (US);
Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, NJ (US);
Abstract
A suture winder machine and, more particularly, a semi-automated suture winding station of the machine adapted to facilitate the high-speed winding of multiple sutures, which are each attached to needles, into a peripheral channel of a tray utilized for packaging the needles and attached sutures. A substantially flat suture tray loaded with multiple needles and sutures extending therefrom is mounted on a rotatable platform incorporating registration structure for ensuring the appropriate mounting and positioning of the suture tray thereon, and with the winding machine containing operative structure adapted to rotate the suture tray about an axis perpendicular to the planar surface thereof so as to enable the extending multiple sutures to be bundled and wound for depositing in a channel formed along the periphery of the suture tray. The winding station of the machine includes cam-controlled stylus and suture guide structure; with the stylus engaging successive resilient fingers on the tray covering the channel during rotation of the tray on the platform on which the package is supported for rotation, so as to in cooperation with the suture guide, cause the sutures to be continually introduced into the channel beneath the raised fingers. Also disclosed is a cover-applying apparatus for attaching covers to the trays and concurrently forming product-labeling structure fastened to the trays.