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:
Sep. 30, 1997
Filed:
Apr. 02, 1996
Francis D Colligan, Waterbury, CT (US);
Ronald H Belcourt, Jr, Meriden, CT (US);
United States Surgical Corporation, Norwalk, CT (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for tipping, cutting, and sorting sutures includes a suture supply, a tipping station wherein delimited portions of the suture are tipped, preferably with a cyanoacrylate tipping agent, a diameter measuring station, a cutting station wherein a knife is operated to cut the suture at a tipped portion to form cut suture lengths having tipped suture ends for insertion into the barrel end aperture of a surgical needle, and a pair of graspers for alternatively grasping and drawing the suture from the suture supply through the tipping apparatus, the diameter measuring station and the cutting station. Optionally, a drying station can be interposed to hasten the curing of the tipping agent. Preferably, a controller is provided for controlling the sequence of operation of the apparatus and for controlling sorting of cut suture lengths deposited by the graspers onto a tilting sorting table.