Patent ID: 7185411
Filing Date: 2007-03-06
Classification: A61B,B21G,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for forming armed sutures, comprising: (A) a swaging station for receiving, holding and swaging needles that are deposited therein; (B) a suture insertion apparatus for inserting suture into needles held in said swaging station; said suture insertion apparatus acting along a straight first line and moving an end of the suture to be inserted along that line from a starting position to an ending position where the end of the suture is inserted in a suture hole of a needle; (C) a needle transfer assembly for carrying needles to and from the swaging station, said needle transfer assembly acting along a straight second line substantially perpendicular to said first line, said first line and said second line intersecting at said swaging station, said needle transfer assembly having a plurality of extensible needle grippers disposed on a base thereof, said base moveable along said second line to assume a plurality of positions wherein the plurality of needle grippers may be selectively aligned with and extended towards a plurality of needle processing stations including said swaging station for transferring needles to said plurality of needle processing stations, said base moveable through said plurality of positions and reciprocating to sequentially transfer a plurality of needles to said plurality of needle processing stations.