Patent ID: 8573461

Claim:
A surgical stapling instrument comprising: an actuation system for selectively generating a plurality of control motions; a surgical end effector operably coupled to said actuation system, said surgical end effector comprising: an elongated channel operably interfacing with said actuation system; an anvil that is movably supported relative to said elongated channel between an open position and a closed position in response to closure motions applied thereto by said actuation system; a surgical staple cartridge operably supported in said elongated channel, said surgical staple cartridge operably supporting at least two lines of staple pushers therein wherein each said staple pusher operably supports at least one unformed surgical staple thereon; and an actuation member operably interfacing with said actuation system such that upon application of a firing control motion thereto, said actuation member is axially driven within said surgical staple cartridge between a starting position and an ending position, said actuation member having rotatable staple driving members thereon corresponding to each one of said at least two lines of staple pushers, each said staple driving member being rotatable from an initial position to an actuated position upon driving contact with a corresponding activation portion of said elongated channel such that as said actuation member is driven from said starting to said ending position, each said rotatable staple driving member serially engages each said activation portion of said elongated channel which thereby causes said rotatable staple driving members to rotate into driving engagement with each said staple pusher corresponding to each said activation portion of said elongated channel to drive said corresponding staple pushers towards said anvil when said anvil is in said closed position to thereby bring said at least one surgical staple supported thereon into forming contact with said anvil.