Patent ID: 6988650

Claim:
A surgical instrument adapted for applying a plurality of surgical fasteners to body tissue, the surgical instrument comprising: a frame having a proximal end and a distal end, with a handle positioned at the proximal end and an end effector positioned at the distal end; the end effector being shaped and dimensioned for supporting a cartridge housing and an anvil, the cartridge housing and anvil being relatively movable by actuation of a closure mechanism; a firing mechanism associated with the end effector and the cartridge housing for selective actuation of the surgical fasteners features; and a retaining pin for enclosing tissue between the anvil and the cartridge housing, the retaining pin is moved by actuation of the closure mechanism from an open first position to a closed second position; a manual actuator associated with the retaining pin for moving from the second position back to the first position and alternatively moving the retaining pin from the first position to the second position.