Patent ID: RE40237

Claim:
A surgical stapling instrument comprising: a frame having a body portion ( 2 , 3 ) and a handle ( 4 ) extending from said body portion ( 2 ) in a proximal end region of said instrument ( 1 ), a staple fastening assembly ( 8 ) in a distal end region of said instrument ( 1 ), said staple fastening assembly ( 8 ) including a curved cartridge ( 10 ), which comprises at least one curved open row ( 34 , 35 , 36 ) of staples ( 54 , 55 , 56 ), and, at the distal end of said instrument ( 1 ), a curved anvil ( 22 ), which is adapted to cooperate with said cartridge ( 10 ) for forming ends of the staples ( 54 , 55 , 56 ) exiting from said cartridge ( 10 ), a staple forming plane ( 26 ) of said anvil ( 22 ) being arranged transversally with respect to a longitudinal axis (L) of said body portion ( 3 ) of said instrument ( 1 ), said staple fastening assembly ( 8 ) being adapted to allow unobstructed access towards concave inner faces ( 40 , 41 , 42 ) of said cartridge ( 10 ) and of said anvil ( 22 ), a cartridge moving device ( 5 , 12 , 16 , 18 ) adapted to move said cartridge ( 10 ) essentially in parallel relationship towards said anvil ( 22 ) from a spaced position for positioning tissue therebetween to a closed position for clamping tissue, and a staple driving device ( 6 , 52 , 53 ) adapted to drive the staples ( 54 , 55 , 56 ) out of said cartridge ( 10 ) towards said anvil ( 22 ).