Patent ID: 8795294

Claim:
A delivery mechanism for tissue holding implants, comprising: a base; a shaft coupled to said base at a proximal end of said shaft and having a curved tip at a distal end of said shaft; a cartridge into which a plurality of tissue holding implants are loaded, said shaft including a slot adapted to receive said cartridge, said cartridge arranged such that, when loaded and placed within said shaft, said implants lie end-to-end lengthwise along a longitudinal axis of said shaft, said cartridge serving as a main channel through which said tissue holding implants may be translated distally; a wire channel within said shaft which remains separate from said main channel until said wire channel merges with said main channel at the distal end of said shaft, said wire channel containing a driving wire; a jaw coupled to said base at a proximal of said jaw end and which extends approximately parallel to and spaced apart from said shaft, wherein a distal end of said jaw is located approximately below said curved tip; a spring-loaded ram arranged to apply a force to said implants loaded in said cartridge so as to push said implants towards a distal end of said cartridge; a constraining mechanism at the distal end of said cartridge arranged to inhibit the translation of an implant pushed by said ram beyond said constraining mechanism; a first actuating mechanism coupled to said base and arranged such that, when said first actuating mechanism is actuated, the distal end of said jaw is moved towards said curved tip; and a second actuating mechanism coupled to said base and arranged such that, when said second actuating mechanism is actuated, the distal tip of said driving wire exhibits a proportional longitudinal displacement down said wire channel towards said curved tip; said delivery mechanism arranged such that tissues placed between the distal end of said jaw and said curved tip are pinned between said jaw and said curved tip when said first actuating mechanism is actuated; said delivery mechanism and implants arranged such that a distal end of said driving wire engages a distal-most implant in said cartridge only where said main channel and wire channels merge and forces said distal-most implant past said constraining mechanism, through said curved tip and through said pinned tissues when said second actuating mechanism is actuated, such that said distal-most implant is ejected from said tip at a non-zero angle with respect to said longitudinal axis of said shaft.