Patent ID: 7665645

Claim:
An anvil for a stapler comprising an anvil plate arranged to be supported by a frame of said stapler and including: (a) an anvil surface portion; (b) a side surface arranged substantially normal to said anvil surface portion, said side surface including a relieved portion having a planar back surface substantially centered in said side surface and substantially parallel to a portion of said side surface extraneous to said relieved portion, said back surface offset from said portion of said side surface extraneous to said relieved portion in a direction normal to said portion of said side surface extraneous to said relieved portion and bounded by a first edge surface and a second edge surface, said first edge surface and said second edge surface connecting said back surface to respective portions of said side surface extraneous to said relieved portion, a portion of said back surface intersecting said anvil surface portion; (c) an intersecting surface intersecting said first edge surface at a distance from a plane coplanar with said anvil surface portion, said intersecting surface sloping to intersect said anvil surface portion at a distance from a plane coplanar with said first edge surface and at a greater distance from a plane coplanar with said second edge surface, said first edge surface substantially normal to said anvil surface portion, and (d) a ramp surface intersecting said intersecting surface and intersecting said back surface at a distance from said plane coplanar with said anvil surface portion, said ramp surface sloping to intersect said anvil surface portion at a distance from a plane coplanar with said back surface.