Patent ID: 8210415

Claim:
A surgical staple cartridge supporting at least one row of miniature generally U-shaped surgical staples, said cartridge comprising an elongated housing comprising longitudinally extending elongated thin strips of material each having a predetermined thickness, at least two of said strips forming parallel walls for said housing with corresponding end portions of said walls connected together, at least one of said strips having a plurality of longitudinally spaced integral ribs extending laterally across said strip to define a row of longitudinally spaced pockets between said ribs, at least one of said elongated strips adjacent said ribs and closing said pockets, one of said surgical staples supported within each of said pockets for lateral sliding movement, a plurality of substantially flat drivers within said pockets and supported for lateral sliding movement within said pockets to eject said staples from said pockets, and each of said strips has a longitudinally extending top edge portion defining longitudinally spaced recesses in lateral alignment with said pockets.