Patent ID: 7942300

Claim:
A surgical fastener applying apparatus comprising: an anvil half-section having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion including an anvil which defines a fastener forming surface against which surgical fasteners are driven, the anvil half-section including mounting bosses extending from lateral sides thereof; and a cartridge receiving half-section having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, the cartridge receiving half-section being configured and adapted to releasably mate with the anvil half-section, the cartridge receiving half-section including a pair of uprights, each upright including a slot formed through an upper edge thereof for permitting receipt of the mounting bosses of the anvil half-section, the surgical fastener applying apparatus having an assembled configuration wherein the anvil half-section and the cartridge receiving half-section are positioned in juxtaposed alignment with each other, the anvil half-section and the cartridge receiving half-section being relatively movable from an unclamped position to a fully clamped position to clamp tissue therebetween, the cartridge receiving half-section including: a pivotable clamping lever, wherein movement of the clamping lever from a first position, where the clamping lever is fully extended, to a second position, where the clamping lever is fully retracted, moves the cartridge receiving and anvil half-sections to the fully clamped position; wherein the clamping lever includes a body portion having a pair of juxtaposed hinge plates each defining a reinforced access channel formed therein for receiving the respective mounting boss of the anvil half-section, wherein when the clamping lever is in the first position the access channels thereof are longitudinally aligned with the slots of the uprights such that the mounting bosses of the anvil half-section engage the access channels of the clamping lever when the anvil half-section and the cartridge half-section are mated and such that the mounting bosses are engaged with the access channels in the first and second positions, and wherein as the clamping lever moves from the first position to the second position, the access channels of the clamping lever reorient in order to advance and guide the mounting bosses of the anvil half-section therethrough to align the anvil half-section and the cartridge receiving half-section to a fully clamped position to clamp tissue therebetween.