Patent ID: 8393513

Claim:
A surgical stapling apparatus, comprising: an end effector having a pair of jaws including an anvil and a staple cartridge, the end effector defining a longitudinal axis; the anvil having a working surface, the working surface of the anvil having a plurality of staple deforming depressions, and the working surface of the anvil defining a first plane intersecting the longitudinal axis to define a first acute angle therebetween; and the staple cartridge having a plurality of surgical staples and a working surface, the working surface of the staple cartridge having a plurality of staple retention slots, the working surface of the staple cartridge defining a second plane intersecting the longitudinal axis to define a second acute angle therebetween, wherein the first and second acute angles are defined when the anvil and the staple cartridge are in an approximated position.