Patent ID: 8789740

Claim:
A surgical instrument, comprising: a first jaw member configured to operably support a staple cartridge that has a plurality of staples therein; a second jaw member removably couplable to said first jaw member to enable tissue to be clamped therebetween; at least one pusher bar assembly operably supported relative to said first jaw member and being configured to selectively apply a firing motion to the staples supported in the staple cartridge as said at least one pusher bar assembly is distally advanced through the staple cartridge; a knife bar operably supported relative to said first jaw member and said at least one pusher bar assembly, said knife bar being configured to cut tissue clamped between said first and second jaw members; and a selector switch operably interfacing with said knife bar and being movable between an activated position wherein an application of an activation motion to said at least one pusher bar assembly causes said knife bar and said at least one pusher bar assembly to simultaneously move in a distal direction within said first jaw member and a deactivated position whereupon application of said activation motion to said at least one pusher bar assembly causes said at least one pusher bar assembly to move in said distal direction without moving said knife bar in said distal direction.