U.S. Patent 8474677 was awarded to Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. on 2013-07-02 and describes a “Fastener system comprising a retention matrix and a cover.” This patent has been cited 337 times by other U.S. patents which places it in the top 500 cited patents since 2010 according to our law firm research, and makes it of the most innovative medical technology patents in the field of instruments. The abstract states:

A surgical fastening system can comprise a plurality of fasteners, wherein each fastener can comprise, one, a base and, two, a leg extending from the base, wherein each leg can comprise a tip. The fastener system can further comprise a retention matrix comprising a first side facing toward the bases of the fasteners, a second side facing away from the bases of the fasteners, and a plurality of retention members configured to engage the legs. The fastener system can further comprise a cover configured to cover the staple tips, wherein the cover can comprise a sheet of material and/or a plurality of caps. Link: U.S. Patent 8474677

This patent was originally filed on 2010-09-30 which gives it a processing time of 1006 days, compared to an average processing time of 983 in the field. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. has 2128 total patents. The first named inventor is Richard F. Schwemberger of Cincinnati, OH. The primary examiner was Scott A. Smith.

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