Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7185524 | Grindless surgical needle manufacture A method for manufacturing a surgical needle devoid of a grinding process includes the steps of swaging a needle blank to define a substantially tapered or conical needle end, pressing the tapered needle to form a plurality of intersecting surfaces and forming cutti... | 03/06/2007 |
| 6520389 | Quilting needle A quilting needle for achieving substantially uniform stitches in a multi-layer fabric/batten quilting substrate. The needle is formed as an elongated straight slender needle body having an eyelet at one end thereof sized for receiving a quilting thread t... | 02/18/2003 |
| 6163948 | Stand alone swage method A semi-automated machine and method for singulating individual surgical needles from an bulk supply and attaching a suture to the surgical needle is described. Each of the surgical needles has a suture receiving opening formed therein for receiving a sutu... | 12/26/2000 |
| 6016682 | Swaging apparatus for surgical needles A swaging apparatus for attaching sutures to surgical needles includes at least a first die and a second die. The first die has a first member, which includes a first surface, and a second member, which includes a second surface. The second member is mova... | 01/25/2000 |
| 6009933 | Five beveled point geometry for a hyperdermic needle A hypodermic needle featuring a multi-beveled point geometry is disclosed. In one embodiment, the multi-beveled point features a primary bevel, a pair of tip bevels, and a pair of middle bevels each intermediate the primary bevel and a respective one of t... | 01/04/2000 |
| 5911449 | Semi-automated needle feed method and apparatus A semi-automated machine for singulating individual surgical needles from an bulk supply and attaching a suture to the surgical needle is described. Each of the surgical needles has a suture receiving opening formed therein for receiving a suture. The mac... | 06/15/1999 |
| 5797174 | Apparatus for forming curved, rectangular bodied needle blanks from tubular stock There is disclosed an apparatus for forming curved and rectangular bodied needle blanks from a length of needle stock which includes a generally cylindrical inner mandrel having a plurality of longitudinal channels formed in an outer surface thereof, the ... | 08/25/1998 |
| 5776268 | Process for manufacturing surgical needles A process for progressively manufacturing cutting edge needles or wire members. Needle blanks or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of coining dies and at le... | 07/07/1998 |
| 5676008 | Apparatus and method of forming needle blanks from wire stock There is disclosed an apparatus and method for forming curved and pointed needle blanks from a coiled length of wire needle stock material. The apparatus includes an inner mandrel having a circumferential wire receiving groove and at least one longitudina... | 10/14/1997 |
| 5640874 | Progressive die/carrier apparatus and method of forming surgical needles and/or incision members There is disclosed an apparatus and a method for progressively forming high strength surgical needles from bulk needle stock material. The apparatus generally includes a series of progressive needle processing stations. A first series of needle processing... | 06/24/1997 |
| 5608962 | Method and apparatus for attaching surgical suture components A method and apparatus for attaching sutures to curved surgical needles. A vibratory bowl and vibratory rail function to present individual surgical needles to a transfer system in a predetermined orientation. The transfer system then delivers each orient... | 03/11/1997 |
| 5568746 | Surgical needle-suture attachment for controlled suture release An apparatus is disclosed for attaching a surgical needle having a generally cylindrical end portion defining an elongated aperture having a generally circular cross-section and a suture having a generally elongated end portion of generally circular cross... | 10/29/1996 |
| 5553477 | Progressive die apparatus and method for forming surgical incision members There is disclosed an apparatus for forming a surgical incision member comprising which includes a first die associated with a base and having a first groove therein for receipt of at least a portion of a needle blank. A second die is mounted for movement... | 09/10/1996 |
| 5526666 | Apparatus for forming curved rectangular bodied needles An apparatus for forming at least one curved, rectangular bodied surgical needle which comprises frame means, flat press means associated with said frame means for imparting first flat surfaces to opposite sides of at least a portion of at least one needl... | 06/18/1996 |
| 5479980 | Method and device for forming drilled needle blanks An apparatus for preparing drilled needle blanks from a spool of coiled stock wire may include a laser for drilling a bore in the end of the stock wire and a cutting device for cutting the drilled wire into needle blanks.... | 01/02/1996 |
| 5457978 | Cartridge fed apparatus for forming curved rectangular bodied needles An apparatus having a frame; a shuttle member, adapted to receive and hold a needle blank, and movably mounted to the frame; a clamp member detachably mounted on the frame for supplying needle blanks to the shuttle member; a transfer mechanism mounted on ... | 10/17/1995 |
| 5438746 | Needle threading and swaging system An automated machine for attaching a suture to a surgical needle comprises a first apparatus located at a first predetermined location for sorting a plurality of randomly oriented needles and orienting each needle for automatic handling at a first predete... | 08/08/1995 |
| 5431036 | Needle curving apparatus An apparatus for curving a needle is provided which comprises at least two generally cylindrical members rotatably connected to a frame. At least one anvil shaft is positioned substantially between the cylindrical members and is rotatably connected to the... | 07/11/1995 |
| 5425258 | Needle curving apparatus The present invention relates to a needle curving apparatus for curving one needle or a multiplicity of needles simultaneously. The apparatus includes a curving system for bending the needle and a reciprocating drive system for biasing the needle blanks a... | 06/20/1995 |
| 5394726 | Apparatus and method for positioning and pressing curved surgical needles The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for positioning and pressing surgical needle blanks. The apparatus includes a needle blank transferring system which transfers needle blanks between a gripping position and a pressing position. A si... | 03/07/1995 |
| 5384945 | Device for forming drilled needle blanks An apparatus for preparing drilled needle blanks from a spool of coiled stock wire may include a laser for drilling a bore in the end of the stock wire and a cutting device for cutting the drilled wire into needle blanks.... | 01/31/1995 |
| 5353624 | Crimping apparatus for attaching a suture to an eyeless needle A crimping apparatus for crimping a root end of an eyeless needle to fix a medical suture between an upper mold and lower mold. This apparatus comprises a swing arm disposed in parallel with the root end of the eyeless needle and the upper mold fixed to t... | 10/11/1994 |
| 5351518 | Four slider apparatus for forming curved rectangular bodied needles and method An apparatus for forming a curved, flat sided surgical needle, which comprises a frame member including an anvil member having an arcuate surface profile; a movable first die member for simultaneously imparting an arcuate profile and at least a pair of fi... | 10/04/1994 |
| 5323633 | Apparatus and method for orienting a curved workpiece An apparatus for presenting a curved workpiece to a workstation, includes a frame member and a guide channel associated with the frame member for receiving a curved workpiece in a generally upright position. A first pusher mechanism is reciprocally movabl... | 06/28/1994 |
| 5287721 | Apparatus and method for forming curved needles Apparatus for forming curved needles from needle blanks of differing sizes and material characteristics having a guide die, driven by a linear actuator, for biasing the needle blank against a forming surface. Bending dies also driven by linear actuators a... | 02/22/1994 |
| 5230352 | Medical suturing device, a single-strike die mechanism, and a method of using said die mechanism for forming the medical suturing device A single-strike die mechanism includes a rotatable cam drive ring driven to impart through a cam mechanism linear motion to at least three crimping dies. The crimping dies are symmetrically arranged within a die guide and simultaneously actuated to move i... | 07/27/1993 |
| 5224955 | Surgical needle-suture combination and apparatus and method for attaching the same An improved surgical needle is disclosed. The needle has a butt. The butt has a proximal and a distal end. A blind hole is in the butt. The hole originates at the proximal and terminates at the distal end of the butt. A crimp is adjacent to the butt. The ... | 07/06/1993 |
| 5207701 | Surgical needle-suture combination, and apparatus and method for attaching the same An improved surgical needle is disclosed. The needle has a butt. The butt has a proximal and a distal end. A blind hole is in the butt. The hole originates at the proximal and terminates at the distal end of the butt. A crimp is adjacent to the butt. The ... | 05/04/1993 |
| 5201760 | Surgical needle-suture combination and apparatus and method for attaching the same An improved surgical needle is disclosed. The needle has a butt. The butt has a proximal and a distal end. A blind hole is in the butt. The hole originates at the proximal and terminates at the distal end of the butt. A crimp is adjacent to the butt. The ... | 04/13/1993 |
| 4922904 | Apparatus for connecting thread to surgical needle An apparatus for connecting a thread wound on a bobbin to a surgical needle including feeding rollers for unwinding the thread from the bobbin, a tube-like chuck for selectively fix the thread thereto, a guide for guiding the front end of the thread, a fe... | 05/08/1990 |
| 4890614 | Suture needle and its manufacturing process A large number of needle patterns are integrally associated with each other on an extended U-shaped metal plate. After that, a pointed end of individual needle patterns is formed, and a series of individual needle patterns are divided into a plurality of ... | 01/02/1990 |
| 4799311 | Apparatus for attaching suture to surgical needle An apparatus for attaching an end of a suture to an axially extending bore formed in a proximal end of a surgical needle. At least one of a pair of staking dies is movable toward and away from the other. A proximal end face of the surgical needle is engag... | 01/24/1989 |
| 4722384 | Method of and apparatus for attaching suture to operating needle A method of and an apparatus for staking a proximal end of an operating needle, with one end of a suture being inserted into a bore in the proximal end of the needle, to attach the suture to the needle. A staking unit has a pair of staking disc at least o... | 02/02/1988 |
| 4672734 | Suture needle and its manufacturing processes A large number of needle patterns are integrally associated with each other on an extended U-shaped metal plate. After that, a pointed end of individual needle patterns is formed, and a series of individual needle patterns are divided into a plurality of ... | 06/16/1987 |
| 4491167 | Device for the transport of bar-shaped workpieces, particularly sewing machine needle blanks A device for transporting bar-shaped workpieces, particularly blanks for sewing machine needles, between the stop positions of a follow-on tool, includes one or more transport spindles extending over the length of the follow-on tool and having a threaded ... | 01/01/1985 |
| 4127133 | Bonded controlled release needle-suture combinations Needle-suture combinations are provided wherein a needle having an axial opening in the blunt end thereof for receiving a suture is bonded to the suture with a hot melt wax composition having sufficient bonding strength to secure the needle to the suture ... | 11/28/1978 |
| 4124027 | Controlled release sutures A controlled release needle-suture combination wherein a fluid swellable suture is attached to a surgical needle having an oversized blind axial opening by inserting the suture into the full depth of the opening and swaging the needle over the outermost p... | 11/07/1978 |
| 4072041 | Short-crimp surgical needle Surgical needles are attached to sutures with controlled pull-out characteristics by a short crimp--that is a crimp whose length is markedly less than the length of the end of the suture in the needle; with an essentially undistorted portion of the needle... | 02/07/1978 |
| 3981307 | Thermal attachment of surgical sutures to needles A method is provided for anchoring a suture to a needle in which a suture tip is inserted into a recess in the blunt end of a needle and the needle is thereafter heated to expand the suture tip within the recess into tight engagement with the recess walls... | 09/21/1976 |
| 3963031 | Juncture-lubricated needle-suture combination A needle-suture combination is provided in which a lubricant layer is provided at the juncture between the needle and the suture and specifically between the inner surfaces of a recess in the blunt end of the needle and the outer surface of one tip of the... | 06/15/1976 |
