Patent attributes
A surgical staple cartridge assembly that comprises an anvil, a staple cartridge jaw, a longitudinal knife channel, a first longitudinal row of staple pockets comprising a first distal end staple pocket, a second longitudinal row of staple pockets comprising a second distal end staple pocket, a third longitudinal row of staple pockets, staples removably positioned within the staple pockets, a staple driver, and a firing member is disclosed. The staple driver is configured to drive a first distal staple out of the first distal end staple pocket and a second distal staple out of the second distal end staple pocket and, in cooperation with the anvil, deform the first distal staple to a first fired height and the second distal staple to a second fired height. The firing member comprising a first portion configured to engage the anvil and a second portion configured to engage the staple cartridge jaw.
