Abluminal stent coating apparatus and method using a brush assembly
First Claim
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1. A stent coating apparatus, comprising:
- a stent support configured for supporting a stent, the stent having ends and an interior, the stent support comprising;
a first support member;
a second support member; and
a third member extending between the first and second support members;
wherein the first and second support members are configured to support the stent at only the stents ends; and
wherein the third support member is configured to extend through the interior of the stent and is configured to support the stent at only the ends of the stent;
a brush assembly on a brush assembly support;
a dispensing mechanism in fluid communication with the brush assembly to dispense a coating onto the brush assembly; and
an optical feedback system that is configured and arranged to effect alignment between the brush assembly and a stent strut, via relative movement between the stent support and the brush assembly support, such that the brush assembly coats the stent strut with the dispensed coating.
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Abstract
The apparatus and method use an optical feedback system to align a brush assembly with a stent strut. Once alignment is achieved, a coating is dispensed onto the stent strut via the brush assembly and the brush assembly is moved along the stent strut to coat the stent strut.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A stent coating apparatus, comprising:
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a stent support configured for supporting a stent, the stent having ends and an interior, the stent support comprising; a first support member; a second support member; and a third member extending between the first and second support members; wherein the first and second support members are configured to support the stent at only the stents ends; and wherein the third support member is configured to extend through the interior of the stent and is configured to support the stent at only the ends of the stent; a brush assembly on a brush assembly support; a dispensing mechanism in fluid communication with the brush assembly to dispense a coating onto the brush assembly; and an optical feedback system that is configured and arranged to effect alignment between the brush assembly and a stent strut, via relative movement between the stent support and the brush assembly support, such that the brush assembly coats the stent strut with the dispensed coating. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A stent coating apparatus, comprising:
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means for supporting a stent wherein the support means is configured to support the stent at only the stent ends and part of the support means is configured to extend through the interior of the stent; means for supporting a brush assembly; means for aligning and moving the brush assembly and a stent strut relative to each other, the brush assembly in fluid communication with a dispensing mechanism; and means for dispensing a coating from the dispensing mechanism onto the aligned stent strut via the brush assembly.
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20. A combination of a stent coating apparatus and a stent, comprising:
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a stent, the stent having ends and an interior; a stent support that supports the stent, the stent support comprising; a first support member; a second support member; and a third member extending between the first and second support members; wherein the first and second support members support the stent at only the stents ends; and wherein the third support member extends through the interior of the stent and supports the stent at only the ends of the stent; a brush assembly on a brush assembly support; a dispensing mechanism in fluid communication with the brush assembly to dispense a coating onto the brush assembly; and an optical feedback system that is configured and arranged to effect alignment between the brush assembly and a strut of the stent, via relative movement between the stent support and the brush assembly support, such that the brush assembly coats the stent strut with the dispensed coating. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification