Stent
First Claim
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1. A stent comprising:
- a plurality of strut bands, each strut band forming a closed path of alternating peaks and troughs, wherein strut bands adjacent to one another are connected by a plurality of connectors,each strut band comprising a plurality of long struts, a plurality of short struts, and a plurality of junctions, each junction being positioned between and connecting a first short strut and a second short strut, each long strut being connected to a first short strut at a peak and each long strut being connected to a second short strut at a trough,each junction defining only a single junction reservoir, each junction reservoir having a junction reservoir area, all of the junction reservoirs of a strut band being circumferentially aligned,each connector comprising a first arm which extends from a junction on one strut band, and a second arm which extends from a junction on an adjacent strut band, at least a portion of the first arm comprising a first U-shaped link and at least a portion of the second arm comprising a second U-shaped link, each first U-shaped link opening in a first direction and each second U-shaped link opening in a second direction substantially opposite the first direction, at least a portion of the first U-shaped link and at least a portion of the second U-shaped link having a shared portion, the shared portion disposed between one of the peaks on one strut band and a longitudinally adjacent trough of an adjacent strut band, the shared portion defining a single connector reservoir, each connector reservoir having a connector reservoir area, the connector reservoir area being greater than the junction reservoir area.
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Abstract
A stent with strut bands and connectors, wherein the strut bands have long and short struts with a junction positioned between the short struts. Each junction defines a reservoir, wherein the reservoirs of a strut band are substantially circumferentially aligned. The connectors each have arms, wherein each arm includes an opposing U-shaped link. The opposing links have a shared portion disposed between a peak on one strut band and a longitudinally adjacent trough of an adjacent strut band.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A stent comprising:
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a plurality of strut bands, each strut band forming a closed path of alternating peaks and troughs, wherein strut bands adjacent to one another are connected by a plurality of connectors, each strut band comprising a plurality of long struts, a plurality of short struts, and a plurality of junctions, each junction being positioned between and connecting a first short strut and a second short strut, each long strut being connected to a first short strut at a peak and each long strut being connected to a second short strut at a trough, each junction defining only a single junction reservoir, each junction reservoir having a junction reservoir area, all of the junction reservoirs of a strut band being circumferentially aligned, each connector comprising a first arm which extends from a junction on one strut band, and a second arm which extends from a junction on an adjacent strut band, at least a portion of the first arm comprising a first U-shaped link and at least a portion of the second arm comprising a second U-shaped link, each first U-shaped link opening in a first direction and each second U-shaped link opening in a second direction substantially opposite the first direction, at least a portion of the first U-shaped link and at least a portion of the second U-shaped link having a shared portion, the shared portion disposed between one of the peaks on one strut band and a longitudinally adjacent trough of an adjacent strut band, the shared portion defining a single connector reservoir, each connector reservoir having a connector reservoir area, the connector reservoir area being greater than the junction reservoir area.
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2. The stent of claim 1 wherein each first short strut is longitudinally and circumferentially offset from each second short strut.
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3. The stent of claim 1 wherein each long strut defines at least one strut reservoir.
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4. The stent of claim 3 wherein in each strut band, the at least one strut reservoir is in substantial circumferential alignment with the junction reservoirs.
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5. The stent of claim 3 wherein each long strut defines a plurality of strut reservoirs, wherein at least one of the plurality of strut reservoirs is substantially circumferentially aligned with the junction reservoirs.
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6. The stent of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of strut reservoirs are spaced substantially equidistantly from one another along a length of the long strut.
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7. The stent of claim 6 wherein each long strut defines between at least three strut reservoirs to nine strut reservoirs.
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8. The stent of claim 1 wherein each long strut has a long strut width, and each short strut has a short strut width, the long strut width being greater than the short strut width.
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9. The stent of claim 1 wherein each long strut has a long strut width, each short strut has a short strut width, and each arm has an arm width, the arm width being less than either the long strut width or the short strut width.
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10. The stent of claim 1 wherein the shared portion of circumferentially adjacent connectors are substantially circumferentially aligned.
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11. The stent of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the first U-shaped link defines at least one connector reservoir and at least a portion of the second U-shaped link defines at least one connector reservoir.
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12. The stent of claim 11 wherein each connector reservoir has a connector reservoir area, each junction reservoir having a junction reservoir area, the connector reservoir area being no greater than the junction reservoir area.
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13. The stent of claim 12 wherein a region of the first U-shaped link adjacent to the shared portion defines a first connector reservoir, and a region of the second U-shaped link defines a second connector reservoir.
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14. The stent of claim 13 wherein the first U-shaped link and the second U-shaped link each define a first plurality of connector reservoirs, and
the region of the first arm adjacent the first U-shaped link and the region of the second arm adjacent the second U-shaped link each define a second plurality of connector reservoirs, wherein the first plurality is greater than the second plurality.
Specification