Bistable spring construction for a stent and other medical apparatus
First Claim
1. A stent having a plurality of stable configurations, the stent comprising a plurality of interconnected cells, each cell having a cell structure that comprises a first section having first and second ends that are coupled to a second section, the second section being thinner and more flexible than the first section, the second section being configured to transition between and be stable in only a fully collapsed configuration and a fully expanded configuration so that each cell is capable of assuming either one of only two stable configurations.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to bistable cells and their use in devices, particularly medical devices such as stents, clamps and valves. An expandable stent formed of a plurality of bistable cells is described. The stent has two or more stable configurations, including a first stable configuration with a first diameter and a second stable configuration with a second, larger diameter. A valve comprising a bistable cell for use in eliminating incontinence is also disclosed.
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Citations
39 Claims
- 1. A stent having a plurality of stable configurations, the stent comprising a plurality of interconnected cells, each cell having a cell structure that comprises a first section having first and second ends that are coupled to a second section, the second section being thinner and more flexible than the first section, the second section being configured to transition between and be stable in only a fully collapsed configuration and a fully expanded configuration so that each cell is capable of assuming either one of only two stable configurations.
- 17. A tubular stent having a surface comprising a plurality of cells, each cell having a first stable shape and a second stable shape, the second stable shape encompassing a larger area than the first stable shape, each cell comprising first and second interconnected sections, the second section more flexible than the first section, wherein each cell is capable of assuming at least one of the first and second stable shapes, and all shapes between the first and the second stable shapes are unstable.
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23. An expandable device comprising:
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one or more unit cells, each unit cell of the expandable device having a plurality of stable collapsed configurations and a plurality of stable expanded configurations; wherein; one or more of the unit cells comprises a thin strut and a thick strut, the thick strut having a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the thin strut, the thin strut configured to transition between at least a stable collapsed configuration and a stable expanded configuration; and each unit cell is adapted to be expanded initially from a first stable collapsed state upon application of outward force to a transition point beyond which each unit cell is adapted to be further expanded to a first stable expanded configuration by a force that is less than the initial force applied to expand the unit cell from the first stable collapsed configuration to the transition point. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An expandable device comprising one or more unit cells, each of the one or more unit cells having a first stable state and a second stable state, wherein:
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an area of each cell is larger in the second stable state than in the first stable state; each cell is characterized by a negative spring rate such that, without requiring the device to absorb heat, a force needed to further expand each unit cell toward the second stable state decreases as the amount of displacement of the unit cell from the first stable state toward the second stable state increases beyond an equilibrium diameter; and the cells are constructed such that the expandable device has a plurality of stable states. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification