Rotatable support elements for stents

• US 8,596,215 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2011
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Van Sciver, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuan, Dah-Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): Capozzi, Charles
• Application Number:
  US13/184,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20120012053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 427/2.1, 427/2.24, 427/2.25, 118/500, 118/230, 118/232
• US Class Current: 118/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/06 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/91 made from perforated sheet material or tubes, e.g. perforated by laser cuts or etched holes
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/002 the substrate being rotated
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/02 performed by spraying
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/32 using means for protecting parts of a surface not to be coated, e.g. using stencils, resists
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/0413 Heating with air
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/42 Plastics B23K2103/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/50 Inorganic material, e.g. metals, not provided for in B23K2103/02 – B23K2103/26
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 21/10 Temperature; Pressure F26B23/026 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 3/04 the gas or vapour circulating over or surrounding the materials or objects to be dried F26B3/14 takes precedence

Abstract

Various embodiments of methods and devices for coating stents are described herein.

Claims

1. A stent support device comprising:

a first rotatable support element configured to support a first end of a stent; and

a second rotatable support element configured to support a second end of the stent, wherein the first element is configured to rotate at a different rate than the second element during at least a time interval in a process of coating the stent with a coating composition.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first rotatable support element is not connected to the second rotatable support element.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first rotatable support element and the second rotatable support element are configured to rotate about a same axis as one another.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first rotatable support element is configured to rotate in a same direction and axis as the second rotatable support element.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first rotatable support element and the second rotatable support element comprises a cone-shaped support element.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein a first motor drives the first rotatable support element and a second motor drives the second rotatable support element.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the first rotatable support element is configured to receive a pulsed rotation from the first motor to cause the stent to shift with respect to the first rotatable support element.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the pulsed rotation is performed at a specified frequency to reduce or eliminate coating defects caused by surface contact between the stent support device and the stent during the process of coating the stent.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the first rotatable support element is configured to shift relative to the stent when a pulse is applied to the first rotatable support element so as to change a contact position between the first rotatable support element and the sent.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first rotatable support element and the second rotatable support element are configured to shift relative to the stent so as to change a contact position between the first rotatable support element and the stent and/or the second rotatable element and the stent.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein both the first rotatable support element and the second rotatable support element are configured to provide a slip fit contact with the stent.