The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 16, 1990
Filed:
Nov. 30, 1987
Richard A Noddin, Holliston, MA (US);
Arthur R Madenjian, Waltham, MA (US);
Ralph J Barry, Jr, Hudson, MA (US);
Boston Scientific Corporation, Watertown, MA (US);
Abstract
An inflatable medical balloon is formed by fabricating a tubular preform having a tapered region at the end of the portion where the main body of the balloon will form to enable the corresponding transition section of the blown balloon to have a separately controllable thickness profile. The preferred method includes providing a tube of a selected resin of wall thickness and diameter suitable for being formed into a balloon, and selectively heating to drawing temperature a defined region of the tube at one or both ends of the portion of the tube from which the balloon is to be formed. Tension is applied in opposite directions to respective ends of the heated region to draw the region to a smaller diameter, thereby providing a preform having, at the end of the portion of the tube, a tapered, relatively small diameter region of material that has substantially no crystallization or molecular orientation. In preferred embodiments a tapered region is provided at both ends of the portion in which the main body of the balloon is to be formed. Thereafter the tubular preform is heated to blowing temperature and, while heated, a balloon is formed by drawing and blowing the preform including the tapered regions. The balloon is mounted to form a balloon catheter device. A dilatation balloon catheter, is also described having wall thickness in the transition region less than 0.001 inch.