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:
Dec. 09, 1997
Filed:
Jun. 15, 1994
Applicant:
Inventor:
Antoine Kaldany, Chestnut Hill, MA (US);
Assignee:
InterMED, Inc., Chestnut Hill, MA (US);
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
A61M / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
604280 ; 604 20 ; 606 15 ; 606 16 ;
Abstract
A unitary, flexible, substantially noncollapsible catheter tube of biocompatible material is comprised of hard and soft regions. The hard regions can be ring shaped or helical. The hard regions provide sufficient rigidity to the tube to prevent collapse under normal usage as the interior and exterior pressures vary. The soft regions provide sufficient flexibility to allow contoured placement of the tube. The hard regions can be created by exposing a polymer in the tube to radiation. The hard regions can also be created by periodically adding a harder material to the tube.