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:
Jul. 18, 2000
Filed:
Nov. 17, 1997
John Zepeda, Los Altos, CA (US);
Chaya Hirsch, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Kee Lee, Daly City, CA (US);
Edward J Gough, Menlo Park, CA (US);
Rita Medical Systems, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US);
Abstract
An ablation apparatus includes an introducer with a distal end sufficiently sharp to penetrate tissue. An energy delivery device is configured to be coupled to an energy source. The energy delivery device includes a first electrode and a second electrode each with a tissue piercing distal portion. The first and second electrodes are at least partially positionable in the introducer and deployable from the introducer at a selected tissue site to an expanded state. In the expanded state the deployed first and second electrodes distend laterally away from the introducer with a radius of curvature to form a shaped array of deployed electrodes at the tissue site when positioned at the selected tissue site. The first electrode distal portion and the second electrode distal portion are each at least partially made of a shaped memory alloy material that displays stress induced martensite behavior above body temperature. A cable couples the energy source to the energy delivery device.