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:
Nov. 06, 2001
Filed:
Apr. 25, 1997
Thomas Duerig, Fremont, CA (US);
Dieter Stöckel, Los Altos, CA (US);
Janet Burpee, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Nitinol Devices & Components, Fremont, CA (US);
Abstract
A stent for use in a lumen in a human or animal body, has a generally tubular body formed from a shape memory alloy which has been treated so that it exhibits enhanced elastic properties with a point of inflection in the stress-strain curve on loading, enabling the body to be deformed inwardly to a transversely compressed configuration for insertion into the lumen and then revert towards its initial configuration, into contact with and to support the lumen. The shape memory alloy comprises nickel, titanium and from about 3 at. % to about 20 at. %, based on the weight of the total weight of the alloy composition, of a ternary element selected from the group consisting of niobium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten and gold. The ratio of the stress on loading to the stress on unloading at the respective inflection points on the loading and unloading curves is at least about 2.5:1, and the difference between the stresses on loading and unloading at the inflection points at least about 250 MPa.