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:
Sep. 11, 2012
Filed:
May. 13, 2008
Randolf Von Oepen, Los Altos Hills, CA (US);
Travis Richard Yribarren, San Mateo, CA (US);
Richard Roy Newhauser, Redwood City, CA (US);
Rainer Bregulla, Balingen, DE;
Randolf Von Oepen, Los Altos Hills, CA (US);
Travis Richard Yribarren, San Mateo, CA (US);
Richard Roy Newhauser, Redwood City, CA (US);
Rainer Bregulla, Balingen, DE;
Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL (US);
Abstract
The invention relates to a method and apparatus of reducing stress during stent manufacture. Particularly, the invention is directed to a method and apparatus for expanding a stent using primarily radial loads thereby reducing the stresses that are generated due to the axial loads applied during loading of the stent onto a mandrel or other expansion device. The method of the invention provides for the stepwise expansion of shape memory stents, while reducing the overall stresses that the stent encounters, and thereby improving manufacturing yields due to fractured struts during expansion.