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US 6,406,754 B2Granted
Coating process and apparatus
AssigneeSurModics, Inc.
InventorsRalph A. Chappa, Steven J. Porter
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSurModics, Inc.
InventorsRalph A. Chappa, Steven J. Porter
Estimating the term…
A process and apparatus for dip-coating intermediate and/or discrete discontinuous portions of longitudinal devices, including medical devices such as catheters and guidewires. The apparatus provides a chamber in which both the desired portion(s) of the device and the coating solution can be controllably contacted. A controlled coating can be achieved within the chamber by providing and controlling one or more of the following relationships: a) the manner in which a chamber (containing solution) is itself moved with respect to a static device, b) the manner in which the device is moved with respect to a fixed chamber position containing a fixed volume of solution, and/or c) the manner in which both the chamber and device are fixed in position, and the coating is achieved by adding and removing a volume of solution from the chamber. The resultant movement of solution and device is intended to mimic or replicate the relative movements involved in a conventional dip-coating procedure, at least along the length of device to be coated.
A longitudinal device selected from the group consisting of catheters and guidewires having one or more intermediate or period portions thereof coated using a process for coating intermediate and discrete discontinuous portions of the longitudinal device, said device free of a coating at the distal tip, the process comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.