# US 7,744,641 B2 · Expandable framework with overlapping connectors

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- Number: US 7,744,641 B2
- Document ID: US7744641B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/895,815
- Filed: 2004-07-21
- Published: 2006-01-26
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2004-07-21
- Assignees: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
- Inventors: Alexander Leynov; Delilah Yin Hui; David Barry
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7744641B2

## CPC

- A61F 2/915: with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
- A61F 2/91: made from perforated sheets or tubes, e.g. perforated by laser cuts or etched holes
- A61F 2002/828: {Means for connecting a plurality of stents allowing flexibility of the whole structure}
- A61F 2002/91533: {characterised by the phase between adjacent bands}
- A61F 2002/91558: {connected peak to peak}
- A61F 2230/0054: V-shaped
- A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C)

## Abstract

A stent may comprise a plurality of serpentine bands and connectors. A first connector may overlap a second connector when the stent is unexpanded. The first connector may also overlap the second connector in an unexpanded state when the stent is subject to compressive forces in the local area of the connectors, such as when the connectors are located on the inside of a curve. The second connector may be shaped according to a rotation of the first connector about the centroid of the cell between the first connector and the second connector.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A stent formed from a single piece of material, the stent comprising a plurality of serpentine bands, adjacent serpentine bands connected by connectors, wherein the plurality of serpentine bands includes a first serpentine band and a second serpentine band, wherein a first connector connects at a first end to the first serpentine band and connects at a second end to the second serpentine band, and a second connector connects at a first end to the first serpentine band and connects at a second end to the second serpentine band, wherein the first connector and the second connector overlap in a radial direction of the stent when the stent is expanded and includes curvature along a longitudinal axis; wherein at least one serpentine band forms a continuous closed loop about the longitudinal axis; wherein the first connector and the second connector do not overlap in a radial direction of the stent when the stent is expanded and does not include curvature along the longitudinal axis.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The stent of claim 1, wherein the first connector and the second connector overlap in a radial direction of the stent when the stent is unexpanded.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The stent of claim 1, wherein the amount of overlap increases as the degree of curvature along a longitudinal axis of the stent increases when the stent is expanded.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The stent of claim 1, wherein edges of the first connector and the second connector are rounded.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The stent of claim 1, wherein the width of a serpentine band strut is greater than the width of a connector.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The stent of claim 5, wherein the serpentine band strut has a width:thickness ratio of 1:1.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The stent of claim 5, wherein the first connector has a width:thickness ratio of 0.75:1.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The stent of claim 1, wherein the shape and orientation of the first connector and the second connector are related through a symmetry operation.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The stent of claim 8, wherein the second connector is a rotation of the first connector.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The stent of claim 9, wherein the rotation is a half-turn about a centroid of a cell between the first connector and the second connector.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The stent of claim 9, further comprising a third connector and a fourth connector, the third connector being a reflection of the first connector and the fourth connector being a reflection of the second connector.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The stent of claim 8, wherein the second connector is a reflection of the first connector.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The stent of claim 1, wherein the serpentine bands each comprise alternating peaks and valleys; each peak and valley located on the interior of the stent having a connector extending therefrom.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The stent of claim 13, wherein every other peak of a first serpentine band has two connectors extending therefrom.

### Claim 15

A stent comprising an expandable framework, the expandable framework comprising a plurality of serpentine bands and a plurality of connectors including a first set of connectors and a second set of connectors; each connector fixedly attached at a first end to a serpentine band and fixedly attached at a second end to another serpentine band; wherein no portion of a first serpentine band overlaps another portion of the first serpentine band in a radial direction of the stent; wherein a connector of the first set overlaps a connector of the second set in a radial direction of the stent when the stent traverses a curve; and wherein no connector overlaps more than one connector.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The stent of claim 15, wherein the first set of connectors includes first, second and third connectors, the second set of connectors includes fourth, fifth and sixth connectors, and the third connector overlaps the fourth connector in a radial direction of the stent when the stent is expanded and deployed on a curve.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The stent of claim 16, wherein the first connector and the fourth connector are shaped and oriented similarly.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The stent of claim 17, wherein the second connector and the fifth connector are shaped and oriented similarly.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The stent of claim 18, wherein the third connector and the sixth connector are shaped and oriented similarly.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The stent of claim 16, wherein the fourth connector is shaped according to a rotation of the third connector about a centroid of a cell located between the third connector and fourth connector.

### Claim 21 (depends on 16)

The stent of claim 16, wherein the third connector is shaped according to a rotation of the first connector about a centroid of an area consisting of the two cells between the first connector and the third connector.

### Claim 22 (depends on 15)

The stent of claim 15, wherein each connector includes at least one peak.

### Claim 23 (depends on 15)

The stent of claim 15, wherein the amount of overlap increases as the amount of curvature of the stent along its longitudinal axis increases.

### Claim 24

A stent formed from a single piece of material, the stent comprising an expandable framework having a plurality of cells including a first cell, the framework including a plurality of serpentine bands connected by connectors; wherein a portion of the first cell is bounded by a first connector and a portion of the first cell is bounded by a second connector; wherein the first connector includes at least one peak; wherein a first end of the first connector is circumferentially offset from a second end of the first connector; wherein the second connector is shaped according to a rotation of the first connector about a centroid of the first cell and wherein the first connector and the second connector overlap in a radial direction of the stent when the stent is unexpanded and straight along its length, but do not overlap when the stent is expanded and straight along its length.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The stent of claim 24, wherein the first connector includes at least one inflection point.

### Claim 26 (depends on 24)

The stent of claim 24, further comprising a second cell of different shape than the first cell, a third connector and a fourth connector; wherein the third connector is a rotation of the first connector about a centroid of the second cell, and the fourth connector is a rotation of the second connector about the centroid of the second cell.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The stent of claim 26, wherein the first cell shape and the second cell shape alternate about the stent in a circumferential direction.

### Claim 28 (depends on 26)

The stent of claim 26, wherein when curvature is applied to the stent along its length, the first connector and the third connector move away from one another.

### Claim 29 (depends on 26)

The stent of claim 26, wherein when curvature is applied to the stent along its length, the first connector and the second connector move toward one another.

### Claim 30 (depends on 24)

The stent of claim 24, wherein the first connector and the second connector overlap in a radial direction of the stent when the stent is expanded and deployed on a curve.

### Claim 31 (depends on 24)

The stent of claim 24, wherein each connector has an axial component and a circumferential component, and when bending of the stent along a stent longitudinal axis is increased, the axial component of the first connector is reduced.

### Claim 32 (depends on 31)

The stent of claim 31, wherein when bending of the stent along a stent longitudinal axis is increased, the circumferential component increases.

### Claim 33 (depends on 24)

The stent of claim 24, wherein the plurality of serpentine bands includes a first serpentine band and a second serpentine band; the first connector connects at a first end to the first serpentine band and connects at a second end to the second serpentine band; and the second connector connects at a first end to the first serpentine band and connects at a second end to the second serpentine band.

### Claim 34

A stent formed from a single piece of material, the stent comprising a plurality of serpentine bands, each serpentine band comprising alternating peaks and valleys, adjacent serpentine bands connected by connectors, wherein a first connector and a second connector overlap in a radial direction of the stent when the stent is expanded and has curvature along a longitudinal axis, but do not overlap when the stent is expanded and straight along the longitudinal axis; wherein the first connector connects to a first serpentine band at a first peak, the second connector connects to the first serpentine band at a second peak, and the first serpentine band includes only one valley between the first peak and the second peak.

### Claim 35

A stent formed from a single piece of material, the stent comprising a plurality of serpentine bands, adjacent serpentine bands connected by connectors, wherein the plurality of serpentine bands includes a first serpentine band and a second serpentine band, wherein a first connector connects at a first end to the first serpentine band and connects at a second end to the second serpentine band, and a second connector connects at a first end to the first serpentine band and connects at a second end to the second serpentine band, wherein the first connector is directly on top of the second connector when the stent is expanded and includes curvature along a longitudinal axis, but the first connector is not directly on top of the second connector when the stent is expanded and does not include curvature along the longitudinal axis; wherein at least one serpentine band forms a continuous closed loop about the longitudinal axis.