Appeal No. 1999-0712 Page 4
Application No. 08/748,669
42. The stent of claim 41 wherein said pattern includes an eyelet at said end
of said stent and wherein said radiopaque marker is positioned in said eyelet at
said end of said pattern.
Schatz discloses, in Figures 1A and 1B, an intraluminal vascular graft or prosthesis 701
comprising a stainless steel tubular member 71 having a plurality of cells (slots 82) formed in its
wall surface 74. Schatz also teaches that, for repairing blood vessels narrowed or occluded by
disease or repairing body passageways, the length of the body passageway which requires
repair, as by insertion of a graft, may present problems if the length of the required graft
cannot negotiate the curves or bends of the body passageway through which the graft is passed
by a catheter (column 3, lines 29-36). In order to address this problem, Schatz discloses
(Figures 7 and 8) an intraluminal vascular graft or prosthesis 70' for use in curved body
passageways or elongated sections of a body passageway when a graft 70' is required which is
longer than the graft or prosthesis 70 of Figure 1A. The graft 70' includes a plurality of grafts
or prostheses 70 connected by connector members 100 which permit bending or articulation of
adjacent grafts 70 about the longitudinal axis of the graft 70'. Schatz does not disclose a
radiopaque marker at an end of the graft or prosthesis, as required by claim 41.
Wolff discloses an articulated stent comprising stent segments (12 or 20) connected by
hinges (14 or 22) which are either made of radiopaque material or coated with radiopaque
material to permit observation of the angular orientation of the stent relative to a blood vessel in
1Schatz indicates that an "intraluminal vascular graft" is a device for use in expanding the lumen of a body
passageway (column 6, lines 16-27 and 44-46).
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