Appeal 2007-2812
Application 10/337,236
13. The magnetically navigable medical guidewire according to
claim 1 wherein the size and material of the magnetically
responsive element and the stiffness of the distal end portion of
the wire are such that, when the guidewire is held at a point 0.5
inches proximal to its distal tip, the maximum angle of
deflection of the guidewire tip relative to the body of the
guidewire is at least 30 degrees when the applied magnetic field
has a magnitude of at least 0.1 Tesla.
14. The magnetically navigable medical guidewire according to
claim 13 wherein the size and material of the magnetically
responsive element and the stiffness of the distal end portion of
the wire are such that, when the guidewire is held at a point 0.5
inches proximal to its distal tip, the maximum angle of
deflection of the guidewire tip relative to the body of the
guidewire is at least 30 degrees when the applied magnetic field
has a magnitude of up to about 0.15 Tesla.
23. The magnetically navigable medical guidewire according to
claim 1 wherein the magnetically responsive element is
configured to align the distal end of the guidewire with the
direction of a magnetic field that is applied from an external
source magnet.
CLAIM INTERPRETATION
Claim 1 is directed to a “magnetically navigable medical guidewire”.
It comprises: 1) “an elongate wire”; 2) “a hollow cylinder” secured on one
end of the wire; 3) “a magnetically responsive element” inside the cylinder;
and 4) “a dome-shaped cap securing the magnetically responsive element
inside the hollow cylinder.”
The preamble of claim 1 recites that the medical guidewire is
“magnetically navigable.” The terms appearing in a preamble may be
deemed limitations of a claim when they “give meaning to the claim and
properly define the invention.” Gerber Garment Technology, Inc. v. Lectra
3
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013