Appeal No. 1997-4292 Page 7
Application No. 08/515,344
between 8-24 diamond shaped cells 108. Connectors 110
comprise links 112 connecting a front end 104 to a tail end
106 of adjacent segments 102. Links 112 preferably extend in
a substantially helical fashion between apexes of diamond
shaped cells 108 at front and rear ends 104 and 106 of
adjacent segments 102 such that the number of links 112 equals
the number of cells
108. Links 112 are preferably evenly deployed around
perimeters of segments 102 such that connectors 110 can be
equally flexed in any direction and to provide continuous and
uniform support to both straight and curved portions of a
bodily conduit.
Pinchasik teaches that alternate connectors 110 at front
and rear ends 104 and 106, respectively, of a segment 102
preferably have links 112 wound in clockwise and counter
clockwise
directions. Alternately winding connectors 110 ensures that
the rotational displacement of links 112 and adjacent segments
102 relative to the walls of a blood vessel and more
importantly the balloon of its delivery system is minimized
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Last modified: November 3, 2007