Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
25 words
A method of forming a porous tubular product, which comprises winding an extruded material on a mandrel while simultaneously providing fibre-to-fibre bonding between overlying fibres.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
25 words
A method of forming a porous tubular product, which comprises winding an extruded material on a mandrel while simultaneously providing fibre-to-fibre bonding between overlying fibres.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
58 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the extruded material is formed by extruding through an orifice a viscous solution of a polymeric material from which a fibre may be drawn, and drawing a fibre from the extruded material, and in which the fibre-to-fibre bonding is achieved by removal of the solvent from the overlying fibres.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as claimed in claim 2, in which the mandrel is heated to assist in the evaporation of solvent from the overlying fibres.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the extruded material is formed by extruding a molten polymeric thermoplastic material through an orifice and drawing a fibre from the extruded material, and in which the fibre-to-fibre bonding is achieved by fusion of overlying fibres and solidification of the fused fibres.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
26 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, in which a plurality of fibres is simultaneously drawn and wound on the mandrel.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method as defined in claim 5, in which the plurality of fibres is wound onto the mandrel by drawing the fibres from a spinneret containing the polymeric material, and reciprocating the spinneret relative to the mandrel as the mandrel rotates on its axis.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method as claimed in claim 6, in which the rotating mandrel is located with its axis substantially horizontal and the spinnaret reciprocates parallel to the mandrel axis.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
34 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 7, in which the fibres are extruded through openings which are 4 to 5 times larger than the diameter of the drawn fibres.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
71 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8, in which fibres of diameter less than 100 microns are drawn from the spinnaret and are wound on the rotating mandrel as they subtend an angle of 100 to 800 to the axis of the mandrel to form a porous tubular material having pore openings of 5 to 1000 microns and a porosity of 5 to 85 volume percent.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method as claimed in claim 9, in which the fibre diameter is 10 to 30 microns, the angle is 450 to 800, the pore openings are 10 to 100 microns and the porosity of 50 to 80 vol.%.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
69 words
A method as claimed in claim 9 or 10, in which the polymeric material is biocompatible and biocompliable and produces a flexible product, the winding is effected on a mandrel of diameter from 1 mm to 50 mm, and the spinnaret is reciprocated a sufficient number of times to provide a thickness of 0.1 to 2 mm, whereby the tubular product is suitable for use as a vascular graft.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as claimed in claim 11, in which the mandrel diameter is 3 to 25 mm and the thickness is 0.5 to 1 mm.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
37 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, including the further steps of removing the porous tubular material from the mandrel and cutting the same to form a planar sheet of porous material.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
22 words
A method of forming a porous tubular product substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated in, Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
22 words
A method of forming a porous tubular product substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated in, Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
20 words
A method of forming a porous tubular product substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Example 1 or Example 2.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
20 words
A method of forming a porous tubular product substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Example 1 or Example 2.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
37 words
A porous tubular product comprising polymeric material fibres which intersect and overlie one another and are joined together at each such intersection, whenever produced by a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
76 words
A flexible biocompatible and biocompliable porous tubular product, useful as a vascular graft, having an inside diameter of 1 to 50 mm, a wall thickness of 0.1 to 2 mm and a porosity of 50 to 80 vol.%, comprising polymeric material fibres of diameter from 10 to 30 microns which intersect and overlie one another at an angle of 100 to 800 to the axis of the product and are joined together at each such intersection.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
76 words
A flexible biocompatible and biocompliable porous tubular product, useful as a vascular graft, having an inside diameter of 1 to 50 mm, a wall thickness of 0.1 to 2 mm and a porosity of 50 to 80 vol.%, comprising polymeric material fibres of diameter from 10 to 30 microns which intersect and overlie one another at an angle of 100 to 800 to the axis of the product and are joined together at each such intersection.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
A product as claimed in claim 17, in which the inside diameter is 3 to 25 mm and the wall thickness is 0.5 to 1 mm.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
29 words
A flexible biocompatible and biocompliable porous tubular product useful as a vascular graft substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated in, Figures 2 to 14 of the accompanying drawings.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
29 words
A flexible biocompatible and biocompliable porous tubular product useful as a vascular graft substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated in, Figures 2 to 14 of the accompanying drawings.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
24 words
Aflexible biocompatible and biocompliable porous tubular product useful as a vascular graft substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the Examples.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
24 words
Aflexible biocompatible and biocompliable porous tubular product useful as a vascular graft substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the Examples.