Endoprosthesis having multiple laser welded junctions method and procedure

Claim 1

An implantable transluminal endoprosthesis, comprising: a strand wound in a generally helical configuration to form an endoprosthesis having a plurality of full circle windings that are wrapped through 360° and which are substantially continuous with each other along a generally helically wrapped axis; said wound strand including a repeating pattern of undulations that follow said generally helically wrapped axis, said pattern of undulations having a plurality of substantially equally sized and shaped bendable segments, said bendable segments having legs alternating with bendable connecting portions to impart radial expandability to the endoprosthesis, the endoprosthesis having an unexpanded transluminal insertion circumference and an expanded deployed circumference which is greater than said unexpanded circumference; said plurality of full circle windings are generally adjacent to each other and respective ones of said bendable connecting portions of adjacent full circle windings are adjacent to each other so as to define adjacent bendable connecting portions; said bendable segments are positioned in a generally closed orientation with respect to each other at said unexpanded circumference and in a generally opened orientation with respect to each other and with respect to said bendable connecting portions at said expanded circumference; and a plurality of welds join less than all of said adjacent bendable connecting portions of adjacent full circle windings to each other, said welds being present along the length of the endoprosthesis, each of said full circle windings has at least one of said plurality of welds, and the remainder of said adjacent bendable connecting portions are unwelded, and said plurality of welds define a plurality of weld spine patterns which are spaced from one another by ones of said unwelded connecting portions.