Patent US6283994B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6283994B1
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US
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Heart valve leaflet
Assignee: Sorin Group Italia SRL
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Filing: 1999-04-16
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Granted: 2001-09-04
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Expires: 2019-04-16
Abstract
Abstract A heart valve is disclosed which includes a valve body and a plurality of flexible leaflets coupled to the valve body. The plurality of leaflets has an open position and a closed position. Each of the plurality of leaflets comprises a belly when the plurality of leaflets are in their respective closed positions. The belly of one or more of the plurality of leaflets has a continuous curvature except for a non-continuous portion.
Inventors
- 👤 Riyad E. Moe
- 👤 Edward J. Sarnowski
- 👤 Xiao-Yan Gong
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 20:48
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/02; A61F2/24; A61F2/2412; A61F2/2415; A61F2250/00; A61F2250/0014; A61F2250/0036
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
133 words
A heart valve comprising a valve body having an axis; a plurality of flexible leaflets coupled to the valve body, each of the leaflets having 1) an open position; 2) a closed position; 3) an attachment edge coupling said leaflet to the valve body said attachment edge having a bottom point; and 4) a free edge not coupled to the valve body said free edge being above said attachment edge and having a center point; 5) a line between said center point and said bottom point, and 6) a curved belly portion not contacting any other leaflet; at least one of the plurality of leaflets comprising a spine area in said belly, the spine area being generally symmetrical around said line and having a different curvature than the non-spine portion of the belly.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
133 words
A heart valve comprising a valve body having an axis; a plurality of flexible leaflets coupled to the valve body, each of the leaflets having 1) an open position; 2) a closed position; 3) an attachment edge coupling said leaflet to the valve body said attachment edge having a bottom point; and 4) a free edge not coupled to the valve body said free edge being above said attachment edge and having a center point; 5) a line between said center point and said bottom point, and 6) a curved belly portion not contacting any other leaflet; at least one of the plurality of leaflets comprising a spine area in said belly, the spine area being generally symmetrical around said line and having a different curvature than the non-spine portion of the belly.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The heart valve of claim 1 wherein the spine area extends from said center point to said bottom point.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
74 words
The heart valve of claim 1 , wherein the valve body further comprises a flow orifice having an inside surface and a diameter, and wherein said leaflet further comprises a transition point between the spine portion and the non-spine portion of the belly, the transition point being located at a distance from the axis that is at least twenty percent of the distance from the axis to the inside surface of the valve body.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
89 words
A method for opening a closed heart valve comprising 1) providing a heart valve having a plurality of flexible polymeric leaflets, at least one leaflet having a curved belly in a closed position said belly not contacting any other leaflet, and a region in said belly that is more susceptible to buckle than the rest of said belly, and 2) providing pressure from an inflow direction of the valve, wherein the pressure collapses said region of said at least one leaflet before the remaining portion of the leaflet collapses.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
89 words
A method for opening a closed heart valve comprising 1) providing a heart valve having a plurality of flexible polymeric leaflets, at least one leaflet having a curved belly in a closed position said belly not contacting any other leaflet, and a region in said belly that is more susceptible to buckle than the rest of said belly, and 2) providing pressure from an inflow direction of the valve, wherein the pressure collapses said region of said at least one leaflet before the remaining portion of the leaflet collapses.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the leaflet has a thickness and the region has a decreased thickness.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
74 words
The method of claim 4 further comprising 1) providing each of said leaflets with a free margin, said free margin having a center, and wherein said at least one leaflet comprises exactly one leaflet; and 2) pushing the center of the free margin of the leaflet with the region away from the centers of the free margins of the other leaflets before the remaining portion of the leaflet pulls away from the other leaflets.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 4 wherein collapsing comprises retaining generally the curvature of the region of the leaflet.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 4 wherein collapsing comprises changing the curvature of the region of the leaflet from a flat curvature to a curvature that is convex, deflected in the direction of the pressure.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 4 wherein collapsing comprises changing the curvature of the region of the leaflet from a V-shaped curvature to a rounded V-shape, deflected in the direction of the pressure.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 4 wherein collapsing comprises changing the curvature of a subset of the region of the leaflet from a deflection in a first direction to a deflection in a second direction; and retaining generally the curvature of the remainder of the region of the leaflet.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The heart valve of claim 1 wherein the spine area extends from said center point but not to said bottom point.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
The heart valve of claim 1 wherein the spine area extends from said bottom point but not to said center point.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The heart valve of claim 1 wherein the spine area extends along said line but does not extend to either said center point or said bottom point.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
13 words
The heart valve of claim 1 wherein the spine area is generally planar.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
The heart valve of claim 1 wherein the non-spine portion of the curved belly is generally concave and the spine area is concave but has a flatter curvature than the non-spine portion of the belly.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The heart valve of claim 1 wherein the non-spine portion of the curved belly is generally concave and the spine area is generally convex.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
12 words
The heart valve of claim 16 wherein the spine area is circular.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
13 words
The heart valve of claim 16 wherein the spine area comprises a fold.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
23 words
The heart valve of claim 1 wherein the non-spine portion of the curved belly is generally concave and the spine area is peaked.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
33 words
The heart valve of claim 1 wherein the non-spine portion of said belly is generally a portion of a first cylinder and said spine area is generally a portion of a second cylinder.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
13 words
The heart valve of claim 20 wherein said first and second axes intersect.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
20 words
The heart valve of claim 21 wherein the first and second axes intersect at an angle greater than one degree.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
20 words
The heart valve of claim 22 wherein the first and second axes intersect at an angle of about three degrees.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-09-03 | 2005-03-05 | 2005-09-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-09-03 | 2009-03-05 | 2009-09-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-09-03 | 2013-03-05 | 2013-09-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |