US6416540B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Magnetically actuated cleanable stent and method
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 2000-11-01
•
Granted: 2002-07-09
•
Expires: 2020-11-01
Abstract
Abstract A tubular stent for placement within a vessel of a living being includes one or more elongated wire-like members lying adjacent the inner wall of the tubular body of the stent and responsive to magnetic forces acting thereon to thrash about within the lumen formed by the stent body to dislodge accumulated sediments and/or fatty deposits. The wire member or members may be configured to lie adjacent the inner wall of the stent body except when excited by an apparatus comprising plural pairs of electromagnets which may be energized sequentially to generate a moving force field acting on the stent.
Inventors
- 👤 Sandip V. Mathur
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 20:55
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/82; A61F2/86; A61F2/90; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/32; A61B17/3205; A61B17/3207; A61B2017/320733
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
60 words
A stent including a generally tubular main body having an exterior wall surface and an interior wall surface and opposed ends and defining a lumen extending between said opposed ends, and at least one member disposed within said stent and responsive to magnetic forces acting thereon to move about within said lumen to minimize the accumulation of solids materials therein.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
60 words
A stent including a generally tubular main body having an exterior wall surface and an interior wall surface and opposed ends and defining a lumen extending between said opposed ends, and at least one member disposed within said stent and responsive to magnetic forces acting thereon to move about within said lumen to minimize the accumulation of solids materials therein.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The stent set forth in claim 1 wherein: said member is configured to lie adjacent said inner wall surface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The stent set forth in claim 2 wherein: said member includes an elastic memory for biasing said member toward said inner wall surface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The stent set forth in claim 1 wherein: said member comprises an elongated wire extending within said stent and secured at its opposite ends to said tubular body of said stent.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The stent set forth in claim 4 wherein: said wire is formed of a material responsive to magnetic forces acting thereon to be displaced in said lumen.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The stent set forth in claim 1 wherein: said member comprises a flexible metal wire lying adjacent said inner wall surface of said tubular body.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The stent set forth in claim 6 wherein: said member extends in at least a partial helical wrap within said lumen and lying adjacent said inner wall surface.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The stent set forth in claim 1 wherein: said tubular body is formed of a nonmagnetic material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The stent set forth in claim 8 wherein: said tubular body is formed of a nonmagnetic metal material.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
The stent set forth in claim 1 wherein: said tubular body includes a mesh construction of one of metal and nonmetal wire-like components.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
The stent set forth in claim 1 wherein: plural members are disposed within said stent and operable to move about in response to magnetic forces acting thereon.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
122 words
A stent for placement in a vessel or duct of a living being, said stent including a generally tubular main body formed of a material unresponsive to magnetic forces, said tubular body including an inner wall surface delimiting an elongated passage or lumen extending between opposite ends of said tubular body; and an elongated flexible member formed of a material responsive to magnetic forces acting on said member to move in one direction or the other, said member being disposed in said lumen of said stent and attached to said stent at spaced apart points thereon whereby in response to magnetic forces acting on said stent, said member will move about within said lumen to minimize the accumulation of solids materials therein.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
122 words
A stent for placement in a vessel or duct of a living being, said stent including a generally tubular main body formed of a material unresponsive to magnetic forces, said tubular body including an inner wall surface delimiting an elongated passage or lumen extending between opposite ends of said tubular body; and an elongated flexible member formed of a material responsive to magnetic forces acting on said member to move in one direction or the other, said member being disposed in said lumen of said stent and attached to said stent at spaced apart points thereon whereby in response to magnetic forces acting on said stent, said member will move about within said lumen to minimize the accumulation of solids materials therein.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The stent set forth in claim 12 wherein: said member comprises an elongated wire having an elastic memory for biasing said wire toward said inner wall surface.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
95 words
A method for providing a passageway in a vessel within a living being comprising the steps of: placing a stent within said vessel including a member disposed within a lumen of said stent which is responsive to magnetic forces acting thereon to move about within said lumen of said stent to minimize the accumulation of solids materials in said lumen of said stent; generating magnetic forces in the vicinity of said stent sufficient to cause said member to move about within said lumen of said stent to minimize the accumulation of said solids materials therein.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
95 words
A method for providing a passageway in a vessel within a living being comprising the steps of: placing a stent within said vessel including a member disposed within a lumen of said stent which is responsive to magnetic forces acting thereon to move about within said lumen of said stent to minimize the accumulation of solids materials in said lumen of said stent; generating magnetic forces in the vicinity of said stent sufficient to cause said member to move about within said lumen of said stent to minimize the accumulation of said solids materials therein.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method set forth in claim 14 including the step of: causing said magnetic forces to fluctuate in intensity.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method set forth in claim 14 including the step of: causing said magnetic forces to change direction.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method set forth in claim 14 including the step of: placing a system in the vicinity of said vessel comprising a plurality of electromagnets and energizing said electromagnets in a predetermined manner to generate a fluctuating magnetic force field in the vicinity of said stent.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method set forth in claim 17 including the steps of: providing said system with plural electromagnets arranged in opposed pairs and energizing selected pairs of said electromagnets in a predetermined sequence to change the direction of magnetic forces acting on said member of said stent to effect movement thereof within said lumen of said stent.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
104 words
A method for maintaining a passageway in a vessel within a living being to allow substantially unobstructed fluid flow therethrough wherein said vessel includes a stent disposed therein, said stent including a lumen and a member responsive to magnetic forces acting thereon to move about within said lumen of said stent, said method including the steps of: placing an apparatus in the vicinity of said vessel including means for generating magnetic forces sufficient to act on said member to cause said member to move about within said lumen of said stent to minimize the accumulation of solids materials in said lumen of said stent.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
104 words
A method for maintaining a passageway in a vessel within a living being to allow substantially unobstructed fluid flow therethrough wherein said vessel includes a stent disposed therein, said stent including a lumen and a member responsive to magnetic forces acting thereon to move about within said lumen of said stent, said method including the steps of: placing an apparatus in the vicinity of said vessel including means for generating magnetic forces sufficient to act on said member to cause said member to move about within said lumen of said stent to minimize the accumulation of solids materials in said lumen of said stent.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method set forth in claim 19 including the steps of: providing said apparatus with plural electromagnets arranged in a selected pattern; and energizing said electromagnets to generate sufficient magnetic forces acting on said member to move said member within said lumen of said stent.
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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) | 2005-07-08 | 2006-01-07 | 2006-07-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-07-08 | 2010-01-07 | 2010-07-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-07-08 | 2014-01-07 | 2014-07-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |