US6522933B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Steerable catheter with a control handle having a pulley mechanism
Assignee: Biosense Webster Inc
•
Filing: 2001-03-30
•
Granted: 2003-02-18
•
Expires: 2021-03-30
Abstract
Abstract A steerable catheter is provided. The catheter comprises an elongated, flexible tubular catheter body having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending therethrough and a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter body. The control handle comprises a handle housing having a generally hollow interior and fixedly attached, either directly or indirectly to the catheter body; a piston slidably mounted in the handle housing and having proximal and distal ends; and a pulley fixedly attached, either directly or indirectly to the handle housing at a location proximal to the proximal end of the piston. A first puller wire is provided having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and a proximal end anchored to the piston. A second puller wire is provided having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body. The second puller wire extends through the catheter body, into the handle, and around the pulley, and the proximal end of the second puller wire is anchored to the piston.
Inventors
- 👤 Frank Nguyen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 03:50
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61M; A61M25/00; A61M25/01; A61M25/0105; A61M25/0133; A61M25/0136
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 38
Claim 1
Independent Claim
164 words
A steerable catheter comprising: an elongated, flexible tubular catheter body having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending therethrough; a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter body, the handle comprising: a handle housing having a generally hollow interior and fixedly attached to the catheter body; a piston slidably and coaxially mounted in the handle housing and having proximal and distal ends, an outer wall, and a passage therethrough; and a pulley fixedly attached to the handle housing at a location proximal to the proximal end of the piston; a first puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and a proximal end anchored to the piston; and a second puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and extending through the catheter body, into the handle, and around the pulley, wherein the proximal end of the second puller wire is anchored to the piston.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
164 words
A steerable catheter comprising: an elongated, flexible tubular catheter body having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending therethrough; a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter body, the handle comprising: a handle housing having a generally hollow interior and fixedly attached to the catheter body; a piston slidably and coaxially mounted in the handle housing and having proximal and distal ends, an outer wall, and a passage therethrough; and a pulley fixedly attached to the handle housing at a location proximal to the proximal end of the piston; a first puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and a proximal end anchored to the piston; and a second puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and extending through the catheter body, into the handle, and around the pulley, wherein the proximal end of the second puller wire is anchored to the piston.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
52 words
A catheter according to claim 1 , wherein the distal end of the first puller wire is attached to one side of the distal end of the catheter body and the distal end of the second puller wire is attached to the opposite side of the distal end of the catheter body.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
57 words
A catheter according to claim 1 , wherein the distal end of one puller wire is attached to the distal end of the catheter body at a first position and the distal end of the other puller wire is attached to the distal end of the catheter body at a second position proximal to the first position.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
A catheter according to claim 1 , wherein the proximal end of the first puller wire is anchored to one side of the piston and the proximal end of the second puller wire is anchored to the opposite side of the piston.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
A catheter according to claim 1 , wherein the handle housing and piston are generally tubular.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
67 words
A catheter according to claim 1 , further comprising a tip section at the distal end of the catheter body, the tip section comprising a flexible tubing that is more flexible than the catheter body and at least first and second off-axis lumens extending therethrough, wherein the first puller wire extends through the first off-axis lumen and the second puller wire extends through the second off-axis lumen.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
62 words
A catheter according to claim 1 , wherein the control handle further comprises an inner rod having proximal and distal ends and fixedly attached to the handle housing, wherein the piston is slidably mounted around the inner rod, the pulley is fixedly mounted on the inner rod, and the catheter body is fixedly attached to the distal end of the inner rod.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
A catheter according to claim 7 , wherein the handle housing, inner rod and piston are generally tubular.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
A catheter according to claim 7 , wherein the inner rod is generally tubular and has a passage extending through its distal end and a longitudinal slot extending through its proximal end, wherein the pulley is mounted in the slot.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
71 words
A catheter according to claim 9 , further comprising an electrode mounted at or near the distal end of the catheter body and an electrode lead wire having a distal end electrically connected to the electrode, extending through the catheter body, through the passage of the inner rod, and through the handle housing, and having a proximal end electrically connected to a suitable connector that is attached to the handle housing.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
52 words
A catheter according to claim 1 , wherein the first puller wire extends through the passage of the piston and out through an opening in the outer wall of the piston, whereby the proximal end of the first puller wire is anchored on the outside of the outer wall of the piston.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
87 words
A catheter according to claim 11 , wherein the piston includes a slot on the outer wall proximal the opening in the outer wall and a groove between the slot and the opening, wherein the groove has a width less than the width of the slot, and further wherein a slug having a width greater than the width of the slot is fixedly attached to the proximal end of the first puller wire and positioned within the groove, thereby anchoring the first puller wire to the piston.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
211 words
A steerable catheter comprising: an elongated, flexible tubular catheter body having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending therethrough; a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter body, the handle comprising: a handle housing having a generally hollow interior and fixedly attached to the catheter body; a piston slidably mounted in the handle housing and having proximal and distal ends, an outer wall, and a passage therethrough; a pulley fixedly attached to the handle housing at a location proximal to the proximal end of the piston; and an inner rod having proximal and distal ends and fixedly attached to the handle housing, wherein the piston is slidably mounted around the inner rod, the pulley is fixedly mounted on the inner rod, and the catheter body is fixedly attached to the distal end of the inner rod; a first puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and a proximal end anchored to the piston; and a second puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and extending through the catheter body, into the handle, and around the pulley, wherein the proximal end of the second puller wire is anchored to the piston.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
211 words
A steerable catheter comprising: an elongated, flexible tubular catheter body having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending therethrough; a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter body, the handle comprising: a handle housing having a generally hollow interior and fixedly attached to the catheter body; a piston slidably mounted in the handle housing and having proximal and distal ends, an outer wall, and a passage therethrough; a pulley fixedly attached to the handle housing at a location proximal to the proximal end of the piston; and an inner rod having proximal and distal ends and fixedly attached to the handle housing, wherein the piston is slidably mounted around the inner rod, the pulley is fixedly mounted on the inner rod, and the catheter body is fixedly attached to the distal end of the inner rod; a first puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and a proximal end anchored to the piston; and a second puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and extending through the catheter body, into the handle, and around the pulley, wherein the proximal end of the second puller wire is anchored to the piston.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
52 words
A catheter according to claim 13 , wherein the distal end of the first puller wire is attached to one side of the distal end of the catheter body and the distal end of the second puller wire is attached to the opposite side of the distal end of the catheter body.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
57 words
A catheter according to claim 13 , wherein the distal end of one puller wire is attached to the distal end of the catheter body at a first position and the distal end of the other puller wire is attached to the distal end of the catheter body at a second position proximal to the first position.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
42 words
A catheter according to claim 13 , wherein the proximal end of the first puller wire is anchored to one side of the piston and the proximal end of the second puller wire is anchored to the opposite side of the piston.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
A catheter according to claim 13 , wherein the handle housing and piston are generally tubular.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
67 words
A catheter according to claim 13 , further comprising a tip section at the distal end of the catheter body, the tip section comprising a flexible tubing that is more flexible than the catheter body and at least first and second off-axis lumens extending therethrough, wherein the first puller wire extends through the first off-axis lumen and the second puller wire extends through the second off-axis lumen.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
18 words
A catheter according to claim 13 , wherein the handle housing, inner rod and piston are generally tubular.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
40 words
A catheter according to claim 13 , wherein the inner rod is generally tubular and has a passage extending through its distal end and a longitudinal slot extending through its proximal end, wherein the pulley is mounted in the slot.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
71 words
A catheter according to claim 20 , further comprising an electrode mounted at or near the distal end of the catheter body and an electrode lead wire having a distal end electrically connected to the electrode, extending through the catheter body, through the passage of the inner rod, and through the handle housing, and having a proximal end electrically connected to a suitable connector that is attached to the handle housing.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
52 words
A catheter according to claim 13 , wherein the first puller wire extends through the passage of the piston and out through an opening in the outer wall of the piston, whereby the proximal end of the first puller wire is anchored on the outside of the outer wall of the piston.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
87 words
A catheter according to claim 22 , wherein the piston includes a slot on the outer wall proximal the opening in the outer wall and a groove between the slot and the opening, wherein the groove has a width less than the width of the slot, and further wherein a slug having a width greater than the width of the slot is fixedly attached to the proximal end of the first puller wire and positioned within the groove, thereby anchoring the first puller wire to the piston.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
190 words
A steerable catheter comprising: an elongated, flexible tubular catheter body having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending therethrough; a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter body, the handle comprising: a handle housing having a generally hollow interior and fixedly attached to the catheter body; a piston slidably attached to the handle housing and having proximal and distal ends, an outer wall, and a passage therethrough, wherein a distal portion of the piston extends outside the handle housing; a thumb control fixedly attached around an entire perimeter of the distal portion of the piston; and a pulley fixedly attached to the handle housing at a location proximal to the proximal end of the piston; a first puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and a proximal end anchored to the piston; and a second puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and extending through the catheter body, into the handle, and around the pulley, wherein the proximal end of the second puller wire is anchored to the piston.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
190 words
A steerable catheter comprising: an elongated, flexible tubular catheter body having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending therethrough; a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter body, the handle comprising: a handle housing having a generally hollow interior and fixedly attached to the catheter body; a piston slidably attached to the handle housing and having proximal and distal ends, an outer wall, and a passage therethrough, wherein a distal portion of the piston extends outside the handle housing; a thumb control fixedly attached around an entire perimeter of the distal portion of the piston; and a pulley fixedly attached to the handle housing at a location proximal to the proximal end of the piston; a first puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and a proximal end anchored to the piston; and a second puller wire having a distal end fixedly attached in the distal end of the catheter body and extending through the catheter body, into the handle, and around the pulley, wherein the proximal end of the second puller wire is anchored to the piston.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
52 words
A catheter according to claim 24 , wherein the distal end of the first puller wire is attached to one side of the distal end of the catheter body and the distal end of the second puller wire is attached to the opposite side of the distal end of the catheter body.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
57 words
A catheter according to claim 24 , wherein the distal end of one puller wire is attached to the distal end of the catheter body at a first position and the distal end of the other puller wire is attached to the distal end of the catheter body at a second position proximal to the first position.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
42 words
A catheter according to claim 24 , wherein the proximal end of the first puller wire is anchored to one side of the piston and the proximal end of the second puller wire is anchored to the opposite side of the piston.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
16 words
A catheter according to claim 24 , wherein the handle housing and piston are generally tubular.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
67 words
A catheter according to claim 24 , further comprising a tip section at the distal end of the catheter body, the tip section comprising a flexible tubing that is more flexible than the catheter body and at least first and second off-axis lumens extending therethrough, wherein the first puller wire extends through the first off-axis lumen and the second puller wire extends through the second off-axis lumen.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
62 words
A catheter according to claim 24 , wherein the control handle further comprises an inner rod having proximal and distal ends and fixedly attached to the handle housing, wherein the piston is slidably mounted around the inner rod, the pulley is fixedly mounted on the inner rod, and the catheter body is fixedly attached to the distal end of the inner rod.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
18 words
A catheter according to claim 30 , wherein the handle housing, inner rod and piston are generally tubular.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
40 words
A catheter according to claim 30 , wherein the inner rod is generally tubular and has a passage extending through its distal end and a longitudinal slot extending through its proximal end, wherein the pulley is mounted in the slot.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
71 words
A catheter according to claim 32 , further comprising an electrode mounted at or near the distal end of the catheter body and an electrode lead wire having a distal end electrically connected to the electrode, extending through the catheter body, through the passage of the inner rod, and through the handle housing, and having a proximal end electrically connected to a suitable connector that is attached to the handle housing.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
52 words
A catheter according to claim 24 , wherein the first puller wire extends through the passage of the piston and out through an opening in the outer wall of the piston, whereby the proximal end of the first puller wire is anchored on the outside of the outer wall of the piston.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
87 words
A catheter according to claim 34 , wherein the piston includes a slot on the outer wall proximal the opening in the outer wall and a groove between the slot and the opening, wherein the groove has a width less than the width of the slot, and further wherein a slug having a width greater than the width of the slot is fixedly attached to the proximal end of the first puller wire and positioned within the groove, thereby anchoring the first puller wire to the piston.
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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) | 2006-02-17 | 2006-08-19 | 2007-02-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-02-17 | 2010-08-19 | 2011-02-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-02-17 | 2014-08-19 | 2015-02-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |