Catheter with variable flexibility properties and method of manufacture
US5836925A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 27, 1997 |
| Grant date | Nov 17, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 27, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB29L2031/7542
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A catheter having various flexibility properties along the longitudinal extent thereof comprises contiguous tubular segments formed from polymeric materials having various physical properties. To manufacture the catheter, a grounded wire is conveyed through adjacent coating chambers separated by movable walls, each chamber containing an aerated powder of charged polymer particles having a flexibility property. The charged polymer particles are simultaneously deposited on the grounded wire, and then heated and cooled to form a polymeric tube. Each chamber has its own dry air and high voltage power supplies to control the wall thickness of each segment individually. The lengths of the segments are selected by adjusting the walls of the coating chambers, and also by adjusting the sizes of apertures in the walls.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.