Medical instrument with slotted memory metal tube
US6780175B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 17, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 24, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 17, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61M2025/0057
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A series of medical instruments can be made with the use of shape memory tube with a transformation temperature that is above or below the ambient temperature. In the first case, the material behaves with the shape memory effect and in the second case the behavior is superelastic. The wall of the tube has been provided with a plurality of slots in specific places, often near or at the distal end of the instrument, and in specific arrangements which allow local variations in diameter, shape, and/or length. These variations can either be caused by the memory effect during temperature change or by superelastic behavior during change of the mechanical influences on the memory metal by the surrounding material.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.