Nucleation enhanced surface modification to support physical vapor deposition to create a vacuum
US8439905B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 18, 2009 |
| Grant date | May 14, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 18, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61F2007/0056
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The device of the invention takes the form of a catheter/probe and is a closed loop system in which cryogen is delivered along the length of the catheter/probe to the tip where freezing occurs, and then recirculated. The device is a tube within a tube and comprises a number of parts including supply and return (internal) tubes, outer sheath (external tube) seaJed to the inner tubes at one or both ends with a gas filled lumen between the internal and external tubes. The lumen of the external tube is filled with a saturated gas which solidifies upon cooling, thereby creating a vacuum along the catheter length and providing for insulation between the inner and outer tubes, and preventing freezing along the probe shaft length. The outside surface of the internal tubes is modified to potentiate gas nucleation on the outer surfaces of the internal tubes when cooled.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.